Why was El Reno, Oklahoma tornado downgraded to EF-3?

The tornado that struck El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013 has been reclassified from an EF-5 to a EF-3 tornado. Why?

New model of Earth’s interior reveals clues to hotspot volcanoes

Unlike volcanoes that emerge from collision zones between tectonic plates, hotspot volcanoes form in the middle of the plates.

Deep-sea squid lures prey with tentacle fishing line

A tiny club at the end of a long fishing line-type appendage resembles the movements of small marine organisms. The squid attracts its prey, then attacks.

Prehistoric climate shift linked to cosmic impact

A new Dartmouth study links an abrupt global change to a colder, dryer climate 12,900 years ago to the impact of an asteroid or comet in Quebec

Frogs that hear with their mouth

Gardiner’s frogs from the Seychelles islands, one of the smallest frogs in the world, do not possess a middle ear with an eardrum yet can croak themselves, and hear other frogs.

View from space: Smoke from California’s Rim Fire

Smoke from the Rim Fire choked Yosemite National Park during the busy Labor Day Weekend. The smoke is thick, entirely blocking the view of the ground from space. From the ground, the smoke obscured Yosemite’s normally pristine views.

Magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocks Alaska’s Aleutian Islands

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Adak, Alaska earlier today (August 30, 2013). No immediate reports of injuries or serious damage. No tsunami warning.

Mega-canyon discovered beneath Greenland ice

Hidden for all of human history, a 460 mile long canyon has been discovered below Greenland's ice sheet.

Discoveries in the Amazon: 15 new bird species

Birds' formal description printed in special volume of Handbook of the Birds of the World. Not since 1871 have so many bird species been introduced under a single cover.

View from space: California Rim Fire update

Slowly but surely, the Rim Fire in California is being contained. Here's a satellite view from August 28.

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