nature

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Sun Dogs: Beautiful "False Suns"

Sun dogs (aka parhelions) are surprising visual phenomena which look like halos around the sun, or in other cases "false suns" some distance from the real sun. Wikipedia has a photo gallery of sun dogs -- my favorite is this one, taken in Antarctica in 1979. Apparently sun dogs are common in Antarctica, as Shackleton's 1912 expedition reported them. Here's a snippet from Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance (emphasis... READ ON

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Ultra Slo-Mo Lightning Strike (9,000fps)

Photographer Tom A. Warner managed to catch lightning strikes at 9,000 frames per second (that's 300x slower than realtime video). The capture is so insanely detailed that you can watch as one main band of lightning on the left strikes and stays in place while zillions of other strikes occur on the right; so much more is happening than the human eye could possible comprehend in realtime. The capture takes place in Rapid City, South Dakota, and the main strikes are hitting towers equipped with lightning... READ ON

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The Late Movies: ANTS!!!

For your viewing pleasure, I've rounded up some awesome videos of ants in captivity. It's amazing to see what those little guys (um, I mean primarily sterile females) are doing when we're not watching. Also, the technical term for an "ant farm" (meaning a true captive habitat for ants, not a toy) is: Formicarium. Leafcutter Ants - San Diego Zoo A brief intro to leafcutter ants from Paige Howorth of the San Diego Zoo. Leafcutter Queen Ant From someone's personal colony, this video... READ ON

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The Ultimate Natural Fabric

Wearing flowers in your hair is so passe. These days, it's all about wearing only flowers and leaves. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but apparently the concept is gaining steam in the fashion industry and a number of designers have put together experimental ensembles for bio-fashion shows. While the designs might not be practical, some of them are downright stunning, like this beautiful dress titled Camellia Countessa that was created by artist Nicole Dextras as part of her Weedrobes series.... READ ON

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Birds Playing Electric Guitars

Today's bizarre-but-true video: zebra finches playing electric guitars. They're not all that good at it, but they rock roughly as hard as an untrained human would. From the YouTube description: French artist CÃ©leste Boursier-Mougenot ... creates a walk-though aviary for a flock of zebra finches, furnished with electric guitars and other musical instruments. As the birds go about their routine activities, perching on or feeding from the various pieces of equipment, they create a captivating, live... READ ON

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"Life," the New "Planet Earth," Premieres Sunday, 8pm

Premiering Sunday (March 21) at 8pm on the Discovery Channel in the US: Life, a new documentary miniseries from the producers of Planet Earth. Set your DVRs now! Back in 2006, we were treated to Planet Earth, a BBC/Discovery Channel coproduction which was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and the first shot in full HD. It was a groundbreaking series, and for good reason -- four years of hard filming brought us spectacular photography and compelling narratives,... READ ON

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Discovery's "Life," Coming This Sunday

Here's a quick teaser to a larger post tomorrow. Discovery and the BBC are about to release Life, their followup effort to Planet Earth, the massive nature documentary from a few years back. Like Earth, Life is shot in HD with lots of slow motion, bizarre locales, and -- the focus this time -- unusual living creatures. In the clip below, check out the stalk-eyed fly, an insect that inflates its own head with air. Super-weird, super-awesome. More details tomorrow -- suffice it to say you may want... READ ON

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A Supremely Gigantic Aquarium

The "Kuroshio Sea" is a super-gigantic fish tank located at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. It's the second-largest tank in the world (second only to the Georgia Aquarium), holding nearly 2 million gallons of water, and housing four whale sharks (the world's biggest fish), among others. The video below shows spectators watching the action, and divers are visible inside the tank -- dwarfed by the fish, sharks, and manta rays. From the filmmaker's description: The main tank called the... READ ON

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Airing TONIGHT: The Pluto Files

Tonight (March 2, 2010) on NOVA: The Pluto Files, featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, about the controversy over the "demotion" of Pluto from planetary status in 2006. NOVA airs at 8pm in most markets, on PBS -- check your local listings here. Way back in 2000, Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, was faced with a dilemma. In displaying the solar system, he and his team had to figure out what to do with Pluto. The ninth planet, Pluto was much... READ ON

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The Pluto Files: News Veterans Still Outraged!

The buzz continues for The Pluto Files, coming to NOVA on March 2! In the The Pluto Files, we'll learn the inside story of "the rise and fall of America's favorite planet," Pluto, which was infamously downgraded from planetary status by Neil deGrasse Tyson in 1999 (well, it didn't become official until 2006). This Pluto thing is so infamous that we even have a shirt about the incident. The NOVA team has released a few more videos featuring major newsmen (and women) including Jon Stewart, Stephen... READ ON