Life's Little Mysteries Earth Archives
How Do Glaciers Carve Valleys? Mystery Solved
April 04, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
A new technique has helped geologists figure out how glaciers carve valleys in the landscape over millions of years.
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New World Record: Most Plastic Bottles Recycled
March 31, 2011, Remy Melina, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
More than 19,000 pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in Shanghai, China, for international World Water Day.
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Snow in Spring? Why a Cold March Doesn't Disprove Global Warming
March 23, 2011, Bjorn Carey, Life's Little Mysteries Managing Editor
One week into spring and the east coast is being treated to snow storms. What's the deal?
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Bogus Claim: Japan Earthquake Won't Trigger a California Quake
March 21, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Earthquakes do come in clusters, but that doesn't mean an earthquake will hit California soon, as some members of the press have claimed.
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The Supermoon Marooned Ships
March 21, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The March 19 Supermoon didn't trigger any natural disasters, but it did strand five ships off the coast of England.
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Why Is Plutonium More Dangerous than Uranium?
March 17, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Plutonium is an especially dangerous radioactive substance that may enter the environment as a result of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
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What Is MOX?
March 17, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
'Mox' refers to mixed oxide fuel. Life's Little Mysteries tells you why it's a cause for concern at Fukushima.
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Could a 9.0 Earthquake Happen In the United States?
March 16, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
An earthquake on par with the recent seismic event in Japan is possible in two places in the United States.
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How Is Radiation Exposure Measured?
March 15, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
How is the radiation exposure of workers at failing nuclear power plants in Japan actually measured?
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Infographic: What Is a Meltdown?
March 14, 2011, Karl Tate, Life's Little Mysteries Informational Graphics Artist
A partial meltdown has occurred at two nuclear reactors in the Fukushima power plant in Japan.
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Q&A: Nuclear Power Expert Explains Japan's Crisis
March 14, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer, and Jeanna Bryer, LiveScience Managing Editor
A partial meltdown has occurred at three nuclear reactors in the Fukushima power plant in Japan, due to a failure of the cooling system.
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What Is a Meltdown?
March 14, 2011, Life's Little Mysteries Staff
A partial meltdown has occurred at two nuclear reactors in the Fukushima power plant in Japan.
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The 'Supermoon' Did Not Cause the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
March 11, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
An earthquake has struck Japan surprisingly near the date of the March 19 supermoon, but this is just a coincidence.
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Earthquakes Put Japan's Nuclear Reactors on Red Alert
March 11, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The cooling systems at two nuclear reactors in Japan have malfunctioned as a result of a 8.9-magnitude earthquake. If they remain down, a buildup of nuclear decay heat could cause radiation leaks.
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Why Do Some Earthquakes Cause Tsunamis But Others Don't?
March 11, 2011, Remy Melina, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
A devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake rocked the east coast of Honshu, Japan, early Friday morning, triggering a 30-foot-high tsunami that has caused the U.S. National Weather Service to issue a warni...
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More Than 64,000 Trees Planted in 15 Minutes
March 09, 2011, Remy Melina, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Nearly 7,000 people partook in planting more than 64,000 saplings, breaking the Guinness Book World Record for the most trees planted simultaneously.
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Infographic: What's America's Emergency Oil Plan?
March 07, 2011, Karl Tate, Life's Little Mysteries Informational Graphics Artist
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a stopgap to be used in the instance of a severe energy supply interruption.
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What Is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and How Much Oil Is In It?
March 07, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a stopgap to be used in the instance of a severe energy supply interruption.
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China's 'Two Suns' Video Unexplained By Science
March 04, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
An optical effect resulting in the appearance of two suns was caught on camera in China.
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How Does Oil Form?
March 02, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Over millions of years, heat and pressure turn decomposing marine life into petroleum.
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Why Doesn't Plastic Biodegrade?
March 02, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Plastic is made from petroleum, which is organic. So why doesn't plastic break down?
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Why Earthquakes in New Zealand Increased Birth Rates
March 02, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Local hospitals see birth spikes both immediately and nine months after natural disasters.
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A Small Nuclear War Would Stall Global Warming
February 28, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
A regional nuclear war between India and Pakistan would lead to global cooling, crop failure, famine, and disease.
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Ape or Human? Fossils' Link to Evolution Questioned
February 23, 2011, Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Fossils thought to be from our earliest hominin ancestors might just be ape bones.
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What Are the King Tides?
February 17, 2011, Brett Israel, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Huge tides only come twice each year.
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