Jacob Conflitti

Rosetta Satellite to Land on Comet in November 2014

The Rosetta Satellite has opened the doors to comet research. On August 6th the satellite was able to drop into the comets orbit after being launched more than ten years ago. The accomplishments don’t stop there though as in a few months the satellite will launch a lander onto the comet.

Broken Water Main Leads to Flooding on the Sunset Boulevard

A water main burst on July 29th has released massive amount of water all over the Sunset Boulevard in California. Thanks to the busted water main a hole 10ft wide was made in the middle of the street. Along with the initial damage from the pipe breaking there was plenty of flooding as millions of gallons of water flew out of the pipe.

Strong Winds Reveal Undiscovered Nazca Lines in Peru

The Nazca Lines are a famous group of geoglyphs drawn into Peru's Nazca Desert. The drawings range from stylized animals like birds and monkeys, to simple lines and other shapes. Thanks to a recent bout of powerful winds a new series of designs have been discovered.

Fear of Spreading Ebola Virus Puts Doctors on Standby and Shuts Down Flights

The Ebola Virus is an extremely deadly disease that has plagued Africa for more than thirty years. Currently Western Africa is experiencing its worst outbreak yet with a reported 672 deaths so far. Beyond it's more than half fatality rate many people are fearing that it will be capable of spreading to countries like the US or England.

Demonstrations Devolve into Violence Over Attacks on Gaza

The fighting in the Gaza strip has been stirring emotions all over the world. Images and videos of hurt or murdered innocents, the unending missile strikes, and the refusal by either side to back down has created an international incident. The people around the world are no longer willing to take the fighting happen and have begun rioting against it, but they have begun to go too far themselves.

Man Made Synthetic Leaf Increases Odds for Space Exploration

Creating artificial leaves may not seem like a major step forward to the average person, but these light weight material that is capable of creating oxygen through light and carbon dioxide absorption. Just like real leaves these ones are capable of producing oxygen through photosynthesis, but unlike real leavse these synthetic ones can operate efficiently in zero-g environment. Thanks to that the ability to explore the universe is one step closer to being possible.

Cities to Visit for the Cultural Tourist

Cultural tourism is defined as "the movement of persons to cultural attractions away from their normal place of residence, with the intention to gather new information and experiences." Similar to regular tourism except in this way the tourists can learn more about the cultures and people of the places they are visiting. From Rajasthan, India to Portland, Oregon there are hundreds of great locations to visit.

City Travel Guides for the Novice Traveler

Most people love traveling the world. Visiting major cities, checking out traditional cultures, and getting to meet people with vastly different upbringing and opinions. What isn't fun is going to some of these places and being accosted by the locals because of a social faux pas you had never heard of. Here are some great travel books to help those uncomfortable situations.

India Plans Largest Floating Solar Panel Project Yet

The use of renewable energy has been on the rise the past couple of years, and not only are companies beginning to make the switch but countries as well. Currently India has taken an interesting step to provide clean energy while also efficiently using the space available to them.

The Basics of the MH17 Disaster and What It Could Mean

The destruction of MH17 is a tragedy that no one could have expected. Flying from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia took the plane directly over warring Ukraine. Soon after entering Western Ukraine radio contact was lost, after that it was discovered shot down near the Russian border in Eastern Ukraine. The crash has forced a bigger issue out into the open, and that is the fighting in Ukraine.

Tony Abbott's Repeal of Carbon Tax First Ever Step Back in Climate Policy

On July 17th the Australian government made the decision to repeal the carbon tax, which was meant to levy the amount of carbon produced. This marks the first time in history that a country has taken a step back in preserving the environment.

Largest Microraptor Fossil Discovered in China

Paleontologists on Tuesday added another dinosaur to the microraptorine species, a species that is related to early avian. Measuring 132cm from tip to tail this dinosaur, named a Changyuraptor yangi, is the largest one of its kind to date. To compare to living birds it is larger than eagles or albatrosses.

Germany Takes The World Cup and Celebrates Like Champions

In the past month team after team has battle with one another to be named the best in world. With every passing the day teams were knocked out and eliminated until the final two stood toe to toe. Germany against Argentina for the world, and when Germany came out on top people celebrated all over.

Massive Typhoon Threatens Southern Japan with Record Level Winds and Rain

People may think that hurricane season hits the coasts pretty hard, but it hits nowhere harder than island nations all over. Currently Japan is facing a typhoon that has been labeled a "once in a decade" storm that is causing officials to sound the highest level of alarms.

World's Largest Water Slide Stands Taller Than Niagara Falls

For everyone that has ever wanted to ride a barrel off of Niagara Falls, their opportunity has come. While you aren't in a barrel and it isn't Niagara Falls, it's the next best thing. The Schlitterbahn Kansas City Water Park has opened up a new ride that is an inch taller than the famous waterfall, so all the height with none of the law breaking.