Yellowstone 'fleeing bison' video goes viral, fuels super-volcano fears

Survival panic, or will she really blow? A video allegedly showing bison 'fleeing' from Yellowstone Park's super-volcano went viral after an earthquake hit the park on March 30.

The backstory began on March 20 when YouTube user Zicutake uploaded a video entitled Animals Fleeing From Yellowstone Supervolcano? showing bison running down a road in Yellowstone Park. This was proof, the video's creators says, that the long dormant super-volcano under the park will erupt in 2014.

Another YouTube video entitled Animals Leaving Yellowstone? Earthquakes and Seismic Activity went online on March 23, and it shows Tom Lupshu, dressed in camouflage and a black beanie, commenting on the same subject.

Lupshu would later be revealed as the 'source' who highlighted the 'bison fleeing' video to Zicutake.

It had all seemed like innocent speculative fun until March 30 when a 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit near the Norris Geyser Basin in the northwest section of Yellowstone, which spans 8,992 sq km of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Although the area is known for small quakes every year, it was the park's strongest quake since 1980.

And that was when the 'bison fleeing' video, picked up on alternative news sites like Epoch Times, started receiving a huge surge in views. But it also triggered a wave of public panic, rippling across the online community and then back to Yellowstone itself.

Not the end of the world – just yet

Yellowstone park officials, who had to field dozens of calls and emails from the concerned public demanding if the video's claims are true, flatly dismissed the 'running bison' evidence.

They say the video actually shows bison galloping down a paved road that leads deeper into the park – not away from it, as was claimed. “It was a spring-like day and they were frisky. Contrary to online reports, it’s a natural occurrence and not the end of the world,” park spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said.

The park also uploaded their own video to dispel the super-volcano speculations.

As for the recent earthquake: Even though geologists confirmed it was the largest to rattle Yellowstone since a 4.8 quake in February 1980, they say it was benign by seismic standards.

Even the fact that it occurred near an area of ground uplift tied to the upward movement of molten rock in the super-volcano – whose mouth, or caldera, is 80km long and 48km wide – failed to worry the scientists.

The fact is neither the quake, the largest among hundreds that have struck near the geyser basin in the last seven months, nor the uplift suggest an eruption sooner than tens of thousands of years, said Peter Cervelli, associate director for science and technology at the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Science Centre in California.

“The chance of that happening in our lifetimes is exceedingly insignificant,” said Cervelli, a scientist with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

Despite assurances by Yellowstone officials and government geologists that the ancient super-volcano beneath the park is not due to explode for aeons have apparently done little to quell fears among the thousands who have viewed recent video postings of the herb.

Sugar Apple: Good juicy, sweet flesh and seeds are natural pesticides

Tamil:  Seethaphalam

English : Custard Apple

botanical name :  'ANNONA SQUAMOSA'.

Unrelated to the ubiquitous apple, the sugar is a tree native to the tropics of South America and is now grown in many regions around the world, from China to Africa. The sugar apple, also known  intensely in India, where horticulturalists have identified ten different cultivated varieties.

The sugar apple grows in tropical and subtropical areas, but it flourishes in a variety of soil types, and is moderately resistant to drought. This flexibility has allowed it to grow on five continents.

The principle use of sugar apples is raw consumption  of the fruit, which are segmented, knobby clusters of juicy, sweet flesh.  In Malaysia, the fruits are frequently squeezed through a sieve and the juice is added to ice cream or milk for a sweet treat. High in calories and iron, this fruit is good for providing extra nourishment for people in the tropics and subtropics.

When eating a sugar apple, one must mind the seeds, which are abundant, hard, and toxic if ingested. This toxicity , however, has shown promise as a natural pesticide. Oil extracted from the seeds has been shown in studies  to be as effective as conventional pesticides at eliminating pests from crops such as tomatoes, melons, and soybeans in greenhouse conditions. Furthermore, subsequent testing showed that the compounds break down quickly, are no longer toxic after two days, and are completely inactive after eight days. The same potency allows seed powder to be used as a lice treatment.

Ironically, the sugar apple has proven vulnerable to a variety of pests and blights, which has discouraged its cultivation in the Caribbean and South America. Indian growers have developed several techniques to counter these pests, which may help reignite the sugar apple’s popularity in the Americas. In Florida, for example, tropical fruit crop specialist JH Crane  rated the commercial expansion potential  for sugar apples and related hybrids as “good” and “excellent,” respectively.

As sugar apple cultivation expands, the trees could be grown alongside other crops, providing natural pesticides and enriching local diets with more variety. Sugar apples may prove to be more than just a casual tropical snack.

 

Custard apple benefits:

1.The seeds of the fruit have insecticidal and abortifacient properties.

2. Custard apple serves as an expectorant, stimulant, coolant and haematinic and is even useful in treating anemia.

3. Vitamin A present in the fruit is good for hair, eyes and healthy skin.

4. The fruit, in its unripe form, can be dried, crushed and used for treating diarrhea and dysentery.

5. The paste of the flesh of the fruit can be used for local application on ulcers, abscesses and boils.

   ( Skin infections such as abcessess or ulcers can be treated with custard apple. Simply grind the  flesh into a thick paste and apply it to the affected area.)

6. As it contains low fat levels, it is good for maintaining optimum health.

7. It is a rich source of dietary fiber, which helps in digestion.

8. Copper is yet another useful ingredient of custard apple.

 (copper which helps the body to form hemoglobin. This is especially useful for pregnant women as they need about 1000 micrograms of copper daily. Eating custard apples during pregnancy is therefore beneficial for the mother and child.) 

9. Potassium and Vitamin B6 are also present in custard apple.

10. Custard apple contains magnesium, which plays vital role in relaxing muscles and protecting heart against diseases.

11. Custard apple is a storehouse of Vitamin C, which is an anti oxidant and helps in neutralizing free radicals.

Custard apple recipes

Here is one of the many easy custard apple recipes.

Custard Apple cream

2 deseeded custard apples, pureed with a bit of lemon
500 g soft light cream cheese
3 tablespoons gelatin
1/3 cup boiling water
½ cup caster sugar
190 ml cream

Dissolve the gelatin into the 1/3 cup of boiling water. Beat the softened cream thoroughly and then Pour into mould/glasses and set for about 8 hours. 

Do you know of other local plants that can be used to provide natural protection from pests? Tell us in the comments!

  youtube  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYhQQFyz6Oc

Lest we forget: Waving the fungi flag

Plants and animals have captured the attention of many conservationists for decades. This same attention is yet to be extended to the usually overlooked but an extremely important group - fungi. The Global Fungal Red List Initiative intends to turn the tide on this scenario and draw people's attention to the plight faced by this unique kingdom. 

An 18 month-long programme has been initiated by the Global Fungal Red List Initiative to increase awareness and add to the number of fungal species evaluated and submitted for inclusion in the IUCN Global Red List of Threatened Species.



Cyttaria espinosae. One of the "golf ball" fungi

Fungi are not plants, they live everywhere and are heterotrophs (feed by absorption). Some may look unappealing to the human eye but all are extremely crucial components of nature through their role as nutrient recyclers, decomposers, symbionts and many others. Besides this, fungi are an important part of our lives - found in the food we eat and essential for the production of everyday products such as penicillin, beer and soy sauce.
"The aim is to show to the world that fungi are in need of conservation and they need to be part of the broader conservation agenda," says Gregory Mueller, Vice President of Science and Academic Programmes at Chicago Botanic Garden.
The 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress is special to the Global Fungal Red List Initiative and to all fungi lovers because for the first time in IUCN's history, there will be a motion explicitly and exclusively devoted to fungi.

In spite of their critical importance, so far less than 10% of the world's estimated species of fungi have been scientifically described. Only one mushroom and two lichenized fungi are included among the 19,817 animal, plant and fungal species listed in the 2012 update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^TM
According to Mueller, little has been done to assess the status of fungi because they have usually been considered difficult to study and there is limited awareness generally.
"One of our big challenges is to figure out how to bring information on fungi to countries because they are important ecologically and as an important food source," adds Mueller. "This new initiative marks a begining for the mycological community and IUCN to build on results and move fungal conservation forward".
The Global Fungal Red List Initiative is a joint venture of all five IUCN Species Survival Commission fungal specialist groups (Chytrid, Zygomycete, Downy Mildew and Slime Moulds, Cup-fungus, Truffle and Allies, Lichen, Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball and Rust and Smuts) and is supported by the IUCN Species Programme.

Source link : http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org/news___press/interviews/?10970/Lest-we-forget-Waving-the-flag-for-fungi

Mullberry - Reduces sugar and cholesterol levels in your blood

Botanical Name(s): Morus Alba                                                                  

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Urticales

Family: Moraceae

Tribe: Moreae

Genus: Morus L.

Species: Morus Alba L.

Popular Name(s): White Mulverry,

White Mulberry, Silk Worm Mulberry and Sang Zhi

Parts Used: Bark, leaves and roots

Habitat: Native to warm temperate and  subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and North America, with the majority of the species native to Asia.

   


These fruits, right, are very rich in iron, vital for maintaining a healthy count of red blood cells and preventing anaemia – a rare feature among berries.

They are also a good source of Vitamin C and have high levels of resveratrol, an antioxidant also found in red wine that is thought to ‘clean up’ pollutants in the body. Studies on rats found that resveratrol was effective against tumours of the skin, breast, lung and prostate.

 Most of us have never heard of mulberry which is sad,because the health benefit of consuming the fruit are numerous. Even I wasn't aware of this until I moved to my new house near Southern park Klang. One fine day i was walking with pet dog behind my house on a vacant land and I saw 2 mullberry  trees full of fruits dangling. In fact, many trees were found around Southern Park, Palm Grove and Taman Chi Liung.
When you are healthy,eating mulberry can prevent liver cancer , cure hypertension, relieve constipation, treat abdominal distention and strengthen your liver and kidney. Just eating a small amount of mulberries every single day will improve your appetite and make it easier to digest food.

Reverse the Effects of Alcohol

You will be extremely happy to have a bottle of mullbery juice stashed in your refrigerator when you have consumed too much  alcohol.After drinking mulberry juice you won't be toxicated as long and your hangover won't be nearly as severe.

 

 

 

Health benefits of mulberries



eating mulberries include improving circulation, cardiovascular health and renal health



• Delicious, fleshy, succulent mulberries are low in calories (just 43 cal per 100 g); but are rich source of many health promoting plant derived compounds, minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimum health.



* Mulberries have significantly high amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals called anthocyanins.   Scientific studies have shown that consumption of berries have potential health effects against cancer, aging and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes, and bacterial infections

• The berries contain resveratrol, another polyphenol flavonoid antioxidant. Resveratrol has been found to be protective against stroke risk by alteration of molecular mechanisms in blood vessels, reducing susceptibility to vascular damage through decreased activity of angiotensin (a systemic hormone causing blood vessel constriction that would elevate blood pressure) and increased production of the vasodilator hormone, nitric oxide.

• In addition, these berries are an excellent source of vitamin-C (36.4 mcg per 100, about 61% of RDI), which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.

Potential health effects against cancer

• They also contain good amount vitamin A, vitamin E and in addition to the above mentioned antioxidants also contain many other health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, ß-carotene and α-carotene in small but notably significant amounts. These compounds help act as protect from harmful effects of oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.

• Zeaxanthin, an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions in the retina of eyes.

• Mulberries are excellent source of iron, which is a rare feature among berries, contains 1.85 mg/100 g of fruits (about 23% of RDI). Iron, being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, determines the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. 



• They also good source of minerals like potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

• They are rich in B-complex group of vitamins and vitamin K. Contain very good amounts of vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid. These vitamins are function as co-factors and help body in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Here are some serving tips:

• Fresh mulberry are generally eaten as they are without any additions.
• They mix well with other berry salads.
• They can be a great snack between meals.
• Mulberries are favored in jams, jellies, tart syrups etc.
• Dried mulberries can be used in pie fillings, mulberry muffins, cookies, cakes etc.
• They are used in ice-creams, smoothies and yogurt.

Mulberry Juice Recipe:

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cup mulberry fruits, rinsed
•  sugar according to your taste

Preparation:

1.   Use a blender to blend the mulberries for the juice. Strain  to  get the juice. Discard the skins and seeds.
2.   Place the tendered mulberries in a sieve, strain and press   with a fork to extract the juice. Filter the juice to remove   seeds and skins.
3.   Add the sugar and stir until dissolves. Add some ice cubes to chill if you wish. 

CHINESE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

* In Chinese traditional medicine, mulberries are seen as an important blood tonic as they are able to  cleanse the blood and at the same time, promote the production of red blood cells.
 

Rich in vitamin A, the fruit is used by the Chinese to strengthen the eyes and enhance the vision. Vitamin A is also capable of boosting your immune system as well as maintaining strong teeth and bones.

AYURDEDIC MEDICINE


Mulberry juice helps in relieving constipation in elderly people.

Mulberry Fruit Side Effects

There is very little research conducted to determine the side effects of mulberries.

 KNOWN FACTS
The white mulberry tree is native to China and was instrumental in the silk-producing industry because mulberry leaves were the sole food source for silk worms.

Bible Accounts Supported by Dead Sea Disaster Record?

New evidence suggests body once vanished, could again.

Sediment cores from the Dead Sea (map) reveal that the water body may once have completely dried up, researchers say. The discovery raises fears the sea could vanish again.
The same cores also show records of droughts and earthquakes that could be interpreted as supporting accounts in the Bible.

(Related: "King Solomon's Wall Found—Proof of Bible Tale?")

The salty sea—actually a lake—whose surface now lies more than 1,380 feet (420 meters) below sea level, is not only the lowest nonmarine place on Earth but also the catch basin for water flowing from much of Jordan, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.
As such, "it is the most fantastic recorder for past climate," geophysicist Zvi Ben-Avraham said this week at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
Drilling cores collected in 2010 revealed clear annual layers, almost like tree rings, said geologist Steven Goldstein of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
White layers in the cores represent summer dry periods, when the lake slowly evaporated and calcium carbonate settled to the bottom. Dark layers are mud and silt from winter storms.
"We can use these to reconstruct the climate on a seasonal basis," Goldstein said.
In fact, he noted, the drilling team was able to watch a new dark layer being formed, as a flash flood dumped sediment out of the Israeli hills, turning the waters a muddy brown.

 tremendous amount of salt is what the Dead sea is known for

Dead Sea Bible Links?
The team also found "jumbled" sections in the Dead Sea sediment, where normally rhythmic layers had been stirred together by large earthquakes, Goldstein said.
Because the cores weren't ready for study until last month, he said, scientists haven't had time to count the number of earthquakes, let alone date them.
"What I can tell you," he said, "is that there are a lot of earthquake deposits throughout the core," which stretches back about 200,000 years.
Ben-Avraham, head of the Minerva Dead Sea Research Center at Tel Aviv University in Israel, noted that this is important because, when it comes to earthquakes, the last century in the Middle East was unusually quiet.
"People don't take this into consideration," Ben-Avraham said, "but we have mighty earthquakes."
Looking farther back, one of the seismically active eras revealed by the core samples appears to have been about 4,000 years ago, he said.
"If you believe the biblical chronology, this is roughly [the time of] Sodom and Gomorrah," he said. During this period, according to the Book of Genesis, God "rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed all."
(Find out about the King James Bible in National Geographic magazine.)
A later book of the Bible, Antiquities of the Jews, tells of an earthquake in Judea, an ancient land bordering the Dead Sea—"such a one as had not happened at any other time, and which earthquake brought a great destruction upon the cattle in that country. About ten thousand men also perished by the fall of houses. ... "
(See "Oldest Hebrew Text Is Evidence for Bible Stories?")
The cores also show layers of salt. These, Columbia's Goldstein said, represent eras when the climate dried and the Dead Sea evaporated and shrank.
Some of these occurred during the biblical period, Goldstein added, noting that the dry spells are interspersed with wet intervals.
"So we see lean years and the fat years like those described in the ancient texts," he said.
(Related: "New Life-Forms Found at Bottom of Dead Sea.")

Dead Sea has no exit point and is located 
in Israel and Jordan

The Dried Sea
Even more severe droughts occurred much longer ago, accompanied by salt deposits up to 150 feet (45 meters) thick, researchers said at the meeting.
In the worst such instance, about 120,000 years ago, Goldstein said, there is even a layer of pebbles akin to current Dead Sea beach deposits, suggesting that at this time the entire lakebed was dry—and that it could happen again.
Irrigation and drinking-water diversions have been cutting off the flow of water to the Dead Sea, raising concerns for its future, said Emi Ito, a lake researcher from the University of Minnesota and a member of the study team.
(See "Diverting Red Sea to Save Dead Sea Could Create Environmental Crisis.")
Prior models, she said, had indicated that while the Dead Sea might shrink dramatically, a remnant would remain.
But we now have evidence that the lake once dried completely even without the humans diverting its water sources, "so all of those previous models may have to be reconsidered," she said.
Tel Aviv University's Ben-Avraham added, "The message that comes out from these drill holes [is] that what we see happening in the Middle East mimics a severe dry period" depicted in the geologic record

Story Summary 

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on the planet. It averages 1,000 feet deep. Nothinging grows or lives in its salty water. Trying to swim in it, a person bobs like a cork. Trying to wade in it, a person could slip on the salty glaze that covers its shore. It is like nowhere else on earth.
Supplied by the Jordan River plus other smaller streams and springs, the Dead Sea has no exit point and is located in Israel and Jordan. It is near the famous archeological sites of Masada and Qumran.


The Dead Sea, that has remained attached to the holy Bible since ages, is not a place for urination. Apart from the sacred biblical history and biblical prophecy, urinating into the Dead Sea can be very much uncomfortable and painful



International Mountain Day 2011

 

International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world’s mountains and highlands.

The United Nations General Assembly has designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as “International Mountain Day”. This decision results from the success of the UN International Year of Mountains in 2002, which increased global awareness of the importance of mountains, stimulated the establishment of national committees in 78 countries and strengthened alliances through promoting the creation of the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions, known as the 'Mountain Partnership (WSSD, Johannesburg, 2 September 2002). FAO was the designated lead coordinating agency for International Year of Mountains and is mandated to lead observance of International Mountain Day.

This year’s International Mountain Day theme will focus on Mountains and Forests. It aims to raise awareness about the relevance of mountain forests and the role they play within a Green Economy as well as in climate change adaptation measures.

Healthy mountain forests are crucial to the ecological health of the world. They protect watersheds that supply freshwater to more than half the world’s people. They also are the home of untold wildlife, provide food and fodder for mountain people and are important sources of timber and non-wood products. Yet in many parts of the world mountain forests are under threat as never before and deforestation in tropical mountain forests continues at an astounding rate. Protecting these forests and making sure they are carefully managed is an important step towards sustainable mountain development.

By linking this year’s International Mountain Day to the International Year of Forests 2011, we can benefit from the international existing attention and focus on the theme as well as twinning certain communication activities and products to produce a more effective awareness raising exercise.

New Species of Tiger Stingray Named

An Amazon stingray known as the tiger ray has finally earned its scientific stripes: It's been officially recognized as a new species.
For more than a decade, aquarium traders in the upper Amazon River Basin of Peru have caught the freshwater fish, whose name—Potamotrygon tigrina—is inspired by its orange-black coloration and banded tail.
Up to 31 inches (80 centimeters) wide, the species is distinct from other stingrays based on, among other features, its conspicuous colors and its tail spines, which are lower and not as closely grouped as those of its relatives.
(See related pictures: "Odd Stingless Stingrays Discovered in Amazon.")
"It's one of the prettiest species," said Marcelo de Carvalho, a zoologist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil who led a new study on the tiger ray.
Tiger Ray's Patterns a Mystery
Why P. tigrina is so striking compared with the bland browns and tans of other stingrays is still a mystery, de Carvalho added.
For instance, the stripes could be warning coloration—although most Amazon freshwater stingrays have few predators, other than the occasional crocodile.
"It's kind of ungainly to fit into the mouth of another fish," he said.
Overall there's virtually nothing known about the tiger ray—in fact, aquarium traders who catch them in the wild or breed them in captivity probably know much more about their biology than most scientists, he added.
P. tigrina is one of the most popular types of pet rays in Asia, especially in Japan and China..
Giving the animal a formal species classification "is the first step in understanding how we can regulate this resource," de Carvalho said.

source :
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/05/110506-new-tiger-stingray-amazon-pet-fish-animals-science/?source=link_fb20110507tigerstingray