Waterspouts are simply tornadoes that exist over a body of water. They are often much weaker than land-based twisters due to atmospheric differences.

Waterspouts are able to pick up the water and swirl it in its funnel. In some occasions, waterspouts have picked up tadpoles, lizards and fish which eventually rained down from the sky once the waterspout diminished.

These forces of nature often occur in tropical regions where there are oceans and lakes but can also occur in less tropical areas such as the Great Lakes. Ships out on the open seas have reported seeing up to as many as 30 waterspouts in one day!

The answer to this question has not changed since the last Apollo mission. The last lunar landing occurred on December 11, 1972. Since then, no one else has walked on the surface of the moon.

The Apollo missions allowed 12 people to touch ground on the moon. All 12 of these people were American. No other country has landed people on the moon’s surface. The list is as follows:

Apollo 11 July 20, 1969:
1 Neil Armstrong
2 Buzz Aldrin

Apollo 12 November 19-20, 1969:
3 Pete Conrad
4 Alan Bean

Apollo 14 February 5-6, 1971:
5 Alan Shepard
6 Edgar Mitchell

Apollo 15 July 31–August 2, 1971:
7 David Scott
8 James Irwin

Apollo 16 April 21-23, 1972:
9 John W. Young
10 Charles Duke

Apollo 17 December 11-14, 1972:
11 Eugene Cernan
12 Harrison Schmitt

While all of the Apollo missions were 3-man missions, one of the crew members stayed in orbit around the moon while the other two decended towards the moon.

Even with all of the advances in technology, no one has been back since the early 1970’s.

This year’s earth day, expected to be the biggest Earth Day celebration ever is happening today, April 22nd. EarthDay.gov explains it best:

Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress. Earth Day is a time to unite around new actions. Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet.

Use this Earth Day to decide what you will do to help save our environment. Think of the world around you and what you can do to better it. It will not only effect our current generation but for every generation to follow. We would like thank everyone in advance for their neverending support each and every Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day 2008

For a list of Earth Day events from around the world, please visit earthday.net.

At first, natural gas was regarded as be unuseful and it was initially burned off as it was extracted from the ground. In 900 BC, China began using natural gas to evaporate salt water in order to produce salt. The Romans were also aware of natural gas as they witnessed a “burning spring” near Grenoble, France.

In 1865, the first U.S. natural gas company was developed. The first pipeline constructed from hollowed logs ran from a gas field to Rochester, New York in 1872. After the invention of the Bunsen burner in 1885, natural gas was used for lighting, cooking and heating. It wasn’t until World War II that natural gas pipelines was frequent enough to many large cities. By this time, it was starting to become an alternative to other fuels such as electricity and coal.

In 2000, there were more than 600 natural gas processing plants in the United States alone. With more than three hundred thousand miles of natural gas pipelines, roughly 70% of all homes are heated using natural gas today.

QUICK FACT: This originally oderless gas has been given an artificially distinct smell (like rottent eggs) so it can be detected in case of gas leaks.

Article Overview:
It’s a heated debate between fossil fuels and renewable energies. Fossils fuels, while becoming slightly pricier, are pollutants unlike renewable energy sources. But, fossil fuels are the “standard” in today’s society and are readily available. Wind power is a type of renewable energy that can be implemented in many parts of the world to provide electricity. When will the world finally become independent from fossil fuels?

As of February 2008, the worldwide population is believed to have reached over 6.6 billion people. At this current pace, the Earth would reach a human population of nine billion by the year 2050. The 2007 CIA World Factbook claims that the current population increases by 211,090 people per day.

From DSW-Datareport 2006 (”Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung”), here’s the list of the most populous nations:

• China: 1.32 billion (about 20% of world population)
• India: 1.12 billion (about 17%)
• United States: 300 million (about 4.6%)
• Indonesia: 225 million (about 3.5%)
• Brazil: 186 million (about 2.8%)

Earth’s carrying capacity based upon economic factors, land, natural resources… ect. will eventually come under too much stress. When referring to the ever-booming population, how much is too much?

For many more fascinating global trends, we highly recommend checking out EarthTrends. It is a great source to find the trends for nearly anything.

Article Overview:
Three Gorges Dam is the largest dam on the face of the planet. Its a magnificient construction project in terms of design and output but the environmental and sociological impacts may cause excessive devastation to the surrounding area.

Like humans, certain animal species hold world records as well. The following lists information regarding some world records held birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.

Fastest Animals on Earth:
Land Animal: Cheetah (70 miles per hour)
Water Mammal: Dall Porpoises (35 miles per hour)
Fish: Sailfish (68 miles per hour)
Bird in the Sky: Peregrine Falcon (Can dive towards the ground at 200 miles per hour)
Bird on Land: North African Ostrich (45 miles per hour)
Insect: Dragonfly (36 miles per hour)

Largest Animals on Earth:
Largest Animal in the World: Blue Whale (100+ tons)
Largest Animal on Land: African Elephant (13,000 pounds)
Tallest Animal on Land: Giraffes (18 feet tall)
Longest Snake: Reticulated Python (Averages 20.5 feet, Longest is 32 ft 9.5 in)
Longest Worm: Boot Lace Worm (More than 180 feet long in 1864)

Other Unique Animal Records:
Oldest Animal: Tortoises (Known to have lived as long as 188 years.)
Smallest Bird: Bee Humingbirds (Adults weigh 2 grams)
Loudest Animal: Blue Whale (188 decibels which can be heard 500 miles away.)
Most Venemous Animal: Sea Wasp (Enough poison to kill 60 humans.)

Ever wonder what the most dangerous animal in America is? Find out.

The moon is slowly creeping away from Earth. It’s a nearly insignificant displacement but it moves 3.8 cm further into space every year. This has been determined since the 1970’s using laser ranging measurements.

When the moves 14,600 miles into space, we will no longer see a total eclipse of the sun. Don’t worry about that though because it’s going to take 500 million years until that happens.

What is the most dangerous animal lurking around in America? Some would say the fierce grizzly bear or prowling mountain lions. They have been known to kill people, but the numbers are far from staggering. During the 20th century, 128 people died from bear attacks and only 14 people died from the mountain lions.

The answer to this question is deer (hence the picture). While you may think these animals are cute roaming around in the woods, they have been a serious problem around cities and residential areas. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, it is estimated that 130 people die yearly from vehicle collisions with deers.

There are one and a half million deer/vehicle accidents per year. This results in nearly 30,000 injuries and over one billion dollars in health insurance claims. Deers also carry ticks which are transmitters of the deadly Lyme disease. Lyme disease infects around 13,000 people on yearly basis.

Based on a study from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005, The states with the highest number of accidents caused by deers are Pennyslvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Georgia. By being attentive on the roads, the number of deer-related accidents can be decreased. The following are a few good tips to follow to reduce your risk of becoming a deer-collision victim.

• Always keep an eye open for deer especially near wooded areas. Most of the time, signs are posted where deer crossings are most likely.
• Deer are most prone to be out and moving around during the early evening.
• Use high beams to spot deer on the side of the road when it is hard to see.
• If you see one deer, it is likely that more are around because they often move in packs.

 By following these simple steps, you are more likely to avoid deer-related accidents.