I am young yet very educated. I enjoy the study of science. And here, I'll post the most Up-To_date Information I can! I'm NOT writing what I post, though I may write some of them. If I do, I'll specify if I am.
Today, we have 2 articles!
Mars Gullies Not Likely From Water (October 22, 2007)
Last year, scientists were hopeful that gullies on the Martian surface seen in pictures from Mars Global Surveyor were carved by running water. Now, that conclusion seems less likely.
Sharp new pictures from a different spacecraft, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, show details of the gullies never seen before. Scientists say deposits in the gullies are more likely from landslides of loose, dry material. There's no evidence they were made by water bubbling up to the surface.
One of the new pictures shows a bright band of material hundreds of yards across. The deposit is not ice or frost. Nor is it any type of mineral left after salt water evaporated. Since these deposits are in steep areas, scientists say they're probably from sand or bits of rock rolling downhill with gravity.
Still, astronomers say there's plenty of other evidence liquid water flowed on Mars millions of years ago. Other gullies have slopes that aren't steep enough for dry flows. The twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity found promising signs of Mars' watery past. Also, other Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photos show braided channels and terraces within gullies hinting at liquid flows.
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South Asia Floods Won't Quit (October 10, 2007)
Every year, floods are common in South Asua from annual monsoon rains. This year, the floods are the worst in decades. Recent heavy rains made the situation even worse.
The United Nations says more than 20 million people have been affected by floods in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal since the start of monsoon season this summer. At least 4,000 people have been killed by floods and landslides.
No area has been hit harder than Bihar state in northeastern India, where at least 700 people died. Dozens of others are missing. About forty percent of the state is now under water. In the month of July, rainfall totals were a shocking five times higher than the 30-year average. Over one stretch, it rained for twenty days in a row.
Some climate experts are pointing the finger at global climate change. According to an official with the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organizaton (FAO), even a tiny rise in average temperature could spell disaster for the region's farmland. A rise in temperature increases evaporation of humid water from the Bay of Bengal and makes monsoon rains more intense.
Farmers aren't the only ones suffering from the floods. Hundreds of villages in low-lying areas have suffered heavy damages. Environmentalists in India are calling for big lifestyle changes to lower greenhouse gases before things get even worse. The increase of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels has been blamed for the alarming rise in global temperatures. This in turn is helping to fuel an increase in wilder weather around the world.
!Moved to Politics and News. _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
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