Japan a week after Tsunami and Earth quake

Massive Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Japan was hit by a massive earthquake the measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, on March 11. This was followed by a 10 meters high Tsunami wave that washed away Northern Japan. The nearest city to the epicenter is the coastal city of Honshu, 130 km (80 miles) from the quake center. Japan's capital city Tokyo is situated 373 km (231 miles) away.

Panda Population Booms This Year

China’s panda population is booming this year to a record number of births in captivity – a rare accomplishment for the endangered species known for being poor breeders. The most recent addition – the birth of female twins – brought the total number of births this year to 19, surpassing the record of 18 births in 2006.

Through artificial insemination, researchers have been able increase the number of pandas in captivity to more than 300 – a number that experts say should remain steady.

Illegal Rise of Grey Parrot Trade

Grey parrots are found only in the rain forests of West and Central Africa, but they’re prized as pets in countries around the world. People are captivated by their beautiful colors, gentle nature and ability to mimic humans. But demand for the birds could be threatening their very existence.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that 450,000 of the birds were captured and exported from Africa between 1994 and 2003. The number would be even higher if it included illegal exports.

Seeing the danger of extinction, many countries in Europe, North America and Africa have banned trade in grey parrots. Cameroon issued a ban three years ago. But conservationists say the measures have failed to reduce the trade. Illegal operations have continued and have even increased.

Lemon Festival in France

The 78th Lemon Festival, taking place in Menton, southern France is themed “The Great Civilizations”. About 145 metric tons of bright citrus fruits were used to create some large-sized sculptures

Cool Your Summer

The Library Hotel, Koh Samui

Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore

Shoreditch House, London

The Fasano Hotel, Rio de Janeiro

The Lalu, Taiwan

Discover New Home for your Girl

Best Mom and Baby

Check out the best mom and baby photos below:

Biologists call for regulation of rare plant sales

People are increasingly obtaining endangered or threatened plants, often illegally, and moving them outside their native range.

According to their research last year, nearly 10 percent of the 753 plants listed as threatened and endangered are being sold — or, at least, advertised — online. Many buyers are horticulturalists who want flowers for their gardens. But increasingly, anecdotal evidence suggests that online shoppers include individuals and citizen groups involved in ‘assisted colonization’ projects. Here, species or genetic subtypes at risk of extinction are moved to non-native environments in which they might thrive — in the face of climate change, for instance.

Brain 'GPS' Illuminated in Migratory Monarch Butterflies

A new study takes a close look at the brain of the migratory monarch butterfly to better understand how these remarkable insects use an internal compass and skylight cues to navigate.

Dr. Steven Reppert from the University of Massachusetts Medical School explains that information from both eyes is integrated and time compensated for the sun's movement by a circadian clock so that flight direction is constantly adjusted to maintain a southerly bearing over the day."

Dr. Heinze says, our results reveal the general layout of the neuronal machinery for sun compass navigation in the monarch brain and provide insights into a possible mechanism of integrating polarized skylight information and solar azimuth," concludes. "More generally, our results address a fundamental problem of sensory processing by showing how seemingly contradictory skylight signals are integrated into a consistent, neural representation of the environment.

Quantum robins go ahead the way

Researchers have been investigating the mechanism which enables birds to detect the Earth's magnetic field to help them navigate over vast distances. This ability, known as magneto reception, has been linked to chemical reactions inside birds' eyes.

The experiment showed that the magnetic compass used by robins could be disrupted by extremely small levels of magnetic 'noise'. When this noise, a tiny oscillating magnetic field, was introduced it completely disabled the Robins' compass sense which then returned to normal once the noise was removed - good news for robins which have to navigate on the long migration route to Scandinavia and Africa and back every year.

In their analysis the Oxford/Singapore team shows that only a system with components operating at a quantum level would be this sensitive to such a small amount of noise.

Mother Tiger Adopts Baby Pigs

In a Californian zoo a tiger gave birth to three tiger cubs. Due to complication in pregnancy the cubs died. The mother tiger was depressed with her triplet tiger cubs’ death and her health was wretched so the veterinarians came up with a decision. They took orphan piglets and wrapped them in tiger skin and placed the babies around the tiger.

The 'Ark' Eco Building in Future

The housing of the future as envisioned by Russian architect Alexander Remizov could be constructed quickly, withstand environmental disasters, and house 10,000 people at a time. The eco-friendly dome, 'The Ark,' is designed to withstand biblical flood levels and can be built on land or sea.