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Come spring, when the dark clouds hover over the United States, people can sense the coming of a tornado. What have been of much worry to the scientists is that what causes these twisters, though they make some assumptions that the atmospheric conditions, altitude and supercell (intense thunderstorm which rotates violently in an upward motion) thunderstorms swell up into the sky to form a tunnel of deadly and violent air.

Researchers are of late assuming that the heavy rains accompanied with supercell thunderstorms can be the leading cause for the ensuing of tornadoes. Robert Davies-Jones from the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Oklahoma is of the opinion that heavy rains accompanies with violent supercell thunderstorms can push the air updraft to form a tunnel of violent, gushing air that rotates vigorously and can be identified as a twister.

Robert also opines that a severe storm does not require rains but a tornado is always followed by heavy rains and acute thunderstorms. This simple fact was discovered as early as in 1953 when scientists through a radar peered into the supercells to find that in tornadoes, the rains were caught up in a hook which they named the “hook echo”. Infact, it became a tell-tale radar marker for an ensuing tornado.

Though at that time the “hook echo” was only regarded as a by-product of a tornado, Robert Davies-Jones believes it to be the other way round. According to him, the hook echo is not a passive but an active mechanism by which a tornado really forms.

Jones observed how falling rain would kick-start the upward circulation of air that led to a lethal tornado. He also observed as to how the falling rain also got twisted along with the twisting gush of air and debris, finally passing on its energy to the updrafting air just at the side of it.

It was further revealed through the studies that rain acts like a sheet around the swirling winds with the air inside the rains stretching out as the funnel moves up to touch the skies, thereby increasing the speed and intensity of the storm which gives rise to a tornado.

David Lewellen from the University of West Virginia is of the opinion that further studies and reports are required to confirm whether rains have a hand in the formation of killer tornadoes. He feels that rain is just another weather condition that is just right or appropriate for a tornado to form. David opines that other field campaign experiments which are to follow in the spring months of 2009 and 2010 will hopefully establish what has been presumed – that heavy rains cause tornadoes.

Davies-Jones works’ are published in the August issue of the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences.

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Memories that remain in female elephant’s mind can help the elephants prepare for the hard times in the future, particularly when drought conditions prevail. This fact emerged in a new research conducted by researchers of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Scientists observed elephant herds that had gathered at the Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park, which had experienced a severe drought from 1958 to 1961. The second drought that occurred in that area in 1993 indicted that elephants that had mothers who had gone through the earlier drought went in search of better places for their food and water supply. This shows that elephant mothers that remembered the difficult conditions of the previous drought were better prepared to face up to the challenges of a recurring drought. In fact, groups that went elsewhere in search of food and water had more calves surviving as compared to family groups that remained in the same place.

Matriarch elephants are strong enough to live through two droughts. In the case of the Tarangire National Park incident, the matriarch elephants were 5years or perhaps older when the first drought had occurred. They were in a position to take precautions during the second drought as they were aware of the pitfalls. The group of elephants, which could not  fend for itself in the second drought, was due to the fact that it  had no elephant in  its group, which had experienced the previous drought.

The study also highlights the fact that groups, which had older members had better survival chances as the past memories of these older elephants  helped them to sustain themselves in the present drought. In the elephant society, the female elephant leads the family and is therefore more prone to remember events for the family welfare.

Researchers favor the protection of veteran elephants as  more droughts are occurring due to global warming.

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Not only humans, birds can also sense the rising temperatures caused by Global Warming. Not only are the birds sensitive enough to feel the increasing mercury level but their reactions are also almost immediate.

Scientists from France have made extensive researches and are happy that the birds migrate to more suitable places. Though apparently it is a good sign, the balance in nature is going to be deeply affected with this trend. This is because different animals react differently to this climate change. The researchers are afraid that it is only the birds that migrate to a cooler place and it is not be the case for the insects which is the source of food for these birds. That would result into an ecological disaster and severe disbalance in nature.

There are other problems attached to this find. The researchers think that the habitat shift is essential and necessary and the birds have survived the climate change because of this. However, even when birds are quick to react, the researchers think that their reactions should be faster.

Another problem is that all the species are not reacting in the same manner; therefore, there is a danger of extinction of certain species of birds. As the “interaction between the species” is inadequate the fear of mismatches in decision making by the different animals and bird species threatens the balance in nature.

Scientists are continuing their efforts towards saving Mother Nature; one such revelation being that ships are polluting the sea air. Sea air is considered to be healthy for humans as it is abundant in iodine and sodium, two vital factors that helps the body to function better. Infact, coastal climate is recommended for people suffering from chronic illnesses such as rheumatism and bronchitis.

The study claims that dirty smog pouring out of the funnels of the funnels of the ships are posing a great threat to the environment. Through a “chemical finger printing technique”, researchers identified “primary sulphate” in the ships’ release of smoke.

Scientists believe that ship emissions could have caused nearly 60000 deaths worldwide. Infact, scientists at the University of California (San Diego – UCSD) found that sodium emissions into the atmosphere were far more than realized earlier.

In their study, researchers conducted an analysis on the primary sulphate and other sources such as the vehicle exhaust emissions. About 44% of the sulphate polluting the coastal areas of California was traced down to be released from ships.

Scientists claimed that on some occasions, sulphate took up 50% of the atmospheric air as compared to other fine articles in the air. They further opine that ports such as the Los Angeles port, San Diego and Long Beach Port that have ships burning high sulphur fuel are all responsible for polluting the coastal areas of California.

Some international rules that are coming into effect since next year and 2015 are – that all cargo and cruise ships and also tankers will have to switch to more cleaner fuels and expensive fuels when they are 24 miles from the coast.

Professor Mark Thiemens, who led the study at UCSD, said that ships go unregulated and unchecked when it comes to polluting the atmosphere. When this study was conducted in San Diego, scientists found that the contribution of sulphur particles called primary sulphate to be quiet high in the atmospheric air.

A scientist who has been doing much analysis of the two mummified female fetuses in Tutankhamun’s tomb has raised eyebrows of the young teenage pharaoh having two stillborn baby girls. The scientist explained that earlier, in 1979, he studied on the larger fetus and compared the blood group with that of Tutankhamun’s blood group. Reports matched the test and confirmed that the fetus could have been the pharaoh’s daughter.

Infact, the stillborn fetuses have been preserved in the faculty of Medicine of Cairo University ever since it was first discovered by Howard Carter, an archaeologist in 1922. Egyptologists are of the opinion that the two female fetuses may have been the daughters of Tutankhamun and his wife Ankhesenamun or the kids could have been inside the tomb in the hope that the boy king would live as newborns in the lives after.

Experts opine that further study on the fetuses that will identify if they had any diseases or in any way really connected to the pharaoh will continue. The older fetus is perceived to be in the 7th and 9t months of his gestational cycle. The fetus is not as well preserved as the other one as is estimated to be about 15.16 inches long.

There are some imperative questions that surround the discovery of the female fetuses – Who were these two baby girls? Why were they buried with Tutankhamun? Was he their dad? How did they die?

Scientists opine that DNA tests could do the trick in finding out the answers to all of these questions. Ever since the treasure-laden tomb was discovered, Tutankhamun has been in much hype. Some facts revealed about the young pharaoh are that he took to the throne in 1333 B.C. A descendant of the most ancient royal Egyptian families, Tutankhamun ruled till his death at 19 years and was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty.

Further research on whether Ankhesenamun (who changed her name from Ankhesenpaaten) was a half or full sister to King Tut is yet to be determined by conducting a DNA analysis of the fetuses. In such a case, if their DNA tests match, that is the pharaoh’s and the Ankhesenamun, then they would be kid from the same mother.

A 30-year old analysis tells that the female fetuses could be the daughters of King Tut and Ankhesenamun, or of the pharaoh Amenhotep III and his wife/daughter Sitamun, or of the pharaoh Smenkhkare (King Tut’s predecessor) and Sitamun or King Tut himself and Sitamun.

Humans are responsible for the extinction of giant like kangaroos and other huge marsupials in Tasmania about 40,000 years back. Hunting carried out on the Australian island resulted in the extermination of many prehistoric animals, which include kangaroo like beasts, leopard type cats and marsupial “hippopotamuses according to scientists.

The giant type kangaroo known as Protemnon anak, which is leaf browser with a long neck, existed on Tasmania until at least 41,000 years ago. This is was much later than believed and 2,000 years later after the first human settlers arrived. This is evident based upon the new radiocarbon and luminescence dating of fossils, some having been accidentally found by cavers.

Earlier studies showed that the giant beasts of Tasmania had disappeared when humans had access to land bridge that was temporary, providing entry to the island almost 43,000 years ago.

The new findings shall appear this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Six other oversized prehistoric species in Tasmania survived the change in climate and may have existed till the arrival of the humans. Of course, the animals remains have not been specifically dated to a period when the humans were on the island. Around 90 percent of the Australian megafauna disappeared almost 46,000 years ago, immediately after the humans initially settled on the continent. Many more megafauna  may be found on Tasmania.