Space Pictures This Week: Frosty Mars, Mini Nile, More

Photograph by Mike Theiss, National Geographic

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, illuminates the Arctic sky in a recent picture by National Geographic photographer Mike Theiss.

A storm chaser by trade, Theiss is in the Arctic Circle on an expedition to photograph auroras, which result from collisions between charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere and gaseous particles in Earth's atmosphere.

After one particularly amazing show, he wrote on YouTube, "The lights were dancing, rolling, and twisting, and at times looked like they were close enough to touch!" (Watch his time-lapse video of the northern lights.)

Published December 14, 2012

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Conn. Shooter Adam Lanza: Quiet, Bright, Troubled













Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old who killed 20 kids and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school Friday, was very bright, say neighbors and former classmates, but he was also socially awkward and deeply troubled.


"[Adam] was not connected with the other kids," said family friend Barbara Frey. A relative told ABC News that Adam was "obviously not well."


READ full ABC News coverage of the Connecticut shootings.


On Friday morning, Lanza shot his mother Nancy in the face at the home they shared in Newtown, and then drove her car to Sandy Hook Elementary School. Dressed in black combat gear, he broke a window at the school, which had recently had a new security system installed, and within minutes had shot and killed six adults and 20 schoolchildren between the ages of five and 10.


The shooting stopped when Lanza put a bullet in his own head. Multiple weapons were found at the scene, including two semiautomatic handguns registered to his mother. A Bushmaster rifle registered to Nancy was discovered outside in the car.


Long before Lanza's spree, however, residents of Newtown had noticed that tall, pale boy was different, and believed he had some kind of unspecified personality disorder.


"Adam Lanza has been a weird kid since we were five years old," wrote aneighbor and former classmate Timothy Dalton on Twitter. "As horrible as this was, I can't say I am surprised."


In school, Lanza carried a black briefcase and spoke little. Every day, he wore a sort of uniform: khakis and a shirt buttoned up to the neck, with pens lined up in his shirt pocket.










Newtown School Massacre: 20 Children, 7 Adults Dead Watch Video









Newtown Teacher Kept 1st Graders Calm During Massacre Watch Video





A former classmate in his 10th grade honors English class, Olivia DeVivo, says he "was always very nervous and socially awkward."


She told ABC News that "he didn't really want to be spoken to" and that when teachers would call on him "it appeared physically difficult for him to speak."


Lanza avoided public attention and had few, if any, friends. He liked to sit near the door of the classroom to make a quick exit.


He even managed to avoid having his picture in his high school yearbook. Instead of his portrait, the space reserved for Adam Lanza says "Camera Shy." And unlike most in his age group, he seems to have left little imprint on the internet – no Facebook page, no Twitter account.


Lanza's parents Peter and Nancy Lanza married in New Hampshire in 1981, and had two sons, Adam and his older brother Ryan, who is now 24 and lives in New Jersey.


The Lanzas divorced in 2009 after 28 years of marriage due to "irreconcilable differences." When they first filed for divorce in 2008, a judge ordered that they participate in a "parenting education program."


Adam was 17 at the time of the divorce. He continued to live in Newtown with his mother. His father now lives in his Stamford, Connecticut with his second wife.


Peter Lanza, who drove to northern New Jersey to talk to police and the FBI, is a vice president at GE Capital and had been a partner at global accounting giant Ernst & Young.


Adam's older brother Ryan Lanza, 24, has worked at Ernst & Young for four years, apparently following in his father's footsteps and carving out a solid niche in the tax practice. He too was interviewed by the FBI. Neither he nor his father is under any suspicion.


"[Ryan] is a tax guy and he is clean as a whistle," a source familiar with his work said.


Police had initially identified Ryan as the killer. Ryan sent out a series of Facebook posts saying it wasn't him and that he was at work all day. Video records as well as card swipes at Ernst & Young verified his statement that he had been at the office.


Two federal sources told ABC News that identification belonging to Ryan Lanza was found at the scene of the mass shooting. They say that identification may have led to the confusion by authorities during the first hours after the shooting.


Click Here for the Blotter Homepage.



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Today on New Scientist: 14 December 2012







Global cuteness increased by discovery of new loris

Three new species of Bornean slow loris have been discovered, quadrupling the world's cuteness index



Time-travelling 3D tour shows birth of Eiffel Tower

Watch an ultra-realistic 3D reconstruction that lets you experience Paris through the ages



Warning, speedsters: you can't fool quantum radar

A technique borrowed from quantum cryptography could make it impossible to spoof military and police radar systems



Leaked IPCC report reaffirms dangerous climate change

Despite claims to the contrary, a leaked draft of next year's IPCC report on climate does not let us off the hook by blaming warming on the sun



Satellite upgrade should let planes slash emissions

Air traffic controllers will know exactly where planes are and could direct them to fly closer together along the best flight paths



Looks like we've got allergies all wrong

From pollen to peanuts, we humans are an allergic lot. So could it be that allergies serve an evolutionary purpose, ask Noah Palm and Ruslan Medzhitov



Mysterious star deaths are really mergers in disguise

A star that appeared to explode this year might actually have merged with another massive star - shedding light on the chemical make-up of the universe



Feedback: Healthscare insurance

The palaeontological love of poo, healthscare insurance, a fat-free cream conundrum, and more



AI designer learns to build games from scratch

An artificially intelligent video game designer, Angelina, has built a new festive game by adopting bits of existing games and tweaking its own early attempts



The end of race history? Not yet

Two books illuminate how ideas of a post-racial world conflict with ongoing use of race in science, says Osagie K. Obasogie



Touchpad steering wheel keeps eyes on the road

A head-up screen and a touchpad allow drivers to flick controls without having to look down at the dashboard or satnav



Permian mass extinction triggered by humble microbe

Was it a volcano? Was it a meterorite? No, a humble microbe wiped out 90 per cent of Earth's species 251 million years ago




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I'll answer crime questions in neutral country: McAfee






MIAMI: Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee said in a TV interview Friday that he was willing to answer questions about the murder of his neighbor in Belize in a neutral country.

McAfee, who insists he is innocent, also admitted that he was worth "less than" US$5 million -- a day after saying he was broke -- though it was unclear how he would access that money.

"I've said in any neutral country I will meet and answer any questions you want," McAfee told the CNBC business TV network.

"I'm certainly not going to turn myself into the authorities who have been trying to lay their hands on me for months now. I will not go back to Belize," he said.

Authorities in Belize want to question McAfee about the death of Gregory Faull, a 52-year-old Florida expatriate who was found by his housekeeper with a 9-mm bullet in his head, lying in a pool of his own blood.

McAfee fled Belize to Guatemala with his 20 year-old girlfriend, but was then deported to the United States. He says he went on the run because he feared for his life, claiming corruption among Belizean police and politicians.

Belize has an extradition treaty with the United States, so if murder charges are filed he could be sent back to the Central American nation.

McAfee, who is staying in a popular Miami Beach hotel, has become a local attraction. A cloud of reporters and TV news crews follow his every step.

"If I am charged, of course, I'll go through the process, but they are not going to charge me. Let me be clear: I had nothing to do with the murder of Gregory Faull," McAfee said.

McAfee was evasive when CNBC asked him about his fortune, which was once estimated at more than US$100 million.

"My accountant may know what I'm worth. I have not asked him recently ... I'm 67 years old. I eat well and have enough money for food. And clothes. I really don't have a clue, sir," McAfee said.

When further pressed, McAfee said he was worth "less than US$5 million, certainly."

And where is that money?

"I believe it's in the pockets of the politicians in Belize now. I think they're in the process of doing an acquisition of my resources," he said.

On Thursday, McAfee told ABC television in Miami that he has "nothing now" beyond some clothes, shoes, and cash a friend dropped off for him.

McAfee, who says a book and a movie is in the works as he sells his life story, earlier told AFP his immediate focus was getting his girlfriend Sam and another friend, Amy, into the United States.

- AFP/jc



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Google Maps rides to iOS users' rescue (week in review)





Apple's Aussie adventure led to this disclaimer.



(Credit:
Victoria Police)



Google Maps returned to the iOS platform this week, but that was not enough to rescue Apple's map app rep.


Banished from Apple's iOS earlier this fall, Google Maps returned to the mobile platform in the form of a standalone app. The official Google Maps app returned to Apple's App store Thursday evening with turn-by-turn navigation, as well as public transit directions, integrated Street View, and a 3D-like Google Earth view. Google Maps didn't take long to capture the top spot among free iPhone apps.


The release came a few days after Apple again became the subject of ridicule when police in Australia issued a warning discouraging iPhone users from relying on Apple's map app after rescuing several people who became stranded in recent weeks in the wilderness following the app's directions.


However, the bad directions may not entirely be the iPhone makers fault; apparently there are two listings for the same problematic location in the Australian Gazetteer, the de facto local geographical dictionary that lists some 322,000 locations and their corresponding GPS coordinates.

•  Police: Google Maps giving dangerous directions, too

•  Samsung knocks Apple Maps in Sydney marketing stunt

•  Apple could make bid for map firm TomTom, analyst says


More headlines

Google tweaks image search to make porn harder to find


The company says the move is designed to ensure adult content is shown only to those who explicitly request it.

•  Google: No immediate plans for Google Apps on Windows 8

Instagram photos disappear from Twitter feeds


Picture this: The photo-sharing app completely turns off all support for the microblogging site.

•  Twitter takes on Instagram with new photo filters

•  Instagram improves camera, editing, and adds new filter

•  Analyst: Instagram will be big moneymaker for Facebook

BlackBerry 10 revives RIM's chances at federal agency


The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency had said it would dump BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone. But now it will run a pilot program for new BB10 devices.

•  BlackBerry 10 goes 'gold' for developers

•  BlackBerry 10 to feature deep integration of Evernote

Crazy like a fox? McAfee admits to playing the 'crazy card'


The security software founder, who has arrived back in the U.S. after fleeing Belize for Guatemala, tells ABC News he faked health problems to avoid being deported to Belize.
•  Antivirus guru John McAfee sells rights for movie about his life

U.N. summit implodes as U.S., others spurn Internet treaty


The summit on telecommunications policy breaks down after U.S., Canada, and other democracies refuse to sign a treaty that would hand a U.N. agency more authority over how the Internet is managed.

•  U.N. summit derailed over human rights controversy

•  Russia abandons proposal for U.N. governance of Internet

•  U.N. proposal renews concerns of Internet power grab

Facebook privacy settings get reworked once again


The social network overhauls its settings, not for the first time, in an attempt to make things easier for people to understand, and phases out the option to block people from searching for your profile.

•  Facebook: No more voting, but we're still listening

•  Facebook voting is gone, but privacy issues just get worse

•  The Facebook vote and a nation-state in cyberspace

FTC re-slams apps for kids over privacy concerns


In a follow up to a 2011 study, the Federal Trade Commission found that "little or no progress has been made" on disclosure of information gathering since the first report was issued.

•  Developer temporarily pulls kids app accused of privacy violations


Also of note

•  Facebook helps FBI take down $850M botnet crime ring

•  FCC wants texting apps like iMessage in text-to-911 plan

•  Former top Apple fanboy now rocks all Android devices

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Pictures: Unspoiled Rivers

Photograph by David Doubilet, National Geographic

A bushman paddles a canoe along the Okavango River, southern Africa's fourth longest waterway. The Okavango starts in Angola and 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) later drains into Botswana's Moremi Wildlife Reserve, where it creates an unusual landlocked, delta-like oasis in the Kalahari Desert.

This oasis, protected by the reserve, is a near-pristine maze of papyrus reeds, channels, and islands that serve as a watering hole for a host of species, including zebras, wildebeests, lions, cheetahs, cranes, and wild dogs.

Flooded annually by seasonal rains, the swampy Okavango Delta can expand to a size of 6,500 square miles (16,800 square kilometers)—an area larger than the state of Connecticut.

The river itself winds through dense forest, dry savanna, and dunes as it makes its way south. While it provides much-needed water to an arid landscape, the river remains mostly untouched by large boats, and its banks remain mostly unsettled. (Watch National Geographic video about Africa's Okavango River Delta.)

But that doesn't mean it is safe. Some argue that the water that sustains the river's vast wetland would be put to better use by local agricultural operations, diamond mines, or in major cities, such as Pretoria in South Africa.

—Tasha Eichenseher

Published November 30, 2012

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More Than 20, Mostly Kids, Killed at Grade School













More than two dozen people, mostly elementary school children, were shot and killed at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school this morning, federal and state sources tell ABC News.


The massacre involved two gunmen at a Connecticut school this morning, prompting the town of Newtown to lock down all of its schools and draw SWAT teams to the school, authorities said today.


State Police confirm that one shooter is dead. A second gunman is apparently at large. Car-to-car searches are underway.


It's unclear how many people have been shot, but 25 people, mostly children are dead, multiple federal and state sources tell ABC News. That number could rise, officials said.


It is the worst shooting in a U.S. elementary school in recent memory.


The shooting comes just three days after masked gunman Jacob Roberts opened fire in a busy Portland, Ore., mall killing two before turning the gun on himself.


Today's shooting occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, about 12 miles east of Danbury.


Watch State Police News Conference Live at 1 p.m. at ABCNews.com


State Police received the first 911 call at 9:41a.m. and immediately began sending emergency units from the western part of the state. Initial 911 calls stated that multiple students were trapped in a classroom, possibly with a gunman, according to a Connecticut State Police source.






Shannon Hicks/The Newtown Bee











Connecticut School Shooting: 3 Victims Hospitalized Watch Video









Connecticut School Shooting: 1 Gunman Confirmed Dead Watch Video







A photo from the scene shows a line of distressed children being led out of the school.


LIVE UPDATES: Newtown, Conn., School Shooting


While some students have been reunited with their parents on the school's perimeter, one group of students remains unaccounted for, according to a source with a child in the school.


The school is kindergarten through fourth grade.


CLICK HERE for more photos from the scene.


Three patients have been taken to Danbury Hospital, which is also on lockdown, according to the hospital's Facebook page.


"Out of abundance of caution and not because of any direct threat Danbury Hospital is under lockdown," the statement said. "This allows us simply to focus on the important work at hand."


Newtown Public School District secretary of superintendent Kathy June said in a statement that the district's school were locked down because of the report of a shooting. "The district is taking preventive measures by putting all schools in lockdown until we ensure the safety of all students and staff."


State police sent SWAT team units to Newtown.


All public and private schools in the town are on lockdown.


"We have increased our police presence at all Danbury Public Schools due to the events in Newtown. Pray for the victims," Newtown Mayor Boughton tweeted.


State emergency management officials said ambulances and other units were also en route and staging near the school.


A message on the school district website says that all afternoon kindergarten is cancelled today and there will be no mid-day bus runs.



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Violent beauty at the end of an Alaskan glacier



Flora Graham, deputy editor, newscientist.com


CATERS_Crashing_Glacier_Scares_Birds_02.jpg

(Image: Jon Cornforth/Caters)


You can almost hear the crash of ice on water in this image of an ice sheet shearing off the Chenega glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska. But when photographer Jon Cornforth pressed the shutter, it was eerily silent.


"I saw the birds erupt in flight before I even saw the ice falling," says Cornforth. "I heard the actual sound a moment later."





The process whereby huge chunks of ice break away from a glacier into the sea is called calving, and as these birds could tell us, it's an impressive event. Huge waves created by falling ice can endanger nearby ships, and the calves themselves may become roaming icebergs.


In the Antarctic, massive icebergs can do far more than frighten the birds. In 2010, a 860-billion-tonne berg threatened marine life and global ocean currents. Five years earlier, the biggest berg ever seen wallowed in the southern seas, cutting off supplies to penguins and Antarctic research bases.


When calving gets out of hand, it can drain glaciers and release water locked up in ice sheets. A time-lapse video of a glacier in Greenland revealed this process in action.


For more cold, hard facts, read our feature on the end of the last great ice age.




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Golf: US 2014 Ryder Cup captain Watson wants Tiger on team






NEW YORK: Eight-time major golf champion Tom Watson, named on Thursday to be captain of the 2014 US Ryder Cup squad by the PGA of America, said that he sees Tiger Woods being on that team.

Citing the 14-time major champion's hunger for victory, Watson said a healthy Woods would be a certainty on the 12-man US lineup by virtue of a captain's selection even if he is unable to qualify on points.

"I want him on my team," Watson said. "Tiger is maybe the best player in history. If he's not on the team, he's going to be number one in my picks."

Watson, who at 63 is the oldest captain in US Ryder Cup history, had been critical of Woods in the aftermath of his infamous sex scandal.

But Watson said he admires Woods for his determination to win and Woods was among the first to applaud Watson's appointment.

"I would like to congratulate Tom Watson on his selection as Ryder Cup captain," Woods said in a statement. "I think he's a really good choice. Tom knows what it takes to win and that's our ultimate goal.

"I hope I have the privilege of joining him on the 2014 United States team."

Watson, a five-time British Open champion, was selected in hopes of ending an American slump in the biennial golf showdown. Europeans have won five of the past six Ryder Cup matches, including at Medinah near Chicago last September.

"It's going to be a great journey. I hope that we will change the tide," Watson said.

The prior US Ryder Cup captain age mark belonged to Sam Snead, who was 57 when he guided the Americans in 1969.

Watson called the tension of the Ryder Cup as huge as any golf event.

"The pressure is incredibly strong," he said. "The pressure of playing in the Ryder Cup is greater or as great as in any event. My job is to help them deal with that pressure.

"I've lived for that pressure and lived underneath that pressure all my career."

Watson will be 65 when the next Ryder Cup is contested in 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland. Having won his first major title in Scotland at Carnoustie in 1975 and taken four major crowns on Scottish soil, Watson said he knew he wouldn't have the crowd in 2014.

"They are going to be cheering against me," he said.

Watson first served as the US captain in 1993, the last time a US squad won a Ryder Cup on European soil.

"I really wanted the challenge to do it again," Watson said. "I was waiting for about 20 years to get the call.

"I loved it the first time. It's just a great honor to be able to do it again.

"This time we need 14 1/2 points."

Watson becomes the first repeat US Ryder Cup captain since 1987, when Jack Nicklaus guided the Americans at his Muirfield Village home course but the Americans suffered their first defeat on US soil.

Brandt Snedeker, like Woods a member of this year's losing squad, backed Watson as well.

"Obviously they were looking outside the box, given our recent failures," Snedeker said in a posting on the tour website.

"They wanted to get a guy who has had success and commands respect. I think that's why they went this way: to get the US to rally around him as a way to rejuvenate the American side.

"Tom is one of the best competitors of all time. He's going to bring that fire and unwillingness to lose and mental strength that has defined his career."

Saying he hoped to bring the "Watson luck" to the US side, Watson said his role was inspirational and informational more than motivational.

"They don't need to be motivated. My job is to maybe inspire a little bit," Watson said. "The most important thing is to be there to help them out."

Among the lessons Watson cited was arriving early to allow bodies time to adjust to time changes before tinkering with stroke mechanics.

PGA of America president Ted Bishop said there was no problem selecting Watson despite him not having played full-time on the PGA circuit in 14 years.

"We're just tired of losing Ryder Cups," Bishop said, explaining that Watson's appointment was in large part due to that "weariness".

Watson, who won 39 PGA titles - the last at the 1998 Colonial, had no worries about age differences, citing contact with several top players and his playing in a few events alongside many of today's stars, including the Masters and British Open.

"I deflect that very simply by saying we play the same game," Watson said.

-AFP/ac



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Nook HD tablets now available at Walmart



Consumers looking for a Nook
tablet can now pick one up at Walmart.


The retail outlet is selling the Barnes & Noble tablets at their usual prices. So the Nook HD tablet will run you $199 for the 8GB version and $229 for the 16GB model. The Nook HD+ will cost you $269 for the 16GB edition and $299 for the 32GB model.


All four versions and their related accessories are available through Walmart's online store as well as its brick-and-mortal outlets.


"Our two new tablets offer the best quality reading and entertainment experiences, at the best price, and we're excited to bring Nook HD and Nook HD+ to Walmart customers in-store and online," Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at Nook Media, said in a statement.


The Nook HD offers a 7-inch display and a high-resolution screen. The Nook HD+ ups the ante with a 9-inch screen and a 1,920x1,280-pixel resolution.


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