Abrupt climate changes and a super volcano

An extremely brief reversal of the geomagnetic field, climate variability and a super volcano
sciencecodex/41,000 years ago, a complete and rapid reversal of the geomagnetic field occured. Magnetic studies of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences on sediment cores from the Black Sea show that during this period, during the last ice age, a compass at the Black Sea would have pointed to the south instead of north. Moreover, data obtained by the research team formed around GFZ researchers Dr. Norbert Nowaczyk and Prof. Helge Arz, together with additional data from other studies in the North Atlantic, the South Pacific and Hawaii, prove that this polarity reversal was a global event. Their results are published in the latest issue of the scientific journal "Earth and Planetary Science Letters".
What is remarkable is the speed of the reversal: "The field geometry of reversed polarity, with field lines pointing into the opposite direction when compared to today's configuration, lasted for only about 440 years, and it was associated with a field strength that was only one quarter of today's field," explains Norbert Nowaczyk. "The actual polarity changes lasted only 250 years. In terms of geological time scales, that is very fast." During this period, the field was even weaker, with only 5% of today's field strength. As a consequence, the Earth nearly completely lost its protection shield against hard cosmic rays, leading to a significantly increased radiation exposure.
This is documented by peaks of radioactive beryllium (10Be) in ice cores from this time, recovered from the Greenland ice sheet. 10Be as well as radioactive carbon (14C) is caused by the collision of high-energy protons from space with atoms of the atmosphere.
The Laschamp event
The polarity reversal now found with the magnetisation of Black Sea sediments has already been known for 45 years. It was first discovered after the analysis of the magnetisation of several lava flows near the village Laschamp near Clermont-Ferrand in the Massif Central, which differed significantly from today's direction of the geomagnetic field. Since then, this geomagnetic feature is known as the 'Laschamp event'. However, the data of the Massif Central represent only some point readings of the geomagnetic field during the last ice age, whereas the new data from the Black Sea give a complete image of geomagnetic field variability at a high temporal resolution.
Abrupt climate changes and a super volcano
Besides giving evidence for a geomagnetic field reversal 41,000 years ago, the geoscientists from Potsdam discovered numerous abrupt climate changes during the last ice age in the analysed cores from the Black Sea, as it was already known from the Greenland ice cores. This ultimately allowed a high precision synchronisation of the two data records from the Black Sea and Greenland. The largest volcanic eruption on the Northern hemisphere in the past 100 000 years, namely the eruption of the super volcano 39400 years ago in the area of today's Phlegraean Fields near Naples, Italy, is also documented within the studied sediments from the Black Sea. The ashes of this eruption, during which about 350 cubic kilometers of rock and lava were ejected, were distributed over the entire eastern Mediterranean and up to central Russia. These three extreme scenarios, a short and fast reversal of the Earth's magnetic field, short-term climate variability of the last ice age and the volcanic eruption in Italy, have been investigated for the first time in a single geological archive and placed in precise chronological order.

 

Study: Germs Trump ‘Five Second Rule’

(CBS Atlanta)- Most people are familiar with the famed “five second rule,” which states that if dropped food is picked up off the floor within five seconds of contact, it is still safe to consume.
Though a popular belief, a new study has found that germs often win the race.
The study, co-funded by Clorox and conducted by researchers at San Diego State University, found that germs do in fact attach themselves to edible items within that amount of time, the McClatchy-Tribune News Service is reporting.
Baby carrots were reportedly deposited on different surfaces, including a countertop, a kitchen sink, a table, and both a carpeted and tiled floor in the interest of testing the theory.
An additional carrot was kept clean, to serve as a constant.
Researchers found that germs affixed themselves to the carrots within five seconds of contact with different surfaces.
The countertop was found to be the dirtiest surface, with the carpeted and tiled floors following closely in second and third place.
According to a survey conducted in tandem with the study by researchers at SDSU, a reported 65 percent of parents admitted to implementing the five second rule in their homes, the News Service learned.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta also warns against the dangers inherent in germs contaminating foods.
On their official website, they recommend thorough and frequent cleanings of both surfaces and hands. Germs can also allegedly live in utensils and cutting boards, according to the CDC.

Man arrested in plot to blow up Federal Reserve bank in New York

The Federal Reserve Bank in New York was the apparent target of a terror plot, officials said Wednesday.

Editor's note: Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafism, a 21-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of planning to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, federal officials said. Authorities say he attempted to detonate what he believed was a 1,000-pound bomb. This story is developing. As soon as we learn information we'll update the blog below.

[Posted at 4:18 p.m. ET] Paul J. Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department, released the following statement on the alleged plot:

"Whether al -Qaeda operatives like Iyman Faris or those inspired by them like Jose Pimentel, terrorists have tried time and again to make New York City their killing field. We're up to 15 plots and counting since 9/11, with the Federal Reserve now added to a list of iconic targets that previously included the Brooklyn Bridge, the New York Stock Exchange, and Citicorp Center.
After 11 years without a successful attack, it's understanding if the public becomes complacent. But that's a luxury law enforcement can't afford.
Vigilance is our watchword now and into the foreseeable future. That's why we have over 1,000 police officers assigned to counter-terrorism duties every day, and why we built the Domain Awareness System. I want to commend the NYPD detectives and FBI agents of the Joint Terrorist Task Force for the work they did in the case and in other ways every day to help New York City safe from terrorists."

[Posted at 4:08 p.m. ET] U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch from the Eastern District of New York made the following statement regarding the alleged terror plot attack:

"As alleged in the complaint, the defendant came to this country intent on conducting a terrorist attack on U.S. soil and worked with single-minded determination to carry out his plan.
The defendant thought he was striking a blow to the American economy. He thought he was directing confederates and fellow believers. At every turn, he was wrong, and his extensive efforts to strike at the heart of the nation’s financial system were foiled by effective law enforcement.
We will use all of the tools at our disposal to stop any such attack before it can occur. We are committed to protecting the safety of all Americans, including the hundreds of thousands who work in New York’s financial district.
I would like to thank our partners at the FBI, NYPD, the other agencies who participate in the JTTF, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, for their hard work on this important investigation. I would also like to thank the security teams at the New York Federal Reserve Bank and the New York Stock Exchange for their assistance."

[Posted at 4:08 p.m. ET] Nafis appeared to have had a back-up plan.
He met an undercover agent that supplied him with what he thought were explosives on Wednesday morning. After meeting up, they both traveled in a van to a warehouse, the Justice Department said.
That’s apparently when Nafis told the agent he had a "Plan B."
If Nafis felt his attack was about to be thwarted by cops, he would invoke the back-up plan, which involved a suicide bombing operation, the criminal complaint alleges.
When the pair arrived at the warehouse, Nafis began putting together what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb inside the van. Then they drove together to the target: The New York Federal Reserve Bank. As they drove, he armed the purported by putting together the detonator and the explosives, the criminal complaint says.
The van was then parked next to the bank. The pair went to a nearby hotel, where Nafis apparently recorded a video statement meant to be shown to the American public in connection with the attack.
"We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom," he said, according to the criminal complaint.
He then tried, several times unsuccessfully, to detonate the device, which was actually inert explosives.
Nafis was then arrested.
A good portion of the sting operation was caught on tape, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
[Posted at 3:59 p.m. ET] The plot came to light as an FBI undercover agent posed as an al-Qaeda facilitator, federal authorities say.
Nafis asked the undercover agent for 50-pound bags of what he thought were explosives, and then worked on putting together an explosive device, according to prosecutors.
"Nafis purchased components for the bomb’s detonator and conducted surveillance for his attack on multiple occasions in New York City’s financial district in lower Manhattan," a Justice Department press release describing the criminal complaint said. “Throughout his interactions with the undercover agent, Nafis repeatedly asserted that the plan was his own and was the reason he had come to the United States."
[Posted at 3:56 p.m. ET] We now have some more detail about the plot to blow up the reserve bank from a press release that breaks down the criminal complaint filed against Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis:

The Bangladeshi national allegedly came to the United States in January to carry out a terror attack on U.S. soil and said he had overseas connections to al-Qaeda. As he attempted to recruit others to join his cell, he tried to recruit someone who turned out to be an FBI source, the criminal complaint says.
Nafis initially had a few targets in mind, according to the complaint, including  "a high-ranking U.S. official and the New York Stock Exchange." In the end, Nafis settled on the New York Federal Reserve Bank, federal officials said.
"In a written statement intended to claim responsibility for the terrorist bombing of the Federal Reserve Bank on behalf of al-Qaeda, Nafis wrote that he wanted to 'destroy America' and that he believed the most efficient way to accomplish this goal was to target America’s economy," the Justice Department press release said. "In this statement, Nafis also included quotations from 'our beloved Sheikh Osama bin Laden' to justify the fact that Nafis expected that the attack would involve the killing of women and children."
The "explosives that he allegedly sought and attempted to use had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public," according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch.
[Posted at 3:41 p.m. ET] Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, was arrested for allegedly attempting to detonate what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan, the Department of Justice and a U.S. attorney's office said in a press release.
He will be charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaeda, the press release said.
[Posted at 3: 40 p.m. ET] A man has been arrested for planning to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, according to a federal law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.
The man was arrested as part of a string operation conducted by the FBI and NYPD as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a federal law enforcement source said.
"Attempting to destroy a landmark building and kill or maim untold numbers of innocent bystanders is about as serious as the imagination can conjure. The defendant faces appropriately severe consequences," FBI Acting Assistant Director Mary Galligan said in a statement. "It is important to emphasize that the public was never at risk in this case, because two of the defendant’s ‘accomplices’ were actually an FBI source and an FBI undercover agent. The FBI continues to place the highest priority on preventing acts of terrorism."

Overnight explosion heard over Louisiana and Texas

Overnight explosion heard over Louisiana and Texas was not a meteorite

Staff Reports

Near Minden — Update:
fox/The boom was different for residents of North Louisiana depending on their location, but it got everybody talking about what the boom late Monday night was.
After viewing photos from the National Weather Service, with a plume of smoke and debris that went up about 2000 feet, the Webster Sheriff's Office thought that a meteor might have struck somewhere between Dixie Inn and Minden, but they weren't sure about that, and decided to wait until Tuesday morning to start searching for what the boom could be.
When daylight came, the Sheriff's Office was able to fully view Camp Minden and the above ground bunkers there and announced that the explosion came from a bunker in the L-1 area.
Camp Minden has several tenants, and this bunker was leased to a company called Explo. Fox 33 tried to contact Explo, but they did not return any of our calls and canceled their scheduled news conference.
The Webster Sheriff's Office turned the investigation over to Louisiana State Police, who immediately sent a helicopter over to do a full investigation. By the end of the day, the local division had finished and sent their findings to their headquarters in Baton Rouge for further review.
Update:
The Webster Parish Sheriff's Office has confirmed that an underground bunker exploded overnight at Camp Minden. The explosion site was located at dawn by law enforcement officials investigating the blast, which lit up skies over Louisiana and Texas.
No injuries or deaths have been reported.
The investigation has been turned over to state police and the military.

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The National Weather Service and local authorities reported that several residents of Webster, Bossier & Caddo parishes say they saw a bright flash and heard a loud boom which shook some houses all the way from Minden to Blanchard in NW Louisiana at around 11:30 last night. Several KMSS TV Facebook friends have also reported similar experiences at that time. There is speculation that a meteorite may have landed somewhere in the general area and there are reports that local authorities in Webster parish may do an aerial survey later this morning.

 

Volcanic Activity on the Rise

extinctionprotocol/ Klyuchevskoy volcano erupts in Kamchatka

KAMCHATKA – The Klyuchevskoy volcano, the highest active volcano in Eurasia, has started erupting in Kamchatka, in the Russian Far East. The luminescence over the volcano summit is evidence that glowing lava is flowing in the crater. The volcano may start blowing out ash any moment now. The Level of Concern Colour Code has been raised to Yellow, which is a potential danger warning for aircraft. The giant volcano last erupted from September 2009 to December 2010, and it began to again wake up in June this year. Klyuchevskoy volcano is 4,750 meters above sea. –VOR

COLOMBIA - According to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Manizales, an earthquake measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale occurred yesterday at 11:54 am. The statement also notes that the incident “is associated with rock fracturing within the volcanic edifice.” The volcano-tectonic earthquake was presented to the southeast of the main dome at a depth of 12.33 miles. Although the movement was felt in the district Tapias, rural Ibagué, Eduardo Rodríguez, director of the Departmental Committee for Risk Management, confirmed that no emergencies have been reported so far. The Cerro Machin volcano alert remains yellow. There have been three earthquakes reported in the vicinity of the volcano within a week. On Sunday two movements were recorded at 9:32 and 9:35 pm with a magnitude of 4.6 and 3.9 on the Richter scale, respectively, located 12 kilometers southeast of depth to the main dome. The two municipalities where the tremors were felt are Cajamarca and Ibague. Cerro Machin last erupted 800 years ago. –Elnuevodia (translated)

El Hierro: It seems a new earthquake swarm has started at El Hierro volcano yesterday, when the number of quakes rose from an average of about 8-10 to 23 quakes per day. Today, so far there have been 14 events recorded, and their number is likely to rise further. The quakes are very small (mostly under M1, largest M2.0) and are concentrated at about 10 km depth in the western El Golfo and scattered in the SW part of the island at greater depths.

Iceland: A new earthquake swarm occurred over the weekend on the Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, on the volcanic rift zone about 12 km SW of Brenisteinsfjöll volcano. The largest quake was a M3.8 event at 5 km depth on Friday at 19:42 UTC.

Yellowstone: A minor seismic swarm occurred at Yellowstone, but falls into what is normal activity at a large active caldera. -Volcano Discovery

FDA: Pharmacy's other drugs may be causing illness

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(AP)Two more drugs from a specialty pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak are now being investigated, U.S. health officials said, as they urged doctors to contact patients who got any kind of injection from the company.

The New England Compounding Center of Framingham, Mass., has been under scrutiny since last month, when a rare fungal form of meningitis was linked to its steroid shots used mostly for back pain.

Monday's step by the Food and Drug Administration followed reports of infections in three people who got different drugs made by the company. One is a possible meningitis illness in a patient who got a spine injection of another type of steroid. The agency also learned of two heart transplant patients who got fungal infections after being given a third company product during surgery.

The illnesses are under investigation, and it's very possible the heart patients were infected by another source, FDA officials cautioned. They did not say whether the meningitis case involved a fungal infection or where the three patients lived.

As of Monday, the current outbreak has sickened 214 people, including 15 who have died, in 15 states. For weeks, officials have been urging doctors to contact patients who got shots of the company's steroid methylprednisolone acetate, advise them about the risks of fungal infection, and urge them to take any meningitis symptoms seriously.

The steroid was recalled last month, and the company later shut down operations and recalled all the medicines it makes.
The FDA on Monday expanded its advice to doctors to contact all patients who got any injection made by the company, including steroids and drugs used in eye surgery as well as heart operations. The agency said it took the step "out of an abundance of caution" as it investigates the new reports involving the heart surgery drug and the second steroid, called triamcinolone acetonide.

The company issued a statement Monday that said it was reviewing the FDA's latest advisory, but is continuing to cooperate with the FDA and other federal and state agencies looking into the outbreak.

"As we have said, we will respect those public agencies' processes for investigations and will not comment while they are under way," the statement said.

Nearly all the 214 illnesses in the outbreak are fungal meningitis; two people had joint infections.

Last week, federal health officials said 12,000 of the roughly 14,000 people who received the steroid shots had been contacted. Those people received methylprednisolone acetate injections at clinics in 23 states.

New England Compounding, which custom-mixes ointments, painkillers and other products, is licensed to sell in all 50 states. The FDA did not say how many patients fall under the new advisory, or where the products were shipped.

Symptoms of meningitis include severe headache, nausea, dizziness and fever. The CDC said many of the cases have been mild, and some people had strokes. Symptoms have been appearing between one and four weeks after patients got the shots, but CDC officials on Thursday warned at least one illness occurred 42 days after a shot.

 

Why in the World are They Spraying?" Documentary HD (multiple language subtitles)