Airbus A380 Struck By Lightning While Landing In London

The moment a lightning bolt struck a commercial passenger plane mid-flight has been caught on tape. None of the 500 passangers on board the Emirates Airlines Airbus A380 were injured as the plane flew through a storm as it approached London's Heathrow Airport.

Videographer Chris Dawson, 37, pointed his digital camera at the plane from his terrace in south-west London about 7.30pm local time. "I saw a storm coming and I thought there could be lightning," he told Abu Dhabi's English language newspaper The National.

"I wasn't expecting it to hit a plane but I just got fortunate." The plane landed without incident.

A United Emirates spokesperson told the newspaper lightning strikes are not rare and that every plane in its fleet is designed and certified to withstand a lightning strike.

Just yesterday a Qantas Boeing 737-800 en route from Auckland to Melbourne was forced back mid-flight after a suspected lightning strike — but it too landed without damage or injury to passengers.

The average lightning bolt produces a current of 20,000 amps and can attain temperatures of 30,000C

But an airplane's metal hull forms a Faraday confine that protects it from lightning, carrying the electric charge through the hull and expelling it at an output point without harming the aircraft or the passengers inside.

World Famous Polar Bear Knut Found Dead In Berlin Zoo

Knut lived in Berlin's zoo. He was 4 and raised by zookeepers since a cub after his mother rejected him. He was the darling of Berlin, an international superstar, a victory story of beating the odds. The cause of death is unknown.

The Berlin Zoo's bear-curator, Heiner Klos, said that Knut was found floating in the water in his cage.

Knut started life in the Berlin Zoo, the first polar bear born there in thirty years. For indefinite reasons, the cub was deserted by his mother, and was raised by his trainer Thomas Dorflein.

As the only polar bear ever raised by humans, Knut was an direct sensation. Ticket sales at the Zoo doubled in Knut's first year, and his furry face could be found on everything from postcards to stuffed animals to bank debit cards.

Animal rights groups initially opposed the idea of humans raising a polar bear, saying he should have been left for dead.

But Knut's sweet face - and the clear affection between him and his trainer Dorflein - quickly won over skeptics.

Smokey To Be The World's Loudest Cat

A pet cat called Smokey is claimed to have the loudest purr in the world, which emits a sound as loud as a lawnmower. Most cats purr at about 25 decibels but Smokey's averages 80 decibels.

However, when measured close-up her purrs reach 92 decibels, comparable to the noise of a lawnmower, hair dryer or, it is claimed, a Boeing 737 coming in to land.

Its owners, Ruth and Mark Adams, say Smokey's noisy purrs make it impossible for them to hear the television or radio when she is in the room and they struggle to have telephone conversations.

"She has always been very vocal and purrs at some level almost all the time," said Ruth, from Pitsford, in Northampton. "She even manages to purr while she eats. The only time she is silent is when she is asleep.

Mrs Adams, who runs an office park with her husband, adopted Smokey from the rescue centre NANNA three years ago for her 10-year-old daughter Amy. The family has two dogs and two other cats but say 12-year-old Smokey is by far the loudest cat they have ever heard.

Mrs Adams said Smokey, whose favourite leisures are eating and sleeping on the window sill, sometimes made herself cough as her purrs are so loud. "She can have sudden bursts of loud purrs and her throat gets dry so she makes herself cough," she added.

"It's not just the volume of her purr which is strange, she makes quite a unique sound as if she has a dove stuck in her throat.

Diana Johnson, of Northampton Cats Protection, who has met Smokey, said: "I have in no way heard anything like her purr in my life. It can drown out your conversation. "It is very strange and I've never found a cat with a purr that is anywhere near as loud."

The family has now submitted an application to Guinness World Records.

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: "The Guinness World Record for the loudest shout by a human is 129dB. "If Smokey the cat is able to purr at over 80dB it would be an astonishing feat."

Smokey has become an honorary helper for Cat Protection's Northampton branch and is helping to raise awareness of the important cat welfare work they do.

Scientists Discover World's Very First 'Anti-Laser'

Researchers at Yale University have unveiled the very initial anti-laser in the world, and though its different uses are yet to be defined, it has been indicated that its applications would be in computers and radiology.

The “nega-laser” or Doppelganger was developed by two Yale scientists, A. Douglas Stone and Hui Cao. It is said to do the opposite of what laser technology does, whereby lasers generally produce a constant radiating beam in a mono-direction.

The anti-laser instead picks up that constant emission of light and links with it so as to destroy the beam through absorption. Scientists are confident that this new development could be integral in fighting the cancer scourge.

Lasers have a numerous number of uses in this day, from cosmetic and eye surgery to optical disc players, scanners and even in agriculture.

Douglas Stone agrees with a number of other physicists who have termed the anti-laser as a CPA – Coherent Perfect Absorber; and with the laser having been amongst the most important inventions of the earlier century, the anti-laser may just have that much impact in the future.

It’s been speculated that the anti-laser may be employed in the making of next generation super-computers that will be based on light components as an alternative to electrons.

One of the key features of the anti-laser is that it enables wavelength adjustment to control the amount of laser light absorbed, thereby working as an Off/On light switch.

Deadly Fungus Disease Kills Many Bats In NC

Scientists with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission said that a disease spreading amongst bats has been revealed in western North Carolina, threatening the state’s bat population.

White-nose syndrome, which is expected caused by a newly discovered fungus called Geomyces destructans, has previously killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the eastern United States, including Virginia and Tennessee, since its discovery in 2006.

Symptoms of the disease comprise white patches of fungus on the animals’ skin, including their noses. North Carolina biologists were expecting that the disease would spread to the state. It was found last month in a cave at Grandfather Mountain.

Another discovery was made Feb. 1 in a retired mine in Avery County. “This discovery marks the arrival of one of the most shocking threats to bat conservation in our time,” Gabrielle Graeter, a biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, said.

Bats are an significant part of North Carolina’s ecosystem, because they help control the insect population. Many are able to consume hundreds of insects in one night.

North Carolina is home to numerous species of bats, including three on the list of federally endangered species.

Scientists say many type of bats, with one of which is endangered, appear to have been affected.

World’s Biggest Submarine Pipeline Plough To Be Built In Baltic Sea

The world’s biggest submarine pipeline plough, PL3, arrived in the Baltic Sea on the floor of mother ship Far Samson. The subsea plough will be used to embed the Nord Stream Pipeline in Swedish and Danish waters.

Lowering of the pipeline below seabed level using PL3 ensures that the pipeline will stay stable in its position throughout its lifetime. Ploughing of the first pipeline is scheduled to be performed at many locations along the pipeline route between early February and mid-March, 2011.

Model simulations have shown that ploughing will have no important impact on flora and fauna as sediments will settle quickly. As part of its environmental monitoring program, Nord Stream will monitor the water quality before, during and after trenching to verify that the results of the model simulation are correct and that Nord Stream is fulfilling permit requirements.

Scientists Discover First One-Fingered Bug Eating Dinosaur

Scientists have unearthed a formerly unknown one-fingered dinosaur species in northeastern China.

The two-legged dinosaur was alike in size to a parrot, but had only one claw on each hand.

Scientist of the Chinese Academy of Sciences say the species belongs to a family of theropods, which generally had three fingers on each hand. They say this is the first dinosaur found in that group with a single large claw. Some scientists supposed the claw was used to dig into insect nests.

Scientist Xu Xing says the newly discovered species, called Linhenykus, likely grew to 1 m in height and weighed no more than a huge parrot. Scientists say it highlights an intricate pattern of evolution in this dinosaur group.

The remnants of the Chinese dinosaur were found in rocks formed 75 to 84 million years ago in the city of Linhe, near the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia.

Theropods are mainly a meat-eating group that includes the well-known tyrannosaurus and velociraptor, which were predecessors of modern birds.

Year of the Rabbit Approaches In China Making Them Popular

Panda rabbits are becoming popular in China as the New Year approaches. Panda rabbits originated in France and are called Blanc de hotot. They are white with black eye rings which gives them a similarity to the giant panda's coloring.

The Chinese New Year fall on February 3 western calendars. Each New Year is connected with an animal and this coming year will be the Year of the Rabbit. Vendors in markets are selling a great many rabbits as pets. Some people are reported to be buying dozens to give away as gifts. One online search showed more than 600 vendors selling rabbits at prices from 15 to 2,000 yuan.

But, the paper said, the rabbits can spend five days in consignment and many have suffocated or frozen to death in the small boxes in which they are sent. At least one vendor had stopped shipments because of the deaths, the paper reported.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued a statement from its Shanghai office on Friday urging people not to carry a rabbit into their home for the Chinese New Year.

"Rabbits aren't just cute and fluffy - they're high-maintenance animals who require important resources, equipment, attention and veterinary care," PETA’s Maggie Chen said in a statement.

Kirra Titled As “Queen of The Doggie Dieters”

Cattle dog Kirra has been titled “Queen of The Doggie Dieters”, taking out the national 2010 PetFit Slimmer of the Year competition. The eight-year-old won the title after shedding 10kg, almost a third of her body weight, on the program.

Owner Melina Lowth put the dramatic weight loss down to daily walks and monitoring what Kirra ate. Kirra is the third animal from Ormeau Veterinary Surgery to win a title in the PetFit competition.

The surgery’s nutritional adviser Lisa Larman said the win was testament to how significant good nutritional advice and support was for pet owners.

``Kirra is a very commendable winner. The Lowth family, Melina, David and their two young daughters, have determinedly followed the PetFit program, putting Kirra on a strict diet and exercise regime. It’s been a real family affair with Kirra’s two young owners coming to the weigh-ins every two weeks,’’ she said.

Former The Biggest Loser competitor Bob Herdsman was at Ormeau to present the award. As part of the prize, Kirra’s owners receive a $2000 travel voucher and a year’s supply of Hill’s Pet Nutrition food.

Studies propose close to half of all Australian dogs are overweight, while most owners don’t know how much their dogs weigh or should weigh.

World's Largest Airship To Be Hosted By NASA

If you like big and green, NASA's Ames Research Center will shortly have something for you: the world's largest and greenest airship.

The space agency announced that the Mountain View, Calif., research center's Moffett Field will soon play host to a mammoth 265-foot-long and 65-foot-diameter airship from Kellyton, Ala.'s E-Green Technologies. The Bullet Class 580 will be developed and tested at Ames in 24,000 square feet of Ames' well-known Hangar 2.

The new airship, which has a planned first flight date of early 2011, is probable to run on algae-based biofuel, and fly at speeds of up to 75 miles an hour at altitudes of up to 20,000 feet.

Ames and Moffett Field are becoming a hotbed for airships. Already, the capacity is the home of Airship Ventures, and its own giant zeppelin. And, of course, Moffett Field has a storied history of hosting airships, stretching back to 1933, when the U.S. Navy's Zeppelin ZRS-5 785-foot-long zeppelin resided there.

The E-Green Technologies Bullet Class 580 is expected to fly with "a joint NASA Langley Research Center and Old Dominion University payload, the Radar Oxygen Barometric Sensor Project, a remote sensing instrument for measuring barometric pressure at sea level-an important meteorological measurement in the calculation and forecasting of tropical storms and hurricanes."