Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

Sumerian Mythology

Visit the links to learn about Sumerian myths related to objects in the sky, the Earth, and aspects of their world.

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Shamash was the <a href="/sun/sun.html">Sun</a> god of Sumerian mythology. Since he could see everything on <a href="/earth/earth.html">Earth</a>, he represented also the god of justice, truth and right. Sumerians lived more than three thousand years ago in Mesopotamia. This image shows a Sumerian seal from about 1400-1300 BC, during the Kassite dynasty. Shamash is seen seated, sitting in front of a Sun disk and a cross, his symbols.<p><small><em>Image &copy; Trustees of the British Museum.</em></small></p>

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Explore Sumerian Mythology

The Earth: Enlil

Enlil was the Sumerian god of Earth and air. Sumerians were living more than three thousand ...Read more

The Moon: Sin

Sin was the Sumerian Moon god. Sumerians were living more than three thousand years ago in ...Read more

The Sky: An

An was the Sumerian sky god and symbolized heaven. In fact his name means "sky". Sumerians ...Read more

The Sun: Shamash

Shamash was a Sun god according to the Sumerian mythology. Sumerians were living more than ...Read more

Historical Events

5/24 Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, died on this date in 1543 Details
5/30 7.5 magnitude quake hits Quetta, Pakistan in 1935
5/31 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits Peru in 1970

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Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

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Plasmoid
xPlasmoid : A structure of plasma and magnetic fields proposed to explain several natural phenomena including magnetic bubbles in magentospheres and ball lightning

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Research Highlights

Soil Microbes Produce Less Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Than Expected With Global Warming

Scientists have learned that microbes that live in the soil, like fungi and bacteria, don't produce more carbon dioxide when the climate is warmer. In fact, at first these microbes will produce more carbon...Read more

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