NASA loses moon rocks and much more

In a report issued by the agency's inspector general on Thursday, NASA concedes that more than 500 pieces of moon rocks, meteorites, comet chunks and other space material were stolen or have been missing since 1970. That includes 218 moon samples that were stolen and later returned and about two dozen moon rocks and chunks of lunar soil that were reported lost last year.

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Rare Cyclops Shark Found

In this world of Photoshop and online scams, it pays to have a hearty dose of skepticism at reports of something strange — including an albino fetal shark with one eye smack in the middle of its nose like a Cyclops.

But the Cyclops shark, sliced from the belly of a pregnant mama dusky shark caught by a commercial fisherman in the Gulf of California earlier this summer, is by all reports the real thing. Shark researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that its single eye is made of functional optical tissue, they said last week. It's unlikely, however, that the malformed creature would have survived outside the womb.

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'First Irish case' of death by spontaneous combustion

Deaths attributed by some to "spontaneous combustion" occur when a living human body is burned without an apparent external source of ignition.
'First Irish case' of death by spontaneous combustion

Schweddy Balls: Ben & Jerry’s Newest Vermont Export

Ben & Jerry's announced their newest ice cream flavor—which might not immediately sound appealing. Schweddy Balls, an homage to Saturday Night Live, is vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and a huge scoop of cheekiness.

The name comes from a skit featuring regular host Alec Baldwin, Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer. Baldwin plays Pete Schweddy, owner of a holiday bakery called Season's Eatings. Shannon and Gasteyer play NPR radio hosts interviewing him for a culinary show. And the central joke of the bit goes like this:

"There are lots of great treats this time of year," Schweddy says. "Zucchini bread. Fruitcake. But the thing I most like to bring out at this time of the year are my balls."
Schweddy Balls

21-foot monster crocodile caught

Wildlife authorities in the Philippines say they have captured a 21-foot-long, 2,370-pound saltwater crocodile, thought to be the largest creature of its kind now in captivity.

The croc was captured in Agusan del Sur marsh on the southern Philippine island of Mindinao, according to a report on GMA News. Hunters had been trying to capture it for 21 days, the report said. It was finally captured on Saturday by a team of about 30 men who used meat to bait it and an eight millimeter metal cable to snare it, according to an Agence-France Presse report on ABS.CBN News.

21-foot monster crocodile caught

NASA to launch twin moon probes Thursday

The twin GRAILl lunar probes are slated to blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday. The mission has two instantaneous (one-second) launch windows on that date, one at 8:37 a.m. EDT and another at 9:16 a.m. EDT (1237 and 1316 GMT), NASA officials said.

The two unmanned spacecraft should reach the moon around New Year's Day, at which point they'll begin probing the moon's composition from crust to core. GRAIL's observations should help scientists better understand how the moon formed and evolved, researchers said.

NASA to launch twin moon probes

Ninth Annual NECPS Carnivorous Plant Show!

The first weekend in October, the NECPS will once again be putting on our famous display of these weird and wonderful plants. NECPS expert growers will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate how these leafy predators capture their prey! Learn how they grow in the wild and learn how to grow them at home! Vendors will be there, so you can take home a carnivorous plant of your own. Best of all, admission to the show is free with regular botanical center admission -- Adults $3, kids 6-12 $1, kids under 6 free. The show will be open 11am-4pm on Saturday Oct 1 and 10am-3pm on Sunday Oct 2.


http://www.necps.org/