Stories tagged California
Here's the USGS data on the earthquake, and CNN's developing story.
Tags : Northern and central California are beset by more than 800 wild fires. Last week, the state baked under four days of triple-digit heat, which dried out brushland in many areas. On Friday, severe lightning strikes set them to blaze. California brushland, called chaparral, naturally becomes very dry in the summer and burns easily. The burning is nature’s way of recycling dead plant material. It’s only when humans build houses and things that we don’t want burned that it becomes a problem.
California quake: There'e a high chance the next big one will be in the next 30 years
Predictors are making some pretty bold forecasts for the risk of a massive earth in California sometime in the next 30 years. You can get all the details right here. I'm still willing to settle for Minnesota's occasional tornadoes and blizzards rather than have to worry about the ground shaking under my feet.
Aptera Typ-1 electric vehicle
Courtesy Aptera Motors, Inc. Aptera Motors, Inc. is now taking reservations (California only) for either its 300 mpg hybrid or its all electric vehicles. The electric version of the Aptera typ-1 is slated for delivery in 2008 with the hybrid model to follow. The all-electric model has a range of 120 miles. The plug-in series hybrid has achieved more than 300 miles per gallon with a range of more than 600 miles.
The Aptera Typ-1 is loaded with safety features.
- Driver and passenger side airbags
- Energy absorbing and impact deflecting passenger safety cell
- Advanced drive computer with GPS navigation, CD/MP3/DVD player, XM
- Large rear view camera and complete vehicle diagnostic system
- LED interior and exterior lighting for maximum energy efficiency
- An RFID (Radio Frequency ID) ? an automatic identification method so a driver never has to pull out their keys to enter or start their Aptera
- USB port for powering a laptop or charging an MP3 player and other mobile devices
Aptera videos are on You Tube
Click this to see more Aptera electric vehicle You Tube videos.
Sources: Jalopnik.com/cars and Aptera.com/details
Bring 'em on: Come on you nasty sharks...I'll take you all on. (Flickr photo by Cayusa)The Miami Dolphins on the NFL football field maybe struggling through a winless season so far, but their namesakes off the coast of California chalked up a big win a few months ago.
When surfer Todd Endris was surfing near Monterey on Aug. 28, a 12- to 15-foot great white shark attacked him. It’s not uncommon for surfers to be the targets of sharks, who look up through the water to see what they think is a tasty seal.
Three shark bites peeled skin off his back and had ripped his right leg down to the bone. Then to the rescue came a pod of dolphins.
The formed a protective ring around him, allowing Endris to get his wits about him, paddle to shore and get first aid attention on shore from a friend.
I heard Endris share his tale on the Today Show earlier this week. You can get the full report by clicking here. But my biggest question was left unanswered. Why did the dolphins intervene?
Science doesn’t have the answer yet, but cases of dolphins rescuing people go back to tales from ancient Greece.
Just last year, four lifeguards in New Zealand were saved from sharks by the similar action of a pod of dolphins.
One more interesting twist to the story, within six weeks Endris was back on his surfboard riding the waters off on Monterey again.
So what do you think is at play with dolphins coming to the rescue? Do you think they do this for other species as well, or just humans? Share your thoughts here with Science Buzz readers.
Over half a million people are being evacuated from areas near several huge wildfires burning in southern California right now. It is amazing to look at the images of this area from NASA's Aqua satellite.
Double click to zoom in
This image comes from NASA's MODIS Rapid Response website. This site is always a good place to check for a bird's eye view on large scale natural disasters.
Squid attack: This squid is a shrimpy two feet long, but monster squid are being found off the coast of central California, eating up the marine life that is vital to the fishing economy of the area. (Photo from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)Jumbo shrimp is one of those oxymorons that still crack me up.
Jumbo squid now being seen off the coast of central California don’t have anybody laughing.
Humboldt squid, which can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 110 pounds, are gobbling up the anchovy, hake and or commercial fish schools that are a vital part of that area’s economy.
That type of squid used to only be found in the warmer, equatorial waters of the Pacific. But over the past decade and half, they’ve been spreading out to cooler climates and seem to be hitting central California especially hard.
Sounds like another example of global warming, right? Not so fast.
The chief reason behind the squid migration is probably food supply. They’re adapting to the cooler waters due to other fishing practices, researchers say.
Predators of the Humboldt squid are primarily tuna and swordfish. As their numbers have dropped due to high fishing pressures in the northern Pacific, the squid now have more room to roam to find their own food, researchers say. And with the new territory, they’re acquiring a taste for new aquatic species as well.
Planning to take a California vacation yet this summer? Don’t worry about a squid attack on you. Despite their large size, these jumbo squid are still pretty low on the food chain and have no interest in consuming humans, or any other mammals for that matter.
Dig here for treasure: The former site of two outhouses in Ventura, Calif., is proving to be a hot spot for finding historical artifacts. But it's not the most desireable place to be digging.
Photo courtesy Dave Bullock (eecue)It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Archeologists in Ventura, Calif., digging on the spot where a couple of outhouses were stationed some 130 years ago, are making some amazing discoveries…as long as they can tolerate the smell.
Here’s a quick rundown of what they’ve found: a pistol, bowie knife, whiskey flasks, a set of false teeth, two dog skulls and a blade for shearing sheep.
You might be able to label this case as CSI: Outhouse.
"It might be an early crime scene," project archaeologist John Foster is quoted in USA Today. "It looks like the two dogs were decapitated. Then whoever did it dumped the skulls and the blade, thinking the women probably wouldn't be looking too hard into the bottom of the privy."
Archeologists were called in to checkout the scene before the site was to be prepared for a condo development. The property has had a host of previous uses, including a school bus barn and Ventura County’s first courthouse/jail/hospital.
While the finds have been exciting, the project has had its drawbacks, archeologists report.
"The further you go down, the stronger the smell," archaeologist Marisa Solorzano says. "But it's not that bad. These privies are archaeological gold mines."
One person’s gold mine is another person’s pile of, oh well, you get what I mean.
Or to put it another way for you Trekkies: these archeaologists are boldly going where many have gone before!
Solar panels 2.0: photo from D.O.E. via wikimedia
California attracts solar money
At last night's kickoff of the Energy Challenge, Don Shelby said there was going to be a lot of money made because of the global warming crisis. A lot of that money is going to California because of their leadership in legislating solutions to our predicament.
Watch live webcast
The largest solar event in the history of the United States is going on right now in San Jose California. You can experience the latest information as it is presented via live webcasts from about 12:15 till 6 p.m. CST(Oct 17,18).
On behalf of the Solar Electric Power Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association, we welcome you to the webcast of Solar Power 2006, the largest solar event in the history of the United States.
We have seen record levels of venture capital investment, game-changing public policies, industry-wide manufacturing expansions, and broad public interest in the context of a growing energy crisis. (Live and archived webcasts)
Silicon Valley-based SunPower Corporation
An example of what is coming is illustrated in SunPower's announcement yesterday. Gen 2 solar cells, which have a rated power output of 315 watts and boast 22 percent photovoltaic (PV) efficiency -- that's opposed to the 7% to 17% common in most commercial PV systems -- give roughly 50 percent more power per square foot of roof area than the average solar panel, using half as many panels. They will be available in the spring of next year.
Update; I also recommend readingThe Mercury News article: "Solar draws inventors, investors to valley".
Sucked in: Will this harm your development?
Autism is a serious concern in our country today, with 1 out of every 166 children diagnosed with some form of the disorder. But could the sharp rise in Autism (it was only 1 in 2500 30 years ago) be linked to the increased prevalence of TV in our homes? Economists from Cornell University say that the data shows a pretty strong correlation.
Michael Waldman and Sean Nicholson looked at populations in California, Oregon, and Washington using the Department of Labor's American Time Use Survey. They compared this information with clinical autism data and found a statistically significant correlation between and increase in early childhood hours spent watching TV and autism rates.
Is that science?
Well, the authors of the study will be the first to say that this isn't definitive proof that TV causes autism (or that autism causes TV...sorry, bad joke). And these guys are economists looking at population data not medical scientists studying individuals with autism. But that doesn't mean this study is without merit. Something in our environment causes autism and we don't really know what it is. I support any unique thought on the subject that gives us new research questions to evaluate.
Do you have a story or thought on autism? Have you heard of other possible causes of autism?
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