CNET describes Venus as “a toxic, overheated, crushing hellscape where nothing can survive.” But they reported Friday that one astronomy team’s hypothesis published last month “could prompt a reevaluation of how and where we look for life in the universe.” Carl Sagan speculated about life in the clouds of Venus back in 1967, and just a few years ago, researchers suggested…
Tag: Rain
Drone Drops Hundreds of Marijuana Bags On Tel Aviv
Long-time Slashdot reader destinyland writes: A drone over Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square dropped hundreds of bags of weed on Thursday, setting off a mad scramble by onlookers to stock up, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the Post, the giveaway was orchestrated by a Telegram group called Green Drone that advocates for the legalization of marijuana throughout Israel. (Medical marijuana is…
5 myths about lightning debunked
NOAA debunks some popular myths about lightning. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/myths-about-lightning-debunked…
Why some rain falls so hard
Some rainstorms drench you in a second, while others drop rain in a nice peaceful drizzle. A meteorologist explains how rainstorms can be so different. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/why-some-rain-falls-so-hard-downpours…
What are lightning sprites?
Lightning sprites – aka red sprites – are electrical discharges taking place high in Earth’s atmosphere, above thunderstorms. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/definition-what-are-lightning-sprites…
A Harrowing Story: Dropping an Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
Last Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the world’s second atomic bomb attack in 1945. Slashdot reader DanDrollette (who is also the deputy editor of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) shares their article describing that eight-hour flight — with no radio communication — carrying a 9,000-pound nuclear weapon as “outside, monsoon winds, rain, and lightning lashed at them.” In a…
Could ice sheets, not rivers, have formed the channels on Mars?
New research suggests that many of Mars’ ancient channels, thought to have been carved by flowing surface water, were formed instead by meltwater beneath glacial ice sheets. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-river-channels-ice-sheets-devon-island-canadian-arctic-archipelago…
Tesla’s Touchscreen Wiper Controls Ruled Illegal In Germany
New submitter Rei_is_a_dumbass shares a report from Electrek: Tesla’s wiper controls through its touchscreen have been ruled illegal in Germany after someone crashed their Model 3 while using them and fought a fine and driving ban through the court system. A Tesla Model 3 driver got into an accident while using the touchscreen to adjust the speed of the automatic windshield…
Locust Swarms Are Getting So Big That We Need Radar To Track Them
The desert locust upsurge is yet another of 2020’s horrors. From a report: In June, remote sensing analyst Raj Bhagat noticed a strange signal on India’s weather radar. It looked like a small band of rain near Delhi, moving southwest, but Bhagat was convinced it was a locust swarm. “People began to report it,” he says, referring to sightings on the…
How do waterspouts form?
Waterspouts are essentially tornadoes that form over water. They can and do form over all the world’s oceans. In the U.S., they’re most common near the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/all-about-waterspouts…