Snail believed extinct from climate change rediscovered

A snail once thought to have been among the first species to go extinct because of climate change has reappeared in the wild. The Aldabra banded snail, declared extinct seven years ago, was rediscovered on Aug. 23 in the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles. The mollusk, which is endemic to the Aldabra coral atoll - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - had not been seen on the islands since 1997, said the Seychelles Islands Foundation. A research team from the Seychelles Islands Foundation found seven of the purple-and-pink striped snails on Aldabra atoll's Malabar Island last week. The snail faces many pressures in Aldabra atoll. The coral islands grew atop an extinct volcano in the Indian Ocean. The isolated atoll, which also is home to the largest population of giant tortoises in the world, provides opportunities to study evolution and biodiversity. Conservationists are unsure how a terrestrial snail like the Aldabra banded snail initially reached these hot, dry islands surrounded by saltwater without drying out. The snail's apparent demise was linked to declining rainfall on Aldabra. © Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

China's Yutu rover is still alive, reports say, as lunar panorama released

t hasn't been an easy few lunar months for the Yutu rover, which reportedly had problems positioning its solar panels in March while exploring the lunar surface. That said, reports are emerging that the rover is still alive. Along with those reports came a new panorama released in time for the Moon Festival in that country. As you can see in the video above, the new panorama shows the Chang'e-3 lander and the tracks of the Yutu rover in the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains). The duo landed on the Moon on Dec. 14, 2013, with the rover on the top. Yutu then drove on its six wheels on to the surface only about seven hours after the touchdown happened. The act was hailed as an accomplishment for China, which is the third nation to make a soft landing on the moon after the Soviet Union and the United States. It also was the first to touch down on the moon in more than a generation, as other lunar programs have focused on orbiters (such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which remains in operation above.) See the video and read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-china-yutu-rover-alive-lunar.html#jCp

Couple Catches Monster Shrimp in Florida

A couple went for causal fishing in Florida and caught a monster shrimp. According to Live Science report, fisherman Steve Bargeron, while on a fishing trip off a dock in Fort Pierce, Florida saw the couple with a strange creature, which looked like a lobster. Bargeron said that the couple was not interested to keep the strange creature. He also clicked few images of the uncommon shrimp before throwing it back into the lake. The images were posted on the Facebook page of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC). The FWC says that the creature was 45 cm long (about 18 inches), and was a mantis shrimp, which is more appropriately called stomatopod. But, they are unable to know the exact species of mantis shrimp it is, as there are 400 species or even more. Mantis shrimps have exciting features as their eyes have many advanced features. The best about this creature is lethal methods by which it kills its preys. Roy Caldwell, an integrative biology professional, said that the strange sea creature is an over-sized mantis shrimp. "This particular group is Lysiosquillidae and are almost all banded yellow and black across their bodies. They can live for 30 years and can grow to be 12 inches (30.5 centimetres) long", affirmed Caldwell. He also said that the specimen of the Lysiosquillidae family as big as the couple found in off Florida is unlikely. Scientists say that they have examined stomatopods for 50 years and an 18-inch catch is strange because the largest mantis of the same species noticed last time was 15 inches long. The fisherman said that at that time, he did not have measuring tape to measure the accurate size of the shrimp.

LUXURY & SUPERCAR WEEKEND IN VANCOUVER

Everyone loves a super car. They would love to drive one, but even looking at one is a great thing to do as well. These are the top of the line cars, and individuals love to be near to them. At Vancouver’s luxury and super car weekend, individuals can do just that. It is easy to see why so many car enthusiasts flock to this even that goes on each year in Vancouver. Phil Star reports that there are over 100 million dollars worth of luxury cars at this event, with brand names such as Masserati, Lamborghini, and Ferrari. According to the official website: L&SW offers a unique up-close and personal opportunity to view the world’s most important examples of automotive achievements from manufacturers and private collections such as Lamborghini, Pagani, McLaren, Bugatti, Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, BMW, Lincoln and many more. Included among these displays are the latest models of Luxury and Supercars along with award-winning Concours Classics supercars entered for display by private collectors, many never seen before. The daily times reports that Vancouver has more luxury car owners per capita than any other city in North America. It is easy to see why there are so many luxury cars that are available for these shows. Not many of them have to be shipped in, which makes it very easy to get all of these high end cars that will be shown during this show. The high property taxes make for some great roads, which are very nice for these high end cars to drive on. The nicer the road, the more a luxury car owner will be willing to drive their expensive car on it. Craig Stowe, director of the super car show, told Xinhua that Vancouver – known for its multi-million dollar houses and wealthy socialites – has more luxury car ownership per capita than any other markets in North America. “It’s a beautiful, small city, with great roads and a lot of wealth. And with wealth comes appreciation of super cars and the more super cars you get on the road, the more super cars are bought,” he said. The Canada Journal even reported that one car was worth 6 million dollars. These are some very expensive cars, and it is very fun for individuals to be around these expensive cars and dream a little. Events like these bring a lot of attention to a city like Vancouver. This three day event was a major success, and it seems as though this type of even will continue to return to the high end city of Vancouver. It will be a great thing to see more luxury cars in Vancouver as the years go by.

Warmer-than-usual fall ahead, Weather Network says

TORONTO -- One of Canada's most prominent forecasters says weather watchers need only look back at the summer to see what Mother Nature has in store for the fall. The Weather Network's fall outlook says temperature and precipitation trends that took hold during the summer are likely to continue for the next few months across most of the country. Chief Meteorologist Chris Scott says British Columbia's balmy, dry summer will likely give way to a warmer than usual fall with below-average rainfalls. RELATED STORIES It's already snowing in Calgary: winter hits southern Alberta Farmers' Almanac predicts nasty winter: 'shivery and shovelry' He says Prairie dwellers and Ontarians hoping for a break from an unusually chilly, soggy summer aren't expected to get much relief. Scott expects only the Maritimes will see a departure from their summer weather trends. The network is calling for a return of cooler air that will bring temperatures and precipitation levels back down to around seasonal norms. Summer wore an unusual form across most of the country, Scott said, adding conventional weather trends were reversed in most cases. The typically cool region of Goose Bay, Labrador, for instance, recorded as many days over 30 C as the frequently sizzling southern Ontario city of Windsor. Similarly, British Columbia residents accustomed to cooler days had a chance to savour the season under unusually sunny skies. Scott said fall looks to offer more of the same in most cases, adding that the next three months won't be without the volatile temperature shifts that have come to be synonymous with the season. "We think that's going to be the telltale signature of this fall, as it often is ... these wild swings up and down," Scott said in a telephone interview. "But when you average everything out over those three months, it's going to still keep that same tendency to be a bit milder towards B.C., and then we still have a tendency towards coolness in the centre part of the country." That coolness, Scott said, will likely be enhanced by what's shaping up to be the season's most active weather cells. Scott said their models suggest some unusually stormy weather will make itself felt around the Great Lakes as well as the eastern Prairies. Those areas can expect higher than average precipitation for the season, he said, adding Atlantic Canada also has potential for heavy rainfalls if the local hurricane season becomes more active than it has been to date. Significant wet weather is expected to come late to British Columbia, Scott said, conceding the news may be unwelcome to ski resort owners hoping for an early start to the season. In Toronto, where memories of a damp and nippy summer are still vivid, reception of the network's fall weather prognostications was about as warm as the forecast. "I feel like I better take off to Mexico sooner rather than later," said Rob Primerano. "I usually wait until January but maybe I'll go sooner." "I'm disappointed, I hate the rain," opined Alanna McPherson. Others took a more philosophical approach. "There's a lot of good in this world, weather should be the least of your worries, that's what I think," said Hin Jang. "I was born in Toronto so I've seen worse." Scott cautioned the forecast could be influenced by a weak El Nino, a condition in which waters in the Pacific Ocean are slightly warmer than usual. The effects of El Nino are difficult to quantify, he said, adding they're generally felt more towards the end of the season and into the winter. Scott said the network's fall estimates are heavily based on the patterns observed during weak El Nino seasons of the past, but said they're about as likely to change as the weather itself. "Even though the weather pattern wants to hold onto what we saw this summer, fall is just a wildly different beast in terms of the variation you get," he said. Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/warmer-than-usual-fall-ahead-weather-network-says-1.1998067#ixzz3CphhIj28

Ship from lost Franklin expedition found

OTTAWA—One of the lost ships from the ill-fated Franklin Arctic expedition has been found, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Tuesday. A remotely operated underwater vehicle searching the Victoria Strait made the discovery on Sunday. It’s one of two ships that belonged to Sir John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition, though researchers aren’t sure yet whether it’s HMS Terror or HMS Erebus. “I am delighted to announce that this year’s Victoria Strait Expedition has solved one of Canada’s greatest mysteries, with the discovery of one of the two ships belonging to the Franklin Expedition,” Harper said in a statement. “This is truly a historic moment for Canada. Franklin’s ships are an important part of Canadian history given that his expeditions, which took place nearly 200 years ago, laid the foundations of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Harper later told reporters that the ship is in good condition. He praised the team of government and non-government organizations that participated in the search, which the Star has been accompanying. “This is a good historic event. For more than a century, this has been a great Canadian story and mystery. It’s been the subject of scientists and historians, writers and singers,” Harper said. “I think we have a really important day in mapping together the history of our country,” he said. “Of course, I would have liked it to have been picked up and brought down but that’s not possible but we do have an image,” Harper said during a visit to a Parks Canada lab in Ottawa where the find was revealed. The prime minister watched as a sonar image of the lost ship was displayed on a screen. “What we see here is the acoustic shadow,” said Ryan Harris, a Parks Canada official who headed the search. Harris says the ship is five metres off the sea floor in the bow and four metres in the stern. He said the sonar image shows some of the deck structures are still intact including the mainmast, though it was sheared off by the ice when the ship sank. He said the contents of the ship are likely well preserved. Franklin was leading a Royal Navy expedition that left Britain in 1845 to find a possible trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Franklin and 128 crewmen were lost in the original expedition. Since 2008, Parks Canada has led six major searches for the ships, scouring hundreds of square kilometres of seabed. This year’s search was one of the largest and went equipped with new technology that Harper said was likely key to making the discovery.

GoPro Flyover of Apple's Spaceship HQ Build Site Gives You The Scenic Tour Read more: http://hothardware.com/News/GoPro-Flyover-of-Apples-Spaceship-HQ-Build-Site-Gives-You-The-Scenic-Tour/#!bNzZfl#ixzz3C1SDzihy

When GoPro's versatile cameras first hit the market, they became an instant hit. Finally, ordinary users were able to capture some cool lifestyle footage without having to break their bank accounts. Now, drones have hit the market in a big way, and when combining them with a GoPro, some truly fascinating footage can be captured. In case you missed it, we talked about one such example of this in early July, after an owner of a drone and GoPro took advantage of his local Independence Day fireworks. Interestingly, I saw someone do the exact same thing in my eastern Canadian town for Canada Day fireworks, so this solution is one that's really catching on fast. Now, it's Apple's upcoming "Spaceship" campus that's been treated to this high-flying GoPro action. This Cupertino-based campus is far from completion, but that doesn't make this footage any less interesting. Cupertino really isn't a big city, so to see a campus this enormous situated there is quite something - it looks like it'd take a solid 4 or more minutes to drive the perimeter of the blocks it dominates.

The video really doesn't show that much outside of a top-view - it doesn't fly near the ground at any point, probably in fear of the existence of Apple iTurrets. Even if you're disinterested in the campus itself, this kind of video really shows what's possible with a GoPro and a drone. This is really only the beginning. As for the campus, it's going to be quite the thing to behold once it's completed.