A Vegetable Garden On The Moon? NASA Certainly Hopes So

If astronauts have any plans of staying on the moon for extended periods of time, they will have to be self-sustaining. One of the most important steps toward achieving that will be growing their own food. That is the reason NASA scientists recently announced plans to test, growing a vegetable garden on the lunar surface.

This of course will not be a conventional garden with astronauts physically planting seeds on the rocky surface and hoping for the best. Instead, the scientists will place the seeds on a nutrient-infused filter and encase them inside a Lunar Plant Growth Chamber that will shield them against solar radiation. Once the garden lands on the moon, sufficient water will be added to ensure the seeds can thrive. There will also be enough air trapped in to allow for 5-10 days of growth. This will give scientists sufficient time to observe germination, which is the main focus of this inaugural live sciences experiment being conducted in another world.

So what treats are in store for the astronauts if the experiment works? Turnips, basil and Arabidopsis, a little white flowering plant that is similar to cress! Robert Bowman, a senior scientist with Lockheed Martin who is working with the NASA Ames Research Center on this project, says these were selected because they are important crop plants. Additionally, basil has been grown successfully many times on the International Space Station. This gives researchers hope that it might thrive on the moon as well.

NASA hopes to send the secured 1kg (2.2lbs) habitat to the moon in 2015 aboard the 'Moon Express', one of the entrants of the Google Lunar Lander XCHALLENGE. Announced in 2007, the competition that has challenged private companies to develop and land a robotic spacecraft safely on the moon prior to December 31st, 2015, comes with a promise of $30 million USD - The largest incentive based prize ever!

Iron Shoes - The New Trend In Fitness Wear?

While most of the world is out seeking the lightest athletic shoe available, one Chinese man is heading the other way. Zhang Fuxing believes that the heavier the shoe, the better it is for the body. To prove it, he exercises in iron shoes that each weigh an astounding 200kg (440 lbs)!

The 52-year-old resident of Tangshan in Northern China's Hebei Province, says he began wearing the iron shoes about seven years ago, after seeing themrecommended on television as an effective way to maintain strong bones and a healthy heart. Suffering from a bad back, he decided to give it a try and began with relatively lightweight shoes - Ones that weighed a mere 70 kg (154 lbs) each! As he became stronger, he added more iron and now sports shoes that are 40-cm high and weigh about seven times his body weight. And he is not done yet - The iron'shoe' man plans to add an additional 50kg (110lbs), by next Spring.

During his daily 20-minute exercise 'waddle' Zhang manages to cover several meters. Though that may not sound like much, it is quite remarkable given that most people cannot even lift the shoes, let alone walk in them. The Chinese man is soconvinced of the healing powers of the iron shoes that he has started manufacturing them at a small factory near his house.

The shoes that strap on to the owner's existing footwear and weigh from 10kg (22lbs) all the way up to 60kg (132lbs) each, retail for between $90 USD to $238 USD. Zhang asserts that he has sold over 100 pairs - ten to neighbors who gather to watch him exercise every day and the rest, to people online! The one thing he doesn't divulge however, is how he makes the deliveries!

Resources: scmp.com, odditycentral.com

Christmas Comes Early For Some Lucky WestJet Passengers

While most of us are still keeping our fingers crossed that Santa will deliver at least a few items from our extensive wish lists, the lucky passengers of two recent WestJet flights have already had one of their requests fulfilled.

To celebrate the holiday season, earlier this month, the Canadian airline set up a special screen near the entrance of the boarding area at the Hamilton and Torontoairports. They then selected two flights, both heading to Calgary, and asked passengers to scan their boarding passes if they wished to talk to a virtual Santa.

While some ignored it thinking it was a just a ploy to keep them entertained, others did exactly that and asked the 'Ho Ho Hoing' Santa for all kinds of things ranging from a Choo-Choo train to socks and underwear to even a large screen television. The 250 passengers then settled into their respective airplanes and promptly forgot about the whole incident.

You can only imagine their surprise when they landed in Calgary five hours later, and found exactly what they had asked for, coming down a special baggagecarousel. Turns out that while the passengers were flying to their destination, the staff at the discount airline's Calgary office had been frantically shopping, to get their wishes fulfilled! The only unfortunate part? Those that had not checked in any luggage lost out on their requests because they never made it to the area. But they can take heart in the fact that the unclaimed gifts were donated to charity.

The best part is that the company had placed 19 cameras at strategic locations so that the passenger reactions could be filmed and seen by the entire world. And just to show they appreciated the heart-warming response they have received from the millions of fans worldwide, WestJet even donated a flight to a family in need when the YouTube video garnered 200,000 views.

This is not the first time WestJet has shared some holiday cheer with its customers. In 2012, they organized a flash mob of 150 volunteers who performed a jolly dance for some weary passengers waiting to board a red-eye flight and then had Santa hand out stockings that were stuffed with the latest iPods!

Resources: Huffingtonpost.com, LAtimes.com

Oh No! It's Friday The 13th . . . Again!

Today is Friday the 13th, the second and last one that we will have to encounter in 2013! While to most of us it signifies the start of another carefree weekend, there are some people that consider today to be extremely unlucky. As you probably know, the number 13 has a bad reputation to begin with. This is the reason many office and residential towers often skip the 13th floor altogether. However, when that date falls on a Friday, the fear factor seems to escalate to a whole new level.

So how bad is it? About 20 million Americans and probably scores more worldwide, are believed to suffer from an irrational fear of this day. Known asfriggatriskaidekaphobiacs (derived from the words frigg, the Norse goddess whom Friday is named after and triskaidekaphobia, the irrational fear of the number 13),their symptoms range from mild anxiety to nagging fears that something bad is about to happen, to full-blown panic attacks.

Many that suffer from this phobiahappen to be employed in professions like construction or ship building, which are fraughtwith injury risk. That may explain the reason they get nervous and fear that their chances of getting hurt are exacerbated when the 13th happens to fall on a Friday.

While nobody is sure why the combination of this date and day evokes such dread, there a few theories. Some believe that it begins with the irrational fear of the number 13 suffered by Triskaidekaphobiacs, regardless of what day it falls on. Again, the reason behind that totally confounds researchers. According to Thomas Fernsler, an associate policy scientist at the University of Delaware, it could be because people perceive 12 to be a complete number - there are 12 months in a year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus . . . so on and so forth. Hence, the number right after that seems incomplete and therefore, deemed unlucky.

Folklore historian Donald Dorsey, traces the fear all the way back to ancient times, when the Vikings inhabitedScandinavia. 12 gods were having a dinner party at Valhalla, the Viking'smythological heaven. Suddenly, an uninvited '13th'guest, the mischievous god Loki walked in and instigatedHoder, the blind god of darkness to shoot Balder, the god of joy and gladness.

As for Friday? That happens to be rooted in ancientmythology and religion - Per the bible, Jesus was crucifiedon a Friday. Though the date is not believed to be the 13th, it was following the Last Supper, which happened to be attended by 13 men that included Judas Iscariot, the apostle that betrayed Jesus. Other biblical scholars maintain that this was the day when Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit - Again, the date is a little hazy. The one bad event that is believed to have happened on Friday the 13th, was the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain (The sons of Adam and Eve).

Experts estimate that businesses lose between $800-$900mm USD on this day because people avoid traveling, going to work and even, shopping!

Unfortunately since there is nological reason behind this fear, not much can be done toalleviate it. However,  Dr. Donald  Dossey at Asheville,North Carolina's Stress Management Center/Phobia institute believes she may have found a solution.

She recommends people living with this fear to learn how to pronounce the wordparaskevidekatriaphobia, the other term for the ailment. In her expert opinion, they will be cured the minute they are able to say it out loud, correctly. So go ahead, give it a try and let us know if it works!

Two Lucky Turkeys Trot Away From Cranberry Sauce And Stuffing!

While over 46 million turkeys are getting ready to take center stage at the dinner table this evening, two - Popcorn and his lucky spare, Caramel, are trotting away to George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia, where they will impress visitors during the holidays, before moving to their permanent retirement home in Leesburg's Morven Park.

The fortunate toms that were hatched on July 8th, are part of a six-member Presidential flock chosen by fourth generation turkey farmer John Burkel, from about eighty contenders. Raised in the tiny town of Badger, Minnesota, they were selected as the finalists after they showed the calm demeanor required of birds that were going to be pardoned by the President of the United States of America.

However that was just the beginning - The two 20lbs gorgeous toms were then moved to a special heated garden shed that looked more like a Presidential cottage complete with patriotic bunting on the windows, to undergo special training. This involved exposing them to loud noises and bright lights, so that they would beunflappable on the big day, when surrounded with similar chaos.

All that training certainly paid off. Despite the cold & dreary weather and throngs of people cheering on, Popcorn, the tom chosen for the pardoning, stood calm and collected, as President Obama declared - "Popcorn, you have a full reprieve from cranberry sauce and stuffing. We wish you well".

Now in its 66th year, the turkey pardoning tradition is believed to have been started by President Truman. However, it was not until 1989, that George H. W. Bush established it as an annual White House ritual. Originally, the clemency was granted to only one bird. But after a naughty one named Liberty escaped before he could be pardoned by former President Ronald Reagan, there began a new tradition of bringing in a spare!

in 2012, President Obama added a fun twist, by asking the general public to vote on Facebook, which of the two turkeys should be picked for pardoning. This year, Popcorn won the votes by a slim margin! Not that it mattered to Caramel, who was also spared and just got to revel in the festivities, without the pressure!

Besides getting to visit the White House and meet the President, both turkeys were also treated to first class travel to Washington D.C. and two nights in a beautiful suite at the city's historic Willard Hotel, where they dined on acorns, berries and corn.

Following the ceremony, the two left for Virginia, where they will stay until January 6th, 2014, before moving to their permanent retirement home in Leesburg. We wish Popcorn and Caramel a long and healthy life. As for the rest of the birds? All we can say is GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Mysterious Troll-Haired Insect Discovered In South American Rainforest

Remember troll dolls? The ones that were all the rage in the 1960's and then for brief periods of time from the 1970's to 1990's? Well it turns out that nature has it own version and as usual, it is a lot better looking than the one created by humans.

This adorable insect which was unveiled recently, was amongst the 60 new creatures found by ecologists on an expedition to South America's Surinamerainforest in 2012. Measuring a mere 7 mm long, it has a gorgeous gold bodyadorned with bright orange dots and stripes. But its most distinct feature is its hair that resembles the popular toy dolls. However in the case of the insect, the tuftsemanate from the rear of the body and are made of wax produced by specialized glands in the insect's abdomen.

While scientists are not sure of the purpose of the 'hair', Trond Larsen, the researcher that captured the tiny insect on camera believes that it may be to distract predators into attacking the wrong part of the body. As they try to grab the insect, the wax breaks off, allowing it to leap away to safety.

As for what this insect is? While Larsen suspects it to be a member of theplanthopper family that are known to exude these tufts of wax, there is no way to confirm if that is indeed the case. That's because as he was snapping the gorgeous photo, the nimble insect snuck away into the thick vegetation and was not seen again, during the rest of the expedition.

Another reason the insect's true identity may remain unknown is that it was still in the nymph or second stage of transformation for insects that undergo simplemetamorphosis. This makes it difficult for scientists to know what it will look like as an adult. Though Dr. Larsen has compared and even narrowed the newly found'troll' insect down to four possibilities, its true identity may remain a mystery until another one can be found.

Other fun, slightly less exotic creatures discovered in what scientists call one of the world's most 'pristine rainforests', include a chocolate colored frog and one of the tiniest known species of dung beetle.

Resources: huffingtonpost.com,dailymail.co.uk, nationalgeo.com

Chinese Workers Carry Thousands Of Alligators To Winter Home

Like many animals, China's Yangtze alligators like to spend winters hibernatinginside dark holes that they dig on the sides of the lakes they reside in. That however is not an option for the 8,000 residents of the nature reserve in Xuancheng City in the Southeast Province of Anhui, because their manmade lakes are built using cement.

Therefore every year around this time, brave park workers physically lift each of theterrifying reptiles and carry them indoors to warm rooms. As if that is not scary enough, before being delivered to their winter homes, they have to be cleaned and checked for injuries. In April, when the weather warms up, the trek is reversed and reptiles are hauled back to their outdoor pools. Yikes!

Indigenous to eastern China, the Yangtze or Chinese alligator is one of only two species of alligators left in the world. While it looks similar to the American alligator, it is a lot smaller. Most adults grow up to a maximum of 5 feet and weigh only about 80 pounds. In contrast, American alligators can get up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 790 pounds! Another big difference? The Yangtze alligator is on the critically endangered list, which is why preserving the few that are left, is so crucial.

Resources: GNC Global News Channel

Comet ISON . . . Fizzles

Just a week ago, ISON was being touted as the 'Comet of the Century' - one that would provide a celestial show like none other. Alas, such was not the case. It appears as though the mighty comet's close meeting with the sun did not go so well, causing it to . . . just fizzle away.

The much anticipated encounter occurred on Thursday, November 28th, when ISON neared perihelion or its closest approach to the sun. With the icy comet already sporting an impressive tail that measured 20 times wider than our fullest Moon and a head that was bright enough to be spotted at predawn with just the naked eye, expectations were high! After all, a dose of intense heat from the sun could only enhance it, right?

As Karl  Battams and Mathew Knight from NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign, along with 32,000 people on Google+ Hangout watched in anticipation, Comet ISON brightened as it approached the sun and then . . .  simply disappeared!

All they were able to observe was a mysterious fan-shaped cloud that emerged from the sun's atmosphere, a few minutes later. Even the Solar Dynamics Observatory that had been keeping close track of the comet was not powerful enough to see what was inside. NASA scientists speculate that it could be theremnant nucleus of the once mighty comet, but nobody will ever know for sure!

RIP, comet ISON!

Resource:Science.NASA.gov

Before The Tyrannosaurus Rex There Was Siats Meekerorum

Though the discovery of dinosaur fossils is always an exciting event, the remains of one that roamed North America about 100 million years ago, is even more so. That's because while paleontologists have extensive knowledge about the Tyrannosaurus-rex that dominated the arena in the late Cretaceous period (about 60 million years ago), very little is known about the ones that ruled the roost during the intermediate period.

This gap in knowledge of what scientists often refer to as the last phase in the so-called 'Age of Dinosaurs', has now been filled to a certain extent, thanks to the discovery of the fossils of a massive meat eating predator. Paleontologists have named it Siats meekerorum after the man-eating monsters in a Ute tribal legend and the Meeker family, which has supported early career paleontologists at the museum.

The saga of this exciting find that was reported in the November 22nd edition ofNature Communications began in the summer of 2008. Lindsay Zanno from North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Peter Makovicky from the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History were conducting an excavation in the hot deserts of Eastern Utah, when Lindsay came across a collection of bone fragments on the surface of the Cedar Mountain Formation. While remains of large dinosaurs are rare in these rocks, the scientists suspected that they had stumbled upon something that may help provide insight into the creatures, that lived between 90-100 million years ago.

However, before they could unearth anything, the excavating season was over and the paleontologists had to return to theirrespective jobs.

It took two more summers before Lindsay and her team were finally able to extract the partial skeleton that included thevertebrae, parts of the hip, the lower leg and toes - all perfectly preserved by the rocks for more than 100 million years.

Initially, the scientists thought the remains were those of anAnkylosaurus or T-rex. However, upon closer examination they realized that the fossilsbelonged to a member of the Carcharodontosaurus family. Related to the giantGiganotosaurus, it was a carnivore that inhabited Argentina during the late Cretaceous period.

Judging from the size of the fossils, Siats is believed to be the third largest predator ever found in North America. Scientists estimate that it was about 30-feet long and weighed 4 tons. But given that they are calculating the size from the fossil finds of ajuvenile, it is entirely possible that fully-grown adult Siats were even larger. The dinosaurs probably had a sharper, less blocky head than the tyrannosaurs and long three-clawed arms, very different from the short ones sported by the mighty T-rex.

The researchers are not sure if the Siats meekeroum lived alongside the T-rex, but thanks to other fossils discovered in the same area, they do know that it shared the land with some smaller tyrannosaurs. This confirms their suspicion that at one time the Siats meekeroum was at the top of the predatory food chain. As to how they became extinct and made way for the tyrannosaurs to evolve into the mega predator T-rex, is a mystery that paleontologists hope to solve with future finds.

Resources: wired.com, cnn.com.sciencedaily.com

MIT Researchers Reveal The World's Toughest Tongue Twister!

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the toughest tongue twister is'The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick'. However, if researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are to be believed, there may be a newcontender for that coveted spot.

Dr. Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel and her team assert that 'pad kid poured curd pulled cord' is the toughest tongue twister that has ever been concocted. In fact it is so difficult, that when people were asked to repeat it rapidly ten times, they became so tongue-tied that they stopped speaking altogether. The twister revealed at the Fall Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America that was held in San Francisco from December 2nd-6th, was part of a study conducted by Stefanie's team to get some insight into the human brain's speech planning process.

The researcher says that for some reason when certain words are spoken together quickly, people seem to lose control and more often than not, the one sound seems to replace the other. For example try saying toy boat fast a few times and you will soon start pronouncing the words as 'toy boyt'! Similarly, 'top cop' seems to rapidly turns into 'cop cop!'

How the brain processes each tongue twister also seems to depend on if it comprises of a few words or is a full sentence. In the former case, the tongue often ends up saying just the first letter of the first word-like tkop instead 'top cop', while in the case of the latter it sounds like 'tah-kop'. While not sure, they believe it may have something to do with the regular rhythm of a word list as compared to the somewhat irregular timing of a sentence.

The MIT team plan to continue their research by placing tiny transducers on the tongues of volunteers and measuring their articulation to try gain further insight. Meanwhile, we can all drive people around us a little crazy, by constantly repeating a phrase that even the researchers agree makes no sense.

'pad kid poured curd pulled cord'

Resources: Huffingtonpost.com, dailymail.co.uk

A Gingerbread House Even Hansel And Gretel Would Approve Of

While the rest of us are struggling to piece together our miniature gingerbread houses, the people at Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas have built one that is larger than many homes and sturdy enough for people to walk in!

Not surprisingly the 39,201.8 cubic feet scrumptious structure that measures 60 feet by 42 feet and sports a 21-feet high roof has managed to claim a Guinness World Record, handily beating out the previous titleholder - A 36,000 cubic feet model constructed at Minnesota's Mall of America in 2012.

The bakers began the construction of this ginormous house by preparing delicious gingerbread panels using 1,800 pounds of butter, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds flour,1,080 ounces of ground ginger and 2,925 pounds of brown sugar, some of which was used for the icing. They then mounted the panels on a wooden frame and began the sweet process of decorating it with 22,304 pieces of candy! In case you are wondering, all these goodies add up to 36 million calories!

And though the house that is open to the public until December 14th looks good enough to eat, it's main purpose is to raise funds to build a trauma center at the regional St. Joseph's hospital. Now that is what we call sweet!

Resources: news.yahoo.com, telegraph.co.uk

First Venomous Crustacean Discovered

Scientists have discovered the first known venomous crustacean, which lives in underwater caves in the Caribbean, Canary Islands, and Western Australia.

Crustaceans are also known as arthropods, and krill, shrimp, lobsters, waterfleas, and crabs fall into this category. Crustaceans have their skeletons on the outside of their body to give them extra protection.

The "remipede" looks a lot like a centipede and is blind. It's venom is rich with toxins and has paralyzing agent, just like rattlesnake venom. The venom breaks down body tissues and and then the remipede is able to suck out its meal from its prey!

"The spider-like feeding technique of the remipede is unique among crustaceans. This venom is clearly a great adaptation for these blind cave-dwellers that live in nutrient-poor underwater caves," said Ronald Jenner, a zoologist at London's Natural History Museum.

Bjoern von Reumont of the Natural History Museum said, "This is the first time we have seen venom being used in crustaceans and the study adds a new major animal group to the roster of known venomous animals."

"While they can be as varied as tiny waterfleas, krill, crabs, and barnacles, not one of the approximately 70,000 described species of crustaceans was known, until now, to be venomous."

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Happy Hanukkah Or Should We Say Thanksgivukkah

On Thursday, Jewish families residing in the US are in for a double treat - Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah, which begins today (November 27th), at sundown. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the last time these two special celebrations coincided was in 1888 and the next? Probably not for at least another 77,798 years, which means that for those that observe both, this is a once in a lifetime celebration!

The reason for this convergence is all to do with the way the dates worked this year. Thanksgiving, which by law is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is a little late, while the 25th day of Kislev, (the evening the holiday officially begins), which is determined by the lunar calendar, is the earliest it can be.

But given that Hanukkah is almost like an extended eight-day version of Thanksgiving in terms of the delicious food that families eat, the meeting of the two holidays is being welcomed by most with open arms. Kids are especially thrilled given that the early appearance means an extended Christmas because believe it or not, one of the rituals of this fun festival is receiving gifts every single day, for eight days!

The folklore behind this all-important Jewish holiday dates back 2,200 years, when a Greek king tried to impose his culture on his people despite that fact that most of them were Jewish. The residents rebelled and fought for three years before reclaiming the temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. Inside, they discovered a small amount of oil, which they estimated would keep the temple light burning for one day. To their surprise, the oil lasted for eight days, which is why Hanukkah is celebrated for that length of time.

Thanks to the legend, the most important ritual of the holiday is the lighting of theMenorah, a holder that fits nine candles. Eight candles are lit one at time, to mark each day of the festival. The ninth, known as the Shamash (servant), is used to light the others. Over the years, Menorahs have become increasingly elaborate and unique. While in the past they have included ones carved out of chocolate, this year they have taken on a thanksgiving theme, with the traditional candleholders incorporating turkeys and even the Mayflower!

While families entertain themselves in many ways, the most traditional and popular game played is using a four-sided spinning top known as the Dreidel. The multiple player game entails each participant beginning with an equal number of game pieces - which range from candy to coins. Depending on their spinning prowessthey can either lose a few or all their pieces to a mutual pot, or get everything that'saccumulated inside, and be declared the winner.

As with most fun festivals, food is a big part of Hanukkah. While most years it largely comprises of favorites like Latkes, Challah and Sufganiyot, a jelly donut cooked in oil, this year there may have to be some compromises - Latkes or mashed potatoes? Challah or challurkey, (bread shaped like a turkey)? donuts filled with jelly or cranberries? No matter what is on the dinner table, it is bound to be delicious!

Happy Thanksgivukkah!

Resources: about.com, wikipedia.org, news.yahoo.com

Researchers Discover Active Volcano Under Antarctic Ice

While above-ground active volcanoes in the Antarctica are nothing new, finding one that is buried deep inside its thick ice layer, is certainly a first. The exciting discovery was revealed in the November issue of Nature Geoscience by researchers from the Washington University in St. Louis, who stumbled upon the frozen continent's well-kept secret, accidentally.

In 2010, PhD students Amanda Lough and Andrew Lloyd led a group through the frozen continent's treacherous icy terrain to place seismometers across Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica. Their research project dubbed POLENET was not intended to seek out volcanic or earthquake activity, but to try reconstruct Antarctica's climate history for which they needed to first research the structure of the earth's mantle - the layer that lies between the crust and the outer core.

But those plans changed when the seismometers recorded two earthquake swarms almost a year apart - In January 2010 and March 2011. Recorded at depths of about 15-25 miles under the earth's surface, the tremors, which measured only 0.8 and 2.1 in magnitude, were close to the boundary between the crust and mantle and therefore, much deeper than normal earthquakes. Referred to as Deep Long Periodearthquakes or DLP's, they have previously been observed near active volcanic areas in Alaska and Washington.

While scientists are not completely sure of why DLP's occur, Amanda Loughtheorized that they may be the result of movement of magma and other fluids which create pressure induced vibrations in cracks within the volcanic system. These register on seismometers as 'earthquakes'.

In order to verify her suspicions, the research team narrowed down the area where the seismic activity had been recorded. Sure enough, both the earthquake swarms had emanated from a small area near a series of subaerial volcanic mountains known as the Executive Committee Range. What was even more interesting is that the 'earthquakes' had occurred close to the youngest mountains in the range. But given that they had been weak and of very low frequency, the team knew that they were not caused by tectonic activity. This helped further solidify their suspicions of the existence of an active volcano under the ice.

In order to investigate further, they used airborne radar to create topographic maps of the bedrock. This is when they discovered a layer of ash laying in the ice at about a depth of 1.4 km, right in the vicinity where the most recent seismic swarms had been recorded. Estimated to be 8,000 years old, it helped confirm Lough's suspicion that it was indeed an active underground volcano, one that had erupted before, albeit some time ago.

Though this is the first time an active volcano has been discovered under the thick ice, Lough maintains that the volcanic complex underneath the ground has been operating and probably erupting for millions of years, without disrupting the ice layer above. Given that the ice is at least a half-mile thick, it would take anextraordinarily large eruption - one that would release a thousand times more energy than a typical volcano, to break through. Amanda believes the chances of that ever happening, are pretty slim. 

What the team can envision however, is a subglacial eruption that would melt some of the ice underneath and send large amounts of water to the nearby MacAyeal Ice Stream. If that were to occur, it may hasten the ice loss mass in West Antarctica and maybe even raise sea levels slightly.

As to when this will occur or even how and why these volcanoes were formed so deep underneath? For the moment, those questions must go unanswered. That's because the seismometers that recorded this volcanic system have since been moved to other locations of the continent. But the interest this discovery hasspurred in the glaciological community is bound to result in further investigation - so stay tuned!

Resources: foxnews.com,sci-news.com, dailymail.co.uk

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