World's shallowest slow-motion earthquakes detected offshore of NZ
Austin TX (SPX) May 09, 2016 -
Research published in the May 6 edition of Science indicates that slow-motion earthquakes or "slow-slip events" can rupture the shallow portion of a fault that also moves in large, tsunami-generating earthquakes. The finding has important implications for assessing tsunami hazards. The discovery was made by conducting the first-ever detailed investigation of centimeter-level seafloor movement at ...
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Continental drift to thank for coral reef biodiversity
Zurich, Switzerland (UPI) May 6, 2016 -
A new study suggests both the fragmentation and convergence of continents 100 million years ago explains the rich biodiversity found among the coral reefs of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Using a computer model, researchers were able to track the movement and evolution of corals and reef fish as Africa and Asia separated and India drifted northward into Asia.
Scientists powered t ...
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Senegal's child beggars show limits of 'apptivism'
Dakar (AFP) May 9, 2016 -
Mamadou is a child beggar wandering the streets of Dakar, perilously darting in and out of traffic as he tries to gather enough money for his Islamic teacher to feed him.
But Mamadou is different from an estimated 30,000 boys who share his plight in Senegal. He is made of pixels, a virtual urchin created for mobile screens by app developer Ousseynou Khadim Beye.
Arcade-style gaming app C ...
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The Venus flytrap: From prey to predator
Wurzburg, Germany (SPX) May 09, 2016 -
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) feeds on insects. It attracts a meal with its flower-like reddish color and ripe fruity smell on leaves converted to ambush traps. Seeking nectar, an insect will inevitably touch the highly sensitive sensory hairs on the leaves. This causes the trap to snap shut at lightning speed, imprisoning the prey.
Dionaea must then decide how much energy to inves ...
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Iran says it will ship more oil to Italy
Tehran (UPI) May 9, 2016 -
Iran's deputy oil minister claimed a deal was made with an Italian refining company for the delivery of around 65,000 barrels of oil per day.
Rokneddin Javadi, chief of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Co. and deputy oil minister, said the deal was signed with Italian refining company Saras, which had no official statement on the arrangement.
"The agreement covers a daily sal ...
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North Dakota loses two rigs
Bismarck, N.D. (UPI) May 9, 2016 -
The number of rigs operating in North Dakota was down two from the previous week and nearly 70 percent below this time last year, state data show.
North Dakota state data show 27 rigs in service, a loss from the previous week's count of 29, which held steady for much of the month of April. The count for Monday is 67 percent below the same date last year and 87 percent below the count fo ...
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Oil rally fades as Canadian fires move east
New York (UPI) May 9, 2016 -
A rally in oil prices subsided Monday as Canadian wildfires moved away from key production facilities in Alberta, home to some of the world's larger oil fields.
Canadian energy company Suncor had about 10,000 of its employees evacuated from an oil sands operation near Fort McMurray as wildfires rage across the region. The company said the fire moved close to its base operations, but was ...
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