NASA ‘s Terra satellite’s Image:Flooding from Tsunami near Sendai, Japan

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

NASA’s Terra satellite’s first view of northeastern Japan in the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami reveal extensive flooding along the coast. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired the right image of the Sendai region on March 12, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. The left image, taken by Terra MODIS on February 26, 2011, is provided as a point of reference.

Source: NASA Website

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8.9 Quake Unleashes Tsunami on Jaapan: Nuclear Scare Feared

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan , unleashing a monster 10-meter high tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.A powerful 10-meter (33 feet) wall of water was reported in Sendai in northeastern Miyagi prefecture, media reported after a four-meter wave hit the coast earlier.Helicopter footage showed massive inundation in northern coastal towns, where floods of black water sent shipping containers, cars and debris crashing through towns.Mud waves were shown racing upstream along the Natori river in Sendai city, blanketing farm fields.Many injuries and unconfirmed deaths have been reported after the quake hit 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of Tokyo.A tsunami warning was issued for Japan, Taiwan, Russia and the Mariana Islands. Guam, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Micronesia and Hawaii have been put on a lower tsunami watch.

Links and Sources:

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Nuclear scare after Japan quake

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Horse Fossils say ‘You Are What You Eat’

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Fossil records verify a long-standing theory that horses evolved through natural selection, according to groundbreaking research by two anatomy professors at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) of New York Institute of Technology.Working with colleagues from Massachusetts and Spain, Matthew Mihlbachler, Ph.D., and Nikos Solounias, Ph.D. arrived at the conclusion after examining the teeth of 6,500 fossil horses representing 222 different populations of more than 70 extinct horse species. The records, spanning the past 55 million years, indicate a “critical” lag time between the evolution of horse teeth and dietary changes resulting from climate change.

The breakthrough findings were published in the March 4 issue of the journal Science.

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Sixth Mass Extinction: Is It Coming?

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

With the steep decline in populations of many animal species, scientists have warned that Earth is on the brink of a mass extinction like those that have occurred just five times during the past 540 million years.

Each of these “Big Five” saw three-quarters or more of all animal species go extinct.

In results of a study published in this week’s issue of journal Nature, researchers report on an assessment of where mammals and other species stand today in terms of possible extinction compared with the past 540 million years.

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