Environment

Had enough of life in the fast lane and looking to take it down a notch or two? You might seek guidance from a colony of deep-sea microbes harvested from the barren depths of the Pacific Ocean that are progressing so slowly, they almost appear to be dead. Just how plodding are these ancient creatures, who are buried about 100 feet deep in the seabed? Some of them haven't received any new food for 86 million years, when dinosaurs still walked the Earth. And they are using up oxygen at rates 10,000 times slower than their counterparts on the surface of the ocean floor. "What they're doing, they're doing so slow that from our time perspective, it just looks like suspended animation," said...

Tweet

Tags: might, You, two, seek, guidance, microbes, sea, colony, or, notch, fast, life, enough, lane, looking, down, take, about, harvested, these, barren, almost, appear, dead, how, Just, ancient, slowly, Pacific, depths, buried, Ocean, creatures, progressing, plodding, re, so, doing, deep, they

Jeanna Jones approached her house holding the saddest thing you can ever bring from a visit to the vet: an empty collar. Before the front door even opened she could hear the wails of the one-day-old litter inside. Eleven healthy Vizsla pups cried for their mother, Mabel, whose collar Jeanna still clutched in her hand. Jeanna cried too, but knew there was little time for grieving. There were mouths to feed. Lots of mouths. Mabel. (Photo by Jeanna Jones) The previous day was a long one, with puppies coming steadily at first, then with more time in between until, at last, there were 11. Mabel was exhausted, of course, and so was Jeanna, for that matter. But nothing about the day gave any...

Tweet

Tags: last, mother, whose, ever, could, hear, wails, thing, opened, door, empty, vet, bring, Before, front, saddest, old, Vizsla, healthy, pups, approached, their, visit, Eleven, holding, litter, inside, house, Jones, her, with, time, there, cried, collar, mouths, one, day, Mabel, Jeanna

In a stunning turnaround for an act of Congress, a judge Wednesday that a counterterrorism provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual defense appropriations bill, is unconstitutional. Federal district Judge Katherine B. Forrest issued an injunction against use of the provision on behalf of a group of journalists and activists who had filed suit in March, claiming it would chill free speech. In her decision published Wednesday, Forrest, in the Southern District of New York, ruled that Section 1021 of NDAA was facially unconstitutional — a rare finding — because of the potential that it could violate the 1st Amendment. “Plaintiffs have stated a more than...

Tweet

Tags: violate, rare, facially, finding, because, could, potential, stunning, filed, Act, Authorization, annual, defense, appropriations, Defense, National, act, turnaround, Congress, judge, counterterrorism, had, bill, use, against, behalf, group, activists, journalists, issued, injunction, Katherine, Judge, district, Federal, mdash, Wednesday, Forrest, provision, unconstitutional

California's SpaceX company is ready to make history by sending a capsule containing half a tonne of supplies to the space station. It will be the first time the private sector has provided such a service. The task is usually performed by the vehicles belonging to government space agencies, such as Nasa and Esa. The unmanned Dragon cargo ship is due to launch atop SpaceX's own Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Controllers are targeting a time of 04:55 EDT (08:55 GMT; 09:55 BST), and despite some storms in the area in recent days, the mission team should get favourable weather conditions. "There's no question - this is a historic...

Tweet

Tags: recent, days, team, mission, due, ship, station, supplies, It, first, sector, private, tonne, half, ready, company, history, sending, containing, capsule, California, has, Nasa, agencies, government, Esa, unmanned, cargo, Dragon, belonging, vehicles, provided, service, usually, task, performed, SpaceX, such, space, time

By: Denise Tejada With just a ten millimeter wrench and a screwdriver, Brian Simmons has built and sold more than 100 motorized bicycles in Oakland, CA, under the label Rebelbikes. The company has been...

Tweet

Tags: bicycles, Oakland, motorized, than, more, CA, under, been, company, Rebelbikes, label, sold, built, just, ten, With, Tejada, Denise, millimeter, wrench, Simmons, By, Brian, screwdriver, has

Shaking off jitters, SpaceX counted down to liftoff of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station in what may be a historic mission for private spaceflight.

Tweet

Tags: what, Station, Space, may, historic, spaceflight, private, mission, International, capsule, SpaceX, jitters, off, counted, down, Dragon, liftoff, Shaking

Books The Bumper Book of Nature Stephen Moss (Square Peg) Family guide to nature, featuring activities for children. Chris Packham's Wild Side of Town Chris Packham (New Holland) What to see and where to go in search of urban wildlife. The Garden Bird Handbook Stephen Moss (New Holland) How to identify and attract birds to your garden. How to Make a Wildlife Garden Chris Baines (Frances Lincoln) How to create a wildlife haven in your garden...

Tweet

Tags: urban, search, see, where, go, attract, birds, Lincoln, create, haven, Frances, Baines, Make, Wildlife, Books, What, Family, guide, nature, Peg, Square, Bumper, Book, Nature, activities, featuring, children, Wild, Side, Town, Moss, Holland, Stephen, garden, wildlife, Packham, Garden, New, Chris, How

In an effort to promote composting and water conservation, will hold an education day June 2 along with a sale of compost bins and rain barrels....

Tweet

Tags: sale, with, along, compost, bins, barrels, rain, June, day, composting, promote, water, conservation, education, hold, effort

Sandy, Bedfordshire: They spilled along as if on the verge of toppling, each raising its little wings and tail as if bearing a great Victorian bustle A mallard and ducklings. Photograph: Alamy...

Tweet

Tags: Victorian, great, bearing, tail, bustle, mallard, Alamy, Photograph, ducklings, wings, little, spilled, They, Bedfordshire, along, verge, raising, each, toppling, Sandy

Jack Algiere's kids, Ojiah and Sedge, graze the fields at Stone Barns Center For Food and Agriculture. Jack Algiere has no qualms about letting his kids eat their veggies straight out of the ground from the fields and greenhouses he manages in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. He knows the rich, organic soil will provide Sedge and Ojiah with delicious, nutrient-rich food. Not to mention a possible boost to their immune systems. His sons have their favorites. "Carrots are up there and consumed after a brush with the shirt sleeve. But spinach in winter seems to be the prize," said Algiere, the farm manager at Stone Barns Center For Food and Agriculture. "With most greens, they prefer to graze -- no hands...

Tweet

Tags: prize, seems, delicious, provide, veggies, straight, out, ground, his, letting, has, qualms, about, greenhouses, eat, organic, soil, he, He, knows, manages, Hills, Pocantico, fields, Stone, Barns, Ojiah, graze, Center, kids, Sedge, with, rich, Jack, For, no, Agriculture, Food, Algiere, their