Satellite documents thinning ice shelf
A European satellite has observed a rapid retreat of one of Antarctica's ice shelves, which is half the size it was 10 years ago, the European Space Agency said Thursday.
The agency's Envisat satellite shows part of the Larsen Ice Shelf, which lies on a peninsula south of Chile, has decreased from 3,463 square kilometers (1,337 square miles) in March 2002 to 1,670 square kilometers (645 square miles) today, a change the European Space Agency blames on warmer temperatures.
"Ice shelves are sensitive to atmospheric warming and to changes in ocean currents and temperatures," Helmut Rott from the University of Innsbruck said in an statement from the space agency. "The northern Antarctic Peninsula has been subject to atmospheric warming of about 2.5 degrees Celsius (36.5 degrees Fahrenheit) over the last 50 years - a much stronger warming trend than on global average, causing retreat and disintegration of ice shelves."
Who turned off the stars? Light pollution
When you look up at the night sky on a clear night, you probably mutter "wow, look at all those stars." Well, if you live anywhere near a big city, you don't know the half of it.
What you may not realize is that you're suffering from light pollution. The sky is so washed out by excess urban lighting that instead of seeing thousands and thousands of stars, you may be seeing only hundreds - or sadly, maybe only dozens.
And, as we lose sight of more and more stars to light pollution, we lose a connection to the universe. We may even lose a little bit of our souls.
Click on the audio player above to learn more.
Humans likely butchered mammoth 10,000 years ago
Ten thousand years ago, a young mammoth probably got into a scuffle with a large predator, and was then apparently butchered by ancient settlers of Siberia. Both lions and humans may have been involved in its death, according to the BBC.
Today, the mammoth's remains are some of the best-preserved of their kind, thanks to the low temperatures in the area where it was discovered.
The team of scientists that are studying Yuka (the creature's nickname) estimate that the mammoth was between 2 and 3 years old at the moment of its death.
More activity at North Korea launch facility
A new image of the North Korean launch pad at Tongchang-dong Space Launch Center (see photo above the story) shows what IHS Jane's Defense Weekly analyst Allison Puccioni says is "specific activity" on the pad, as well as at the rocket checkout assembly facility. The March 31 image was provided to CNN by GeoEye.
Read more about North Korea's missile technology
Puccioni compared the new image to a GeoEye image from March 20th and March 28th. She notes the gantry on the umbilical tower has changed directions and more vehicles and objects are seen parked around the launch tower. What are likely fuel containers have been uncovered and stacked behind the fuel system, according to Puccioni.
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