Second robot captures glow inside stricken Fukushima plant.

A second robotic probe sent into the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has captured images of a strange green glow."It is a great step forward towards the decommissioning work as we can earn necessary data for the next investigation," said Akira Ono, the chief of Fukushima Daiichi plant.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/asia/japan-fukushima-second-robot/?iid=ob_article_organicsidebar_expansion&iref=obnetwork

The Vatican's next big moral mission.

The Vatican hasn't been shy about tackling controversial issues head on since Pope Francis assumed the papacy. Indeed, from gay marriage to inequality, the Vatican has reinvigorated debate, sometimes in surprising ways, on a range of social issues. So it should probably come as no surprise that it is set to weigh in on one of the biggest issues facing society today: global warming. While officials from across the globe continue negotiations on policies aimed at managing and reducing changes to the world's climate, the Vatican has turned a spotlight on the impact climate change will have on the world's poorest through a workshop this Tuesday that will set the stage for an anticipated encyclical later this year.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/27/opinions/hellmann-vatican-climate-change/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion&iref=obnetwork

Nepal quake: Death toll passes 4,400; fears of devastation in remote areas.

Rescue and aid workers in Nepal are struggling to cope with the scale of the devastation dealt by Saturday's powerful earthquake -- digging through rubble by hand, performing surgeries in makeshift operating theaters, scouring notoriously difficult terrain for more victims. But power blackouts in the capital city of Kathmandu, supply shortages and difficulties getting around complicated the effort.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/27/asia/nepal-earthquake/index.html

10 record-setting natural wonders in the United States.

Maybe we've been cooped up too much this winter, but now more than ever, the natural wonders of our world are beckoning to us from behind gray computer monitors, buzzing cell phones and the million red brake lights ahead of us on the long commute home. We yearn to leave the laundry, the dishes and the bills behind and swap them out for something bigger, deeper and taller than we could ever be; something that will, at once, make us feel insignificant and perfectly in place.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/06/travel/natural-records-united-states/index.html

Dine with sharks, drink wine in an ancient tree: 6 of Africa's most unusual eateries.

From dining next to massive predators to drinking atop a rock in the middle of the ocean, no place is too strange for our rundown of some of Africa's most unusual. All across the continent, entrepreneurs have gone to great lengths to offer one-of-a kind settings for those looking for something different than your typical wine and dine environment.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/28/travel/6-of-africas-most-unusual-restaurants/index.html

Low California snowpack ushers mandatory water restrictions.

The Golden State could soon refer to the hue of California's lawns. Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday imposed mandatory water restrictions for the first time on residents, businesses and farms, ordering cities and towns in the drought-ravaged state to reduce usage by 25%. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/01/us/california-water-restrictions-drought/index.html

World's most isolated inhabited island holds global architecture competition.

It lays claim to being the most isolated human settlement on earth, a volcanic archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, home to just under 270 people. Now, the tiny settlement of Tristan da Cunha is seeking the help of architects and designers the world over to secure its future well into the 21st century.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/22/business/tristan-da-cunha/?iid=ob_article_organicsidebar_expansion&iref=obnetwork

World's greatest explosions

Compared to Yellowstone's past, Mount St. Helens was a picnic, when it covered Washington state with an ash bed about the size of Lake Michigan in 1980. Mount Pinatubo, which exploded in the Philippines in 1991, doesn't begin to scratch the surface of Yellowstone's roar. Nor did Krakatoa in 1883, which killed thousands, and the final explosion of which reportedly ruptured the eardrums of people 40 miles away.

Americans Killed in Nepal Earthquake, Everest Avalanche

At least four Americans were among the 18 killed after an avalanche sparked by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake swept through a base camp near Mount Everest, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Monday. Tom Taplin, Dan Fredinburg, Marise Eve Girawong, and the other was not named.


http://www.weather.com/news/news/americans-nepal-earthquake-everest-avalanche

Severe Storms Pummel Texas: Multiple Tornadoes Confirmed in Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

Severe storms ramped up in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Sunday night and into Monday morning, spawning a large tornado that caused damage and power outages. As of Monday evening, ten twisters have been confirmed by the National Weather Service. Eight were rated EF0, while one near Lake Brownwood was an EF1, as was one near Kenner, Louisiana, the lowest levels on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. In total, there were at least 20 tornado reports Sunday night and Monday morning in Texas, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. However, survey crews may later find that not all of these tornado reports were from separate tornadoes, and some of the reports may turn out to be damage from straight-line winds, not a twister.


http://www.weather.com/news/news/texas-tornado-severe-storm

Nepal Earthquake Kills More Than 4,000; Aid Desperately Needed in Kathmandu, But Even More in Surrounding Villages

More than 4,000 people are dead and some 7,100 have been reported injured three days after a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal. Tens of thousands Nepalis weathered terrifying aftershocks, slept in the streets and hunkered down as teams worked to dig out survivorsNow, they desperately need food, water, medicine and other necessities in the region, as a massive humanitarian effort will be crucial to keep the broken nation from falling into an even more tragic situation.

http://www.4chan.org/

Why April is a dangerous month for tornadoes.

 Over the past ten years there have been 758 tornadoes in the month of April more than any other month. Dating since 1950 the Metro cities of Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Dallas, Little Rock, and Memphis have seen the most Tornado activity. And Cities such as Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Lubbock, Nashville, St. Louis, and Wichita have seen a large increase in Tornado activity from the month of March to April. The three worst tornado outbreaks in history have occurred in April, April 3-4, 1974 nicknamed the "Superoutbreak", April 26-28, 2011 also nicknamed "Superoutbreak", and the third worst tornado outbreak in history occurred April 11-12, 1965 "Palm Sunday Outbreak".

Average April Jet stream. 

U.S. map of average Tornado Risk 

Ocean Changes Linked to 2010 Hurricanes, Bitter Winters.

 An invisible workhorse of the Atlantic Ocean tirelessly shuffles cold and warm water back and forth between tropical and Arctic waters, dragging heat away from the equator. Scientists credit rich Atlantic fisheries and mild Mediterranean winters with the sheer power of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC. But, last week, scientists confirmed the circulation system is being jeopardized by climate-changing pollution. Changes appear to be occurring more quickly than had been anticipated, and they could accelerate in the decades ahead. The flow is presumably being throttled by an influx of freshwater pouring off a melting ice sheet — back to levels in recent decades that likely haven’t been seen in more than a millennium.

Arapaho glacier in Colorado, 1898

Arapaho glacier in Colorado, 2003

http://www.weather.com/science/environment/news/ocean-changes-atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-2010-hurricanes

A Favorite Florida Delicacy Is in Swift Decline

  North Florida’s once-profitable oyster business faces a layered threat from water-flow issues, environmental concerns, health and safety regulations and economic realities. That decline shows in Apalachicola, which sits on the river of the same name, 75 miles southwest of Tallahassee. It is on the Florida Panhandle near the Big Bend - the juncture of where the west coast of the Florida peninsula makes its turn to the west. Apalachicola-based oyster houses have either stopped selling to restaurants on the wholesale market or have opted to supplement their supply with oysters from Texas and Louisiana. The reasons for the decline are many. That perfect blend of water Vinson described is endangered by the population explosion in Atlanta, 340 miles to the north. In a decades-long dispute, Florida has claimed Georgia is hurting the oyster harvest by taking too much water from Lake Lanier, the federal reservoir that supplies water to the Atlanta area and feeds the Apalachicola River.

A farmed white sturgeon 

A local Florida Blue Marlin 

Tropical Strom Maysak

Tropical Storm Maysak made landfall in the Philippines Sunday after killing at least five people and causing extensive damage in Micronesia. Interior secretary Manuel Roxas II ordered preemptive evacuations Saturday for tourists visiting the northeastern coast of the country, as well as those living in low-lying areas, The Philippine Star reported. The Associated Press repots that over Friday and Saturday, three men drowned in northern Cagayan province, but officials have not decided whether the deaths were related to the approaching storm. Other than the drownings there have been no reported deaths thus far, but it is still very early. 

United Nation workers bringing supplies to victims in need in the Philippines

 A house is demolished by Tropical Storm Maysak

http://www.weather.com/storms/typhoon/news/typhoon-maysak-impacts-chuuk-yap-philippines-guam-pacific

Severe Storms may havoc midwest and southern plains.

Tonight there are storms that could hit Kansas and Northwest Missouri may produce hail and strong winds. Tuesday there are strong storms that may be produced from west-central illinois to missouri, eastern oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. It doesn't not appear to be an outbreak setting up tuesday in the corn belt, but large hail, damaging winds, and a low level tornado threat is still possible.

High tide of the century in France.

Every 18 years, when an abnormally high spring tides engulf the English Channel. For a short time on saturday thousands of visitors at Frances famed Mont Saint-Michel as the super tide overtook it's narrow causeway, transforming the Ancient Abbey into an island.

Spring snow hits Chicago.

Through monday night an Alberta Clipper system will slide east-southeastward through the southern great lakes, and ohio valley, spreading a wide swath of light to moderate snow in northern indiana, far southwest lower Michigan, Ohio, and southwestern Pennsylvania before fizzling over the appalachians.

• 15 inches in Fennimore, Wisconsin
• 12.3 inches near Zumbrota, Minnesota
• 12 inches in Marquett, Iowa
• 11.5 inches near Decorah, Iowa
• 8 inches in Rochester, Minnesota
• 5.8 inches at Chicago O'Hare Aiport
• 4.9 inches in La Crosse, Wisconsin
• 3.6 inches at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport

Tropical Cyclone Pam

On March 13,2015 with category5 winds, Tropical Cyclone Pam hit the republic of Vanuatu in the south pacific with full force. This will easily be one of the worst natural disasters in the Island Chains history. A satellite estimate from the weather center at the University of Wisconsin stated that Pam's central pressure may have been as low as 890 millibars. The lower the pressure, the stronger the tropical cyclone. Having a powerful tropical cyclone in the south pacific isn't all too rare, according to reliable data; a cyclone will occur at a rate of every 5 years.

Asian citrus psyllid

The Asian citrus psyllid could put the future of Americas citrus at risk. The insect is the size of a pinhead and causes a deadly disease called citrus greening, a plant disease the USDA is terrified of.