Nebraskan supercell

This is an utterly fantastic image, taken by Jeremy Holmes, of a Nebraskan supercell.

A supercell (also known as a rotating thunderstorm) is a type of thunderstorm that forms in the presents of rotating updraft. Overall, supercells are less common than a classic run-of-the-mill thunderstorm, which is fortunate since supercells have the potential of being very severe. They are most commonly identified by their ominous rotating structure and usually occur in arid climates (such as the Great Plains of the United States), but supercells can form anywhere in the world under the right conditions.

Sources and further reading: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/nebraskan-supercell/

Image credit: Jeremy Holmes
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Could Bees Destroy Life as We Know It? (hint: they aren"t the real threat--we are)

Most people that I know don"t really like bees (not even the bright, fluffy kind that make honey). Generally speaking, people think that bees are okay *in theory.* However, as soon as someone sees one *in reality,* they start screaming and running and trying to squish them with their shoe.



Admittedly, getting stung by and bee is not the most pleasant thing in the world, but bees are hardly the terrors that they are made out to be. In fact, bees are absolutely necessary to our survival. According to a Cornell University study, the value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agriculture is more than $14 billion annually. There are a number of crops that rely on honey bees -- crops from nuts to vegetables and as diverse as alfalfa, apple, cantaloupe, cranberry, pumpkin, and sunflower all require pollinating by honey bees. And of course, it"s more than just the money. If we want to be able to actually eat any of these items, bees are pretty much a necessity (and I didn"t even mention the honey, which we wouldn"t have without bees).

Find out how necessary they are at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/how-bees-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-hint-they-arent-the-real-threat-we-are/

If anybody knows where this image came from, please let us know so we can properly source it.