Expeditionquest

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Apr 20, 2024

A roundup of the best reader photos in today's Take 5. Have a great photo that you'd like to share with the nation? Submit your top shots at yourtake.usatoday.com and you could be in the next Take 5 feature. Contributor Steve S

Wang, Africa's last polar bear, dies

The last polar bear in Africa died Wednesday after months of grieving his longtime companion at a zoo in Johannesburg, a far cry from his Arctic habitat. Wang, 28, suffered from chronic arthritis and liver failure. The Johanne

Archaeologists uncover vast ancient tomb in Greece

Archaeologists have unearthed a vast ancient tomb in Greece, distinguished by two sphinxes and frescoed walls and dating to 300-325BC, the government announced on Tuesday. The tomb, in the country's north-eastern Macedonia region, Reuters

Bike track taking shape in forest

The potential of the forest around the Oamaru reservoir has been realized by Mountain Biking North Otago. Construction of a new 4km mountain bike trail in the forest between Ardgowan and Reservoir Rds began last week. The pro

Stem cell research gets huge boost from Australian zebrafish discovery

Australian researchers studying zebrafish have made one of the most significant ever discoveries in stem cell research. They have uncovered the mystery of how a critical type of stem cell found in blood and bone marrow, and e

Global warming is moistening the atmosphere

We have long suspected that greenhouse gases which cause the Earth to warm would lead to a wetter atmosphere. The latest research published by Eul-Seok Chung, Brian Soden, and colleagues provides new insight into what was thought

Middle Palaeolithic carcass processing site in France

A team of archaeologists have been investigating the Middle Palaeolithic site of Quincieux in Annecy (south-eastern France), which shows evidence of Neanderthal hunting and scavenging activity. This interesting prehistoric sit

Could Sharks be Heading for Extinction?

Troubles run deep. The lagoon and other coastal nursery habitats for sharks are reeling from pollution, fishing pressure and other threats. Sharks that survive to adulthoodthen face an ocean of troubles, from fishermen seeking an

1,500 rowers, 1,200 boats, 140 national clubs head to Riverside Park for national championships

Grand Rapids is about to turn into the rowing capital of the United States as some 1,500 rowers, 1,200 boats, and more than 140 national rowing clubs from around the country descend on Riverside Park for four days of competition.

China Must Lift Trade Restrictions on Rare Earth Elements

In a decision that affects automakers around the world, the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, has ruled that Chinaâ€™s export duties and quotas on rare earth elements are not justified for reasons of environment

Chile is facing yet another massive earthquake

A HUGE earthquake is predicted for Chile, after a major tremor earlier this year failed to relieve seismic stresses that have been building for 140 years. The magnitude 8.2 Iquique quake on 1 April killed six. Now two separate ana

Airport testing new way to avoid deadly bird strikes

When birds and planes collide, the results can be deadly. Thatâ€™s why airports around the world work hard to keep birds away, even resorting to shooting or poisoning large flocks. One Ohio airport is now experimenting with a Associated Press

Dolphins 'squeal with pleasure': study

Dolphins and whales literally squeal with pleasure, say scientists who claim to have shown that the sound expresses emotion. Initially, squeals emitted by the animals when offered tasty fish treats were thought to be signals commu

Couple's week-long sailing trip turns into 16-year round-the-world voyage

When Clive and Jane Green set sail from Wales, their intended destination was Spain, a relatively short hop over the Atlantic. Sixteen years later however, and they have only just returned home, having turned their experimental se

Romanian treasure hunter finds what could be oldest forged coins in history worth Â£120,000 - and he's going to spend it on a new metal detector

A Romanian man who found what could be the oldest forged coins in history while out treasure hunting with his son says he will use his fortune to 'buy a new metal detector'. Paul Croituru, 37, dug up the trove of 300 forged si

Feds reduce area in Atlantic Ocean for wind farm plans off NC coast

The US Department of Interior has reduced the areas of the Atlantic Ocean where turbines can be built, dealing a potential blow to North Carolina's hopes for wind farms off the coast. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports the

Geologists use technology to map deep below earth's surface

A billion years ago, nature was ripping the North American continent apart. Then it stopped. What remained is what geologists call the Mid-continent Rift System. Today, scientists are using the latest in technology to look dee

Space-age technologies aim to uncover Britainâ€™s heritage

Using novel ground penetrating radar techniques from the platform of a UAV the researchers hope to investigate previously inaccessible sites to better understand how people have been using space and creating places over time. T

15 Minutes With...Colorado Super-Athlete Ben Clark

In 2002, at the age of 23, when most of us are still trying to find our first real job, Ben Clark hit a career high, both literally and figuratively, by becoming the youngest American to summit Mount Everest. He spent the next 10

Iowa's Corn Farmers Learn To Adapt To Weather Extremes

Climate change is creating all kinds of challenges and opportunities for business. One of the sectors that feels the effects most immediately is agriculture. Already, weather patterns are making it more challenging to raise corn â

Pacific Nation Bans Fishing in One of World's Largest Marine Parks

Anote Tong, the president of Kiribatiâ€”a chain of islands about halfway between Hawaii and Fijiâ€”announced Monday that commercial fishing will end in the country's Phoenix Islands Protected Area on January 1, 2015. "We will

Wolverines lose chances at protection over climate change 'ambiguity'

Federal wildlife officials plan to withdraw proposed protections for the snow-loving wolverine Tuesday, in a course reversal that highlights lingering uncertainties over what a warming climate means for some temperature-sensitive

Is Climate Change Responsible for the Severity of the Ebola Outbreak?

The army base, a cut of cleared land amidst a thick, verdant, unnamed jungle, is filled with soldiers and locals, dead or dying of a mystery disease. A pile of bodies burns outside. At the sound of a U.S. army plane approaching, A

Chianti Wine Ancestor Found

U.S. archaeologists may have found the ancestor of Chianti wine in an ancient well in the Chiantishire region of Tuscany. Found in Cetamura, an ancient hilltop near Gaiole in Chianti in the province of Siena, the 105-foot-deep

Submerged Spherical Fish Farm to Raise Tons of Tuna

The demand worldwide for tuna is at an all-time high, which is why populations of this fish are at all-time low. Schools of large predator fish have declined worldwide by two-thirds and the Pacific Bluefin, specifically, is down 9

Far-Away Earthquake Caused 'Icequake' in Antarctica

In February 2010, a massive 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of central Chile. Even though it occurred nearly 22 miles beneath the surface, it was still powerful enough to cause the deaths of 300 people and severely damage buil

Kayaking: Carrington won't be teaming up

A dream kayak combination of Lisa Carrington and Teneale Hatton at the Rio Olympics is likely to remain just that. The two kayakers dominated at the World Champs in Moscow, with both winning gold medals. Canoe Sprint NZ High P

Falkland Islands and the saga of Sir Ernest Shackleton a century ago

The expedition aimed to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent. It failed to accomplish this but instead became recognized as an epic feat of endurance when Shackleton rescued all 27 of his men and bought them hom

How K2 Had One of Its Luckiest Seasons Ever

At the end of July, during a rare instance of good weather, an estimated 45 people reached the summit of Pakistanâ€™s K2. This is an unusually high number on a mountain where one in four people who attempt the climb die. A Spanish

Nepal to build first road to Everest region

Nepal is planning to build the first road leading to the Everest region. The road will link Jiri with Surkhe village, a couple of hours of walk from Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla at an altitude of 2860 metres, the Tourism Minis

The life of oceans: a history of marine discovery

It pays to be nice. One of the most absolutely, emphatically wrong hypotheses about the oceans was coined by one of the most carefree and amiable people in nineteenth century science. It should have sunk his reputation without tra

Mexico urged to act and save world's smallest porpoise â€“ the little sea cow

The world's smallest porpoise faces imminent extinction unless the Mexican government eliminates gill-net fishing in its only habitat, the upper Sea of Cortez, scientists have warned. Recent studies conducted using underwater a

Environment Canada Launching New Radar Software

Two weeks after a tornado hit, the cleanup continues for many residents in Grand Bend. Residents had roughly 30 minutes warning of the arrival of the storm that levelled over 8,000 trees. Bill Weber, mayor of the Municipal

Extreme weather becoming more common, study says

Extreme weather like the drought currently scorching the western US and the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2010 is becoming much more common, according to new scientific research. The work shows so-called â€œblocking pattern

Rolling stone? Archaeologist try to unlock secrets of Pictish find

Weighing more than a ton and stretching to 1.7m, the Dandaleith Stone dates from the 6th to 8th Centuries and was uncovered during the ploughing of a field near Craigellachie in May 2013. Because of sensitivities around the locati

Geography in the News: The Great Lakesâ€™ Mounting Problems

Recent news about an algae bloom on Lake Erie leading to Toledo, Ohioâ€™s municipal water plants closing is just one of the many problems affecting the Great Lakes. Toledoâ€™s 400,000 people were forced to purchase bottled water f

Bee, scorpion and snake venom may hold cancer cure

It's ancient medicine with a sci-fi-sounding twist. A scientist at the University of Illinois, Dipanjan Pan, and his team say they may have found a way to stop cancer cell growth, according to a paper presented at the American Che

European Cargo Spaceship Makes Final Delivery to Space Station

An unmanned European cargo vessel has linked up with the International Space Station for the last time. The European Space Agency's fifth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5) joined up with the station at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT

World's Oldest European Eel Dies at 155

There was mournful news out of Sweden with the announcement that the world's oldest known European eel had passed away recently at the age of 155, after living through two world wars, the Cold War, disco, punk, grunge, and the adv

US and Indian Spacecraft Rapidly Approach Mars

Two Mars-bound spacecraft are both in excellent health ahead of their September arrivals in orbit around the Red Planet, managers for both missions report. Play Video Is Salt the Key to Finding Life on Mars? Could

Brace yourself for another polar vortex â€” in September

Itâ€™s already August, which means fall is around the corner â€“ and another winter no longer seems that far away. Forecasters are out with some predictions about the weather we can expect in the coming months: A polar vortex

Round-the-world pilot back on Scottish soil after 81-day marathon trip

Dave McElroy, from Stirling, passed through 25 countries including Israel, India, Australia, Cuba and the United States during his epic voyage. The 67-year-old completed the final 824-mile hop from Reykjavik to Perth Airport 81

Astronauts Have a Hard Time Sleeping in Space

Astronauts have a hard time sleeping during space flights and are often sleep deprived. This is recognized as a major problem for the space program because sleep deprivation is known to be associated with health problems and inatt

Adaptive rowing opens sport to disabled

Juan Carlos Gil likes the feeling of independence the sport of rowing gives him. "The freedom the water can give me is exhilarating when I hear the water flick over the oars," said Gil, who has cerebral palsy, and is legally blind

Treasure trove of prehistoric animal remains discovered in U.S.

Scientists descended into a deep cave, hoping to find Ice Age mammalsâ€™ remains. What they found stunned them: the remains of hundreds of big prehistoric mammals. The treasure trove was discovered in the Natural Trap Cave at

Builders in France charged with theft after finding treasure buried in garden

When a Normandy homeowner told the workmen extending her property to "let me know if you find any treasure", she was only joking. The three builders, however, had a secret. Unbeknown to their employer, they had indeed found a c

Archaeology museum rediscovers 6,500-year-old skeleton in storage

An archaeology museum in Philadelphia has made an extraordinary find â€” in its own storage rooms. The Penn Museum, part of the University of Pennsylvania, announced Tuesday that it had rediscovered a 6,500-year-old human skele

Why NASAâ€™s Physics-Defying Space Engine Is Probably Bogus

travel and science as a whole: They ran an experiment whose results seem to defy the very laws of physics, and could change how we travel through outer space. Problem is, experts say that itâ€™s incredibly unlikely that Isaac Newt

Silchester Roman town closes: 'nothing left except gravel and natural geology'

Much as it must have been 1,400 years ago, the last inhabitants of Silchester, the most enigmatic Roman town in Britain, are packing their bags and preparing to leave for ever. This time, however, those departing are archeologists

Falmouth company makes history with Costa Concordia salvage

SALVAGE workers from a Falmouth company say they are â€œproudâ€ to work on their toughest project in almost 40 years helping to right a stricken cruise liner which capsized off the Italian coast. Marine drilling experts from

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