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Mothra is real could Godzilla be far behind?

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In May 2011, researchers collected more than 100 pale grass blue butterflies in and around the Fukushima prefecture and found that 12% of them had abnormalities or mutations. When those butterflies mated, the rate of mutations in the offspring rose to 18%, according to the study, which added that some died before reaching adulthood. When the offspring mated with healthy butterflies that weren’t affected by the nuclear crisis, the abnormality rate rose to 34%, indicating that the mutations were being passed on through genes to offspring at high rates even when one of the parent butterflies was healthy.

The scientists wanted to find out how things stood after a longer amount of time and again collected more than 200 butterflies last September. Twenty-eight percent of the butterflies showed abnormalities, but the rate of mutated offspring jumped to 52%, according to researchers. The study indicated that second-generation butterflies, the ones collected in September, likely saw higher numbers of mutations because they were exposed to the radiation either as larvae or earlier than adult butterflies first collected

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To make sure that the nuclear disaster was in fact the cause of the mutations, researchers collected butterflies that had not been affected by radiation and gave them low-dose exposures of radiation and found similar results.

“We conclude that artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant caused physiological and genetic damage to this species,” the study said.

Source

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H+ The Digital Series Episode 1& 2

H+:The Digital Series Episode 1: “Driving Under”

H+:The Digital Series Episode 1: “Driving Under”
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – 5 MINUTES BEFORE IT HAPPENED
Prologue: Fragments of news reports show a future world as it adopts H+: a radical new way to be connected to information and each other through only your thoughts, via a high-tech implant. While the breakthrough is hotly anticipated by the masses, it is a change not easily adopted by its discontents. We segue to a couple parking their car in an underground airport garage. The husband, Lee, surreptitiously watches a football game on his H+, upsetting his wife Julie who wants him to drive safely. Their domestic squabble is interrupted by a bizarre spectacle throwing their world into chaos.

H+ The Digital Series Episode 2: “On Their Level”

H Plus The Digital Series Episode 2: “On Their Level”
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – 15 SECONDS AFTER IT HAPPENED
Julie and Lee stand shocked at the sudden chaos surrounding them in the lot and then risk a similar fate as Lee goes to aid the fallen people. A mysterious bearded man in glasses, Kenneth, appears and leads a small group down to Level 6, where he insists they’re safe. But some in the group are skeptical of their hero and, namely, his theory for what has just happened.

Five men at atomic ground zero

On July 19, 1957, five men stood at Ground Zero of an atomic test that was being conducted at the Nevada Test Site. This was the test of a 2KT (kiloton) MB-1 nuclear air-to-air rocket launched from an F-89 Scorpion interceptor. The nuclear missile detonated 10,000 ft above their heads.

A reel-to-reel tape recorder was present to record their experience. You can see and hear the men react to the shock wave moments after the detonation.

The placard reading “Ground Zero; Population Five” was made by Colonel Arthur B. “Barney” Oldfield, the Public Information Officer for the Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado Spring who arranged for the volunteers to participate.

The five volunteers were: Colonel Sidney Bruce Lt. Colonel Frank P. Ball (technical advisor to the Steve Canyon tv show) Major Norman “Bodie” Bodinger Major John Hughes Don Lutrel

and George Yoshitake, the cameraman (who wasn’t a volunteer)

‘King of Wasps’ found in Indonesia: Two-and-a-half inch monster has jaws longer than its legs

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A new species of wasp discovered on the Indonesian island Sulawesi is two-and-a-half inches long, and has jaws so vast that its discoverer admits, ‘I don’t know how it can walk.’ Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, says ‘Its jaws are so large that they wrap up either side of the head when closed. When the jaws are open they are actually longer than the male’s front legs.

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Site of the Day: NUKEMAP

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What makes this one so great? Check out these features:

» Easily draggable target marker (which has an adorable little atom on it)!

» Bright, stomach-churning colors indicating major negative effects of atomic detonations!

» Effects described include zones of 500 rem exposure, major overpressures, and fire! Plus, the legend breaks these down into easy-to-understand descriptions of what they mean for your average person caught inside of them.

» Lots of pre-sets for both places to drop them (I didn’t want to discriminate) and yields of historical weapons! It has never been easier to put a 50Mt H-bomb on the Eiffel Tower.

» Automatically tries to drop the bomb on wherever Google thinks you are accessing the Internet from (based on your IP address)!

» You can link to specific detonations and send them to your friends to enjoy forever!

» Automatic zooming to make sure that all of a given nuke’s effects fit within the view window! (This can be disabled.)

» More historically contextualized than your average web app!

Check it out here

Things I want but don’t really … oh hell I need and want this

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The Bionic Bopper Cars.These are the motorized boxers controlled by two drivers who battle to deliver chin-lifting uppercuts for victory. Similar to bumper cars, a driver up to 300 lbs. sits inside the robot’s protective steel cage cockpit and uses a thumb-triggered button on two independent joysticks to activate two pneumatic-powered, tire-tread-fisted arms, which throw upward punches at an opposing robot’s head. A successful hit sends an opposing robot’s head back, scoring a point. A Honda gas engine powers each robot’s hidden wheels up to 3 mph for forward, backward, and left and right spins, required for maneuvering into position for a scoring punch. Each vehicle has a bumper that keeps sparring pugilists at the optimal distance for scoring. A front-mounted display in each robot’s mid-section tallies successful scoring punches. Its fuel capacity provides up to five hours of uninterrupted bouts; a built-in rechargeable 12-volt battery provides power for the electronics. Contests take place on smooth surfaces as small as 16′ sq. Sturdy steel frame with fiberglass and aluminum body panels. Ages 8 and up. Special conditions and guarantee limitations apply. Please call 1-800-227-3528 for details. 74″ H x 59″ W x 62″ D. (850 lbs.) Order by December 1 for Christmas delivery.

hammacher.com/Product/Default.aspx?sku=12019

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