the buzz log
Blackouts, Eruptions, and Amendments: What's the Buzz
Our picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Brazil Blackout (+3,067%). A storm left 60 million in the dark,and now the government's busy defending its grid as the country preps for a good economy and the 2014 World Cup.
- Carl Sagan (+1,199%). His 75th birthday on Monday prompted a Stephen Hawking musical salute, and now people are surfacing up the astronomer's own musical talents.
- Mayon Volcano (+903%). Philippine's most active volcano is spewing again.
- Stupak Amendment (+563%). The US Conference of Catholic Bishops got the anti-abortion amendment into the health care bill, prompting concerns about its constitutionality and viability.
- Route 66 (+99%). The Santa Monica Pier got formal cred as the Western Terminus of the historic highway's 83rd anniversary.
Filed under: Health, Travel, Politics, Music, Weather, Science, Astronomy
Solar Eclipse, New Dragon Species, and a Prehistoric Blast: Buzz Week in Review
Corruption probes, presidential regrets, and other breaking news occupied headlines this week, but a mighty big science phenomena dwarfed those earthly concerns. After a busy seven days, take a look at the latest—and some ancient news, too—in the Buzz Week in Review.
An eclipse to remember
Earthlings won't see another solar eclipse like the one that darkened Asia this week for another 123 years, but that's soon enough for some. Millions ventured outside to enjoy the six-minute plus blackout, with astronomy experts gathering in Shanghai (which reportedly offered the "best views"), Japanese party planners setting up a music festival for the occasion, and passengers chartering a plane in India for a closer view. The prospect of being submerged in darkness, though, unleashed old superstitions, as some shut themselves indoors, cleansed their sins in the Ganges River, or prayed against bad omens. The event may have come and gone, but video and photos abound.
Another new Dragon species?
The Komodo dragon has had a busy year. First, studies of its venomous bite upgraded the lizard to an elite poisonous group occupied only by the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard. Now the Komodo's got new kin: German scientists stumbled upon a new (to human beings) species of mangrove monitor lizard in the Talaud Islands. The discovery of the Varanus lirungensis (which is also related to the crocodile monitor) points to a huge predator diversity in Indonesia. So watch where you step!
The other big bang?
The theory about space rocks wiping out Ice Age species just got another boost: It turns out the first human inhabitants may have also been hit. Rare "nano-sized diamonds" that form under extremely hot fires are evidence that space rocks hit the North American continent about 13,000 years ago. Unfortunately, some pygmy mammoth (a smaller version of the woolly mammoth) and a group called the Clovis people happened to be in the line of fire. The galactic slam, plus "overhunting and climate change," created what one researcher called a "perfect storm" that wiped out the Ice Age population. The findings swelled searches on Yahoo! for the prehistoric "clovis people," so named because of artifacts first found in Clovis, New Mexico. For more on the mastodon hunters and the first Americans, check out this 2007 LiveScience article.
Also buzzing this week...
- China's been busy, caring for the first panda born from frozen sperm and making mice from connective tissue.
- The world's biggest telescope: Coming in about a decade to a Hawaiian volcano near you...
- Did a modern human accidentally kill a Neanderthal? The investigation continues...
Filed under: Animals, Science, Astronomy, Week in Review
Name This Dying Star
At last, the Soap Bubble Nebula has a name.
Bubble nebulas aren't uncommon: The Hubbard telescope famously captured a stunning image of the Eagle Nebula. This particular celestial phenomenon, though, has entranced astronomers for its nearly spherical perfection. Last summer, three amateur stargazers spotted the remains of a dying star which, as Fox News noted, "shed its outer shell about 22,000 years ago."
The gaseous cloud had been called Cygnus Bubble or Soap Bubble Nebula until this month, when it was finally granted a formal name: PN G75.5+1.7. Okay, we never said the name would be catchy.
New Scientist explains that luminous gas clouds can be shaped "elliptical, double-lobed or cigar-shaped," but globular forms are "very rare." The Soap Bubble Nebula is, according to the first gent who spied this lovely, very similar to the "strikingly symmetrical planetary nebula Abell 39 in the constellation Hercules." The truly starstruck know what he means. Other stats: The nebula measures five light-years across, and is about 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
A lovely image of the soap bubble can be downloaded from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory here. For other types of nebula, check out this NASA page. As for the location of the giant soap bar? It's presumably still floating somewhere in space.
Lunar Eclipse Stirs the Web
This should get everyone howling: There's a penumbral lunar eclipse tonight. Don't worry -- you're not the only one with questions. Astronomy fans sent searches heavenward. Queries on "lunar eclipse 2009" surged 1,950%. Other searches that soared included "lunar moon," "penumbral eclipse," and "lunar eclipse pictures."
Here, your Buzz lunar primer from look-ups on the Web.
What is a lunar eclipse?
Maybe not surprisingly, a lunar eclipse can only happen during a full moon. There are different kinds: Total, partial, and the one some will witness tonight, penumbral. The blog HowStuffWorks describes the eerie event as what happens when the earth's shadow blocks sunlight from lighting up some or most of the moon's surface.
What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?
According to WiseGeek.com, a penumbral lunar eclipse "occurs when the moon passes through Earth's penumbral shadow." If that sounds subtle, it is. And unfortunately, unless you actually are a scientist with access to a high-powered telescope, you won't notice the change.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
After tonight, the next penumbral lunar eclipse occurs on August 6. Then, there won't be one until a partial lunar eclipse has a dramatic appearance on New Year's Eve, 2009.
Where is the lunar eclipse, anyway?
The eclipse tonight can be viewed from Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas. So grab your high-powered telescope or watch the Web for photos.
Filed under: Astronomy
Fire, Ice, and Total Darkness
Staycation? With glaciers splitting and total darkness taking over parts of the earth, this is no time to have your thighs stuck to the Barcalounger. Plan your trip to witness the natural universe at work... or re-stock the underground shelter and prepare for the end as you heed three recent Search signs of the Apocalypse.
"Perito Moreno Glacier." Glaciers rupture on a regular basis, but they usually have the decency to wait for the summer tourist season. The Patagonian glacier in southern Argentina already bucks the trend by advancing when all the other big blocks of ice are retreating, and it decided to fall apart during wintertime. Searches soared more than 5,000% when the 106-square-mile glacier cracked. Is global warming behind this? Some say, well, yeah, other scientists say, not so fast.
"Hawaii Volcano." Each Hawaiian island has its draw: The rainiest place on Earth, arguably the most touristed beach in America, and the world's most active volcano. Kilauea, the lava of which has lapped up precious land in the past quarter century, started spewing again with 50-foot high gushes. And yes, there was a surfer who had to get a closer look.
"Solar Eclipse." Wow, China really is pulling out all the stops, though who knows if Beijing residents will notice beyond the pollution, locusts and algae. A total solar eclipse will descend upon parts of Asia on August 1, and Wired News reports that fans of the dark will travel thousands of miles for the three-minute experience. A U.S. science museum will stream a Webcast of the moment, but somehow looking at a computer screen through a pinprick doesn't seem the same.
Filed under: Surfing, Astronomy, Nature, Ice, Planets, Hawaii
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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