A new measurement tool that uses light detection and ranging (or LiDAR) can show how earthquakes have changed the landscape down to a few inches — and that can help us prepare for difficult-to-predict earthquakes. More »
I don’t live in a high risk area for deadly tremors, but after watching this earthquake-proof table easily survive having a 1000kg block dropped on it, I think I still want one for my office — just in case. More »
Every 10 to 12 thousand years, there’s a volcano in the heart of Europe that goes boom. And not just any boom, but a let’s-kill-everyone-with-billions-of-tonnes-of-magma boom that would cover everything in ash from England and Denmark to the north of Italy. More »
Japanese officials are preparing to finally declare the Fukiushima power plant in a state of cold shutdown as early as 9am tomorrow (GMT). Now they can begin the estimated 40-year process of dismantling the site and repopulating the area. More »
Just look at the destruction. Seaside towns transformed into inland mountains of rubble. Google’s traveled some 44,000 kilometers through tsunami-ravaged Japanese countryside to digitally archive the immense damage. Be sure to have a hanky at the ready when exploring. More »
We’d all love to be able to predict earthquakes ahead of time — just think of the lives that could be saved. But toads can spot subtle changes in water chemistry before quakes way better than any scientist. More »
You don’t see earthquakes coming as you would with, say, a hurricane. But that may soon change with recent advancements to a “groundbreaking” early warning system developed, in part, by Google’s philanthropic arm. More »
Earthquake survivors buried under tonnes of rubble normally owe their lives to drinking their own pee. Not so for Japanese aid worker Miyuki Konnai, who says her laptop helped her through the ordeal. More »
With its delicate stack of slender rings, Luke Gerram’s latest piece is a testament to both 3D printing technology and the legacy of Japan’s most catastrophic natural disaster. More »
