January 15, 2012 – ANTARTICA - A strong and shallow series of earthquakes have erupted near the remote South Shetland Islands region of Antarctica on Sunday, experts from the U.S. Geological Survey said. The earthquakes in the intense tectonically-activated series measured a 6.6 magnitude, followed by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake and a 5.1 aftershock. The epicenter of the earthquakes was at various depths of from one kilometer (0.62 miles) to 14 km (9.2 miles) below the earth’s surface and some 464 kilometers west of Coronation Island in distance. No destructive tsunami was created, according to the U.S. NOAA warning center. The earthquake series is worrisome because it’s further evidence of what I have been warning about for over the past 6 months, that the Southern hemisphere, particularly around the periphery of Antarctic, is shows increasing signs of seismic destabilization. On January 12, there was a swarm of five moderate earthquakes which erupted south of Africa- the strongest of which was a 5.3 and a 5.5. On January 13, the South Sandwich Islands, north of Antarctica, was hit with a 5.1, and 5.2. -PLEASE VISIT LINK FOR FULL ARTICLE…

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A fearsome giant 'warrior wasp' discovered in a tropical forest in Indonesia

New to nature No 63: Dalara garuda

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The newly discovered giant wasp, Dalara Garuda, is 2.5 inches long. Photograph: UC Davis

Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California in Davis, has discovered a 2.5in wasp that has jaws longer than its front legs and a particularly fierce appearance. The description of the species is not yet published so its scientific name is not official, but Kimsey will name it Garuda, after the national symbol ofIndonesia – a mythological, part-human, part-eagle warrior that has wide wings, great speed and superb fighting skills.

Her Garuda, which she describes as the Komodo dragon of wasps, was collected in the Mekongga Mountains on Sulawesi island, which, like Australia and Madagascar, has an inordinate percentage of species found nowhere else on earth. As curator of a collection with half-a-million wasps from around the world, Kimsey instantly knew that this beast was unusual.

The Garuda is a predator of other insects and belongs to the genusDalara in the wasp family Crabronidae. Although little is yet known of the natural history of this winged beast, Kimsey points to behaviours in related species of Dalara that may explain its extraordinary mandibles. Some males sit at the nest entrance and guard against parasites and other wasps that rob nests. This vigilance is repaid with a sexual encounter each time the female returns. Kimsey notes that the Garuda’s “jaws are big enough to wrap around the female’s thorax and hold her during mating”.

A team of scientists exploring the plants, animals, and fungi of Sulawesi have collected about one million specimens over the past four years. Kimsey estimates that among the wasps alone there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of species new to science. She is concerned about the loss of tropical forests and what that portends for species diversity. So many wasps, so little time.

Quentin Wheeler is director of the International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University

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The driver who died, Andrew Jackson Booth, was the Military Ops teacher of Eternia High School here in Montana. The school has been notified of his accident, and the Dean has assured us that his burial will be paid for.

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