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May 2, 2007—Jupiter's most turbulent moon, Io, is renowned among scientists for its flashy volcanic displays. But even experts were surprised when they saw this plume of gas vaulting nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) over the moon's north pole. The giant frozen jet—about as tall as the state of New Hampshire is long—spewed from a volcano known as Tvashtar in February, just as NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was cruising by on its way to Pluto. The passing craft captured several images of the event, providing an unprecedented view of volcanism on Io, the most geologically active body in the solar...

Global Warming Needs “New Look” at Mechanisms Involved As Europe struggles with another week of sub-zero temperatures- (Russia and the Ukraine have reported –40 degree temperatures and considerable loss of life)- recent discoveries have been causing “the Greenhouse Gas Gang” some additional loss of composure. Last year, according to the January 14,2006 of “New Scientist” magazine, environmental engineer Frank Keppler, and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute discovered that living plants emit a significant portion – 10% to 30 % ,depending on the season – of the methane –a more serious greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide- that makes its...

The former deputy assistant attorney general who helped draft the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act blasted Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald on Wednesday, saying he may be getting "creative with law" in order to justify questionable indictments. "If you don't have a clear violation, you should not become what's called 'creative with the law,'" Toensing told ABC Radio host Sean Hannity, after noting that the statute she co-authored was never intended to apply to cases like Leakgate. Toensing said she based her concern on a February report in the Chicago Tribune, which noted, "Probably Fitzgerald's greatest talent was finding creative ways...

Connect the dots: 1) Heard about a new (small) eruption of Piton de la Fournaise. 2) Piton de la Fournaise is the current "expression" of the La Reunion mantle plume. 3) Thought about what happened when the Indian subcontinent passed over the La Reunion plume = Deccan Traps volcanism. 4) Tried to find a good picture of the Deccan Traps. 5) Discovered that one of the few places to see Deccan Trap basalt layering is Lonar Crater. 6) Lonar Crater is said to be the only impact crater on volcanic basalt. 7) Found remote sensing and surface pictures of Lonar...

WASHINGTON--The White House went on the defensive Monday amid a barrage of questions...about...Karl Rove and whether he had disclosed the name of a covert intelligence operative.... President George W. Bush's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, declined to repeat his earlier assertions that Rove, the deputy White House chief of staff, had had nothing to do with leaking the name of the operative, Valerie Plame of the CIA, to get back at her husband, a former U.S. ambassador who had publicly challenged Bush administration policy.... "The president directed the White House to cooperate fully with the investigation, and as part of cooperating...

BALTIMORE - The Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers a sneak preview of what they might see July 4 when a NASA probe strikes a comet, creating a cosmic display that may be visible with the naked eye in part of the Western Hemisphere. One of a series of photos taken by the orbiting observatory while preparing for the Independence Day encounter shows a 1,400-mile plume of dust spewing from the comet toward the sun. Johns Hopkins University astronomy professor Paul Feldman said light from the sun most likely heated a pocket of volatile gas trapped beneath the surface, causing...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 - A top House Democrat called on Attorney General John Ashcroft on Friday to explain why the Justice Department was letting federal officials cooperate in a Congressional inquiry into the case of Samuel R. Berger despite a current criminal investigation. The representative, Henry A. Waxman of California, the senior Democrat on the Government Reform Committee, said the department position regarding Mr. Berger, a national security adviser to President Bill Clinton accused of mishandling classified documents, was at odds with how inquiries tied to the Bush administration had been handled. "For example, in the investigation into the leak...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 January 02 Mt. Etna Eruption Plume Credit: International Space Station Crew, NASA Explanation: Mt. Etna has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of years. In late October of last year, however, earthquakes triggered a particularly vigorous outburst from this well known volcano on the Italian island of Sicily. Local schools were closed and air-traffic re-routed as hot lava poured out and ash spewed out and settled as...