TheFW » Nature

10 Amazing Facts About the Universe You Won't Believe

Carl Pettit — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:45:14 +0000

The universe is a pretty amazing place, from the unimaginably large, right down to the incredibly small. There’s an awful lot going on in this field we call “existence.”With the recent discovery of what is most likely the elusive Higgs boson particle, or some variant thereof, by scientist’s working at the Large Hadron Collider near [...]

Yikes! Fireball Accidentally Caught on Camera

Emerald Catron — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:15:09 +0000

If you can imagine your reaction when you accidentally film a freak fireball exploding in your backyard, then you can probably imagine that this video is NSFW. What happens when you laugh along with nature and brag about how much you loooove storms? A tree explodes in your backyard. Then you swear uncontrollably and run [...]

See a Scottish Village Overtaken by Foam

Emerald Catron — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:06:09 +0000

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere and GAH BUBBLES EVERYWHERE!!!!! If, by some chance, a resident of Footdee, in Aberdeen, Scotland had been quoting Willy Wonka and looked out his window, this is probably what he would’ve said. The entire town has been covered in foam blown ashore by strong winds from the North Sea. Anyone have a [...]

The 5 Most Insane Moments From 'Storm Chasers'

Ruth Waxman — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:32:31 +0000

For those of you who haven't heard of 'Storm Chasers,' it was a documentary reality television series on the Discovery Channel. Unfortunately for fans, this exhilarating show was cancelled earlier this year. Luckily, the internet provides us the opportunity to watch some of the craziest clips from the show.

10 Crazy Hurricanes Caught on Tape

Ruth Waxman — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:59:43 +0000

Is there anything scarier than a hurricane at full force? Not if you’re in the middle of it filming the action. These extremely bold individuals risked their lives (or at least sanity) for the following 10 pieces of footage, so take a moment to appreciate their heroic service to the country. 1. Hurricane Charley (2004) [...]

Solar Eclipse 2012 – See the 'Ring of Fire' From Around the World

Nick Romano — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:30:50 +0000

The 2012 solar eclipse is an annual event where the moon crosses over the sun creating what many (or at least the internet) are calling a "ring of fire." And in case you were too busy watching Katy Perry swinging in midair at the Billboard Music Awards while performing 'Wide Awake,' you probably missed it.

Super Moon 2012 – Check Out Pics From Around the World

Nick Romano — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:31:10 +0000

Super Moon 2012, which occurred Saturday night, was not a sight to be missed, even if you were too busy drinking your Cinco de Mayo margaritas. This natural phenomenon is the one time a year when the moon is closer to the earth than ever, making it appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent bigger. It also makes us stare off into space and go, "Whoah!?"

Did an Actual Fireball Shoot Through the Sky in Texas?

Jeremy Taylor — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:31:31 +0000

The folks in San Antonio, Texas got quite a treat earlier this month when an unexplained fireball, or rather something that looked like a fireball streaked across the midday sky. “It was like a little piece of the sun falling,” was how one witness described it to NBC 4 in San Antonio. That news report [...]

Dallas Tornado Videos Show the Destructive Power of Mother Nature

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:05:19 +0000

Between 10 and 18 tornadoes ripped through the Dallas area on Tuesday. Homes were destroyed, vehicles were tossed around like rag dolls and residents frantically sought shelter. And many folks captured the wreckage on their video cameras and phones. “It’s one of the worst tornado outbreaks we’ve seen in a longtime here in North Texas,” said [...]

Plastic-Eating Fungi May Solve the Earth's Garbage Problem

Donald Deane — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:01:00 +0000

A group of students from Yale University have discovered a species of fungi in the Amazon that eats the common plastic polyurethane. And, what's more, Pestalotiopsis microspora can nosh on plastic even in an oxygen-free environment, which makes it perfect to survive in a landfill. There you go! Earth's waste management problem has just been solved! (Not really, but it's a start.)

Security Cameras Capture Terrifying Footage of Tornadoes, Earthquakes and Other Natural Disasters

Stephen Lenz — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:40:25 +0000

Capturing a natural disaster on a video camera or cellphone is one thing, but to see one through the objective and unassuming eye of a security camera is another altogether.

Lightning Strikes a Little Too Close to Water Skiers

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:30:35 +0000

Two water skiers got quite a shock when a bolt of lightning came down from the partly blue sky and struck the water near them. The water skier being filmed didn't seem to notice it, so he won't realize how close a call he had until he sees the video. Maybe that'll teach them not go out on a lake in the midst of a storm.

Did This Woman Use Prayer to Chase Away a Tornado?

Jeremy Taylor — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:47:50 +0000

Tornadoes wreaked havoc in the middle parts of the US on Friday, killing 39 people in five states. Storms of this force and magnitude can strike in an instant, and typically the only thing you can do if you find yourself in the deadly storm's crosshairs is hope you are able to get to a storm cellar.

However, one woman in the West Liberty, Kentucky area decided to take on a tornado head on with prayer. Judging from the video, some people think her technique may have worked.

Photographer Captures Stunning Shots of Star Trails

Jeremy Taylor — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:58:06 +0000

To capture these stunning long-exposure images of star trails in the Australian night sky, photographer Lincoln Harrison had to endure a grueling 15-hour shoot in freezing conditions. (Yup, it really does get cold at some point in Australia.) But we'd say the end result was well worth the effort.

Massive Tornado Caught on Film in West Liberty, Kentucky

Mithun Divakaran — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:30:34 +0000

Nature’s force is at times awe-inspiring, but often downright scary. A woman in West Liberty, Kentucky experienced this first hand when she captured footage of a huge tornado heading towards her direction. As amazing as the footage may look, the tornado has sadly devastated the small town of West Liberty. The town has seen widespread [...]

NASA Releases Amazing Hi-Res Photo of Earth [PHOTO]

Donald Deane — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:08:14 +0000

Photos of the Earth taken from space are nothing new, but you’ve never seen the planet like this before, guaranteed. Dubbed “Blue Marble,” this NASA photo is a staggering 64-megapixels with an 8000 x 8000 resolution. Check out the original hi-res image in all its glory here. If you look closely, maybe you’ll spot your [...]

7 Beautiful but Deadly Plants for National Houseplant Appreciation Day [PHOTOS]

Kathy Landin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:54:17 +0000

You’ve probably let it sneak up on you again. You’ve been so busy getting back to work and shaking off those winter blues that you almost forgot January 10th is Houseplant Appreciation Day. This is not a day that should go unnoticed.

The green thumbs at The Gardener’s Network established Houseplant Appreciation Day to remind people about their indoor botantical buddies after the rush of the holiday season has passed and to celebrate the benefits of houseplants and encourage green thumbs.

And, they’re right. Houseplants deserve a lot of appreciation. If you think about it, they don’t ask for much and they’re very easy to live with. However, this is not true of all plants. Some of them can kill you, like the plant Gelsemium elegans, which a man in China put in a stew to kill a business rival.

Will the Christmas Staple Frankincense Soon Be Gone? [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:10:17 +0000

Frankincense, the aromatic resin that is used in numerous religious and traditional ceremonies, as well is in medicines and perfumes, may be going extinct. According to a paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology, 7% of the Ethiopian trees that produce most of the world’s supply of Frankincense are dying every year, and new trees aren’t springing up in their place — [...]

Mother Nature's Top 10 Freakout Moments of 2011

Kathy Landin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:45:56 +0000

Every year, Mother Nature likes to remind us who’s the boss and 2011 was no different. In fact, it was the second most expensive year on record for insurers, costing $108 billion. Here’s a look back at the 10 most memorable natural disasters of 2011 in chronological order.

Foo Fighters Concert Creates Geological Tremors With Sheer Force of Rock

Dylan Schenker — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:33:17 +0000

We've all been to concerts where the band rocked so hard it was as if the ground shook below us. However, how many bands have actually rocked our world, that have, well, actually rocked our world?

This past week in New Zealand the Foo Fighters rocked so hard they actually registered on a seismic scale. Geological tremors were read by stations near the stadium and the "strong low frequency" readings were equivalent to volcanic activity.

Watch a Glorious Video of Our Planet at Its Most Stunning

Jeremy Taylor — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:19:32 +0000

For the past two years, videographer Tom Lowe has been shooting footage of the American Southwest for his upcoming ultra-HD time lapse feature film 'TimeScapes.'

The new trailer has just been released online, and the footage Lowe has captured of both our planet's natural and man-made beauty will make you proud to call Earth home.

Experience 60 One-Second Bursts of Beauty in Glorious Short Film [VIDEO]

Jeremy Taylor — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:46:12 +0000

To promote the 190th anniversary of the chronograph watch, German luxury good’s maker Montblanc asked filmmakers to submit one second videos of what they found beautiful. This video features 60 of those moments (for the sixty seconds in a minute.) Watch gorgeous little moments captured for a brief moment below. [via The Daily What]

What Are the New Seven Wonders of Nature? [PHOTOS]

Kathy Landin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:04:05 +0000

Votes have been cast, the results are in and the world has chosen seven new wonders of nature with some old favorites missing from the list.

On Friday, November 11, the New7Wonders organization announced the world’s choices for the new Seven Wonders of Nature to help commemorate the 11/11/11 date, and celebrate the natural beauty of the Earth.

Take a Train Through The Breathtaking Ukraine 'Green Mile' [PHOTOS]

Dylan Schenker — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:34:21 +0000

What if train tunnels were made of trees and branches instead of concrete or brick? The Green Mile in the Ukraine is at least one place in the world that makes this a reality. This beautiful ‘tunnel’ runs through a forest and looks as if it is straight out of a fairy tale book. One [...]

Check Out Incredible Photos of Volcano Erupting Near Canary Islands

Donald Deane — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:16:37 +0000

In these amazing photos, ash from an erupting underwater volcano spreads throughout the sea near the southern tip of El Hierro island. It probably goes without saying, but a vacation here wouldn’t be a good idea at the moment. The cloud looks beautiful as it colors the water, but the danger here is very real [...]

National Geographic Explains How We Got to Seven Billion People [VIDEO]

Shauna Wright — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:40:51 +0000

Recently, the world welcomed its seven-billionth person. But what does it all mean?

In a stylish video titled 'World Population: A National Geographic Tour,' the nature magazine stalwart puts things in perspective with tidbits about how many people are born and how many die every second of every day, the average human lifespan, and the growing popularity of "mega-cities."

Vivid Time-Lapse Footage Shows Condit Dam Bursting in Real Time [VIDEO]

Chip Sandalwood — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:19:11 +0000

This stunning time-lapse video documents the removal of the 125 foot tall Condit Dam in Washington State.

Controversy over the destruction of salmon and steelhead habitats had embroiled the dam for decades and its removal is one the three largest in American history. 100 years after its construction on the Columbia River, the 125 foot tall dam was officially demolished.

Watch Stunning High-Speed Footage of the Earth's Rotation [VIDEO]

Donald Deane — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:20:00 +0000

NASA just released amazing high-speed video of the Earth rotating as seen from the international space station, giving us breathtaking views as the world zooms by. In some cases, city lights and lightning in the clouds can clearly be seen. Wait, is that our house? But be advised: the Earth appears to spin so fast [...]

NPR Explains How Human Population Has Reached 7 Billion [VIDEO]

Alex Staub — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:22:47 +0000

You may have heard yesterday that the world's seven billionth living person was born, which is pretty amazing considering that just 200 years ago the world population was an estimated one billion and only 1000 years ago just 300 million. How did we multiply so quickly in such a short amount of time? Thankfully, the folks at NPR have the answer.

Real Life Three-Eyed Fish from 'The Simpsons' Caught Next To Nuclear Power Plant [PHOTOS]

Jeremy Taylor — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:30:49 +0000

A couple weeks ago, when discussing a story about a one-eyed albino shark pup, we said we'd really be impressed it there was any real life evidence of Blinky, the three-eyed radioactive fish featured in 'The Simpsons.'

And wouldn't you know a group of fisherman in Argentina have just pulled this three-eyed beaut of a wolf fish out from a lake next to a nuclear power plant.