Fossil hunters have uncovered the remains of an ancient marine ecosystem that arose in the aftermath of the most devastating mass extinction in Earth's history.

The spectacular haul of 20,000 fossils from a hillside in southwestern China represents the first discovery of a complete ecosystem which bounced back after life was nearly wiped off the face of the planet 252m years ago.

The beautifully preserved remains include molluscs, sea urchins and arthropods, alongside much larger animals that occupied the top of the food chain, such as carnivorous fish and the first icthyosaurs, predatory marine reptiles that grew to four metres long.

Among the remnants are rare fragments of land life that survived the same period, including part of a conifer plant and the tooth of an archosaur reptile.

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-- Oh, Bill Maher, you've outdone yourself!

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"Steam-fired Navy planes are so passe. Over the weekend, the Navy used a huge electric charge to catapult a manned flight into the air.

Naval aviation officials are tight-lipped about the test launch for now and we don’t know if the test went according to plan. But Danger Room has confirmed that the Navy’s experimental Electromagnetic Aviation Launch System completed tests on Saturday and Sunday of the deck catapult of the future from its test-bed home at Lakehurst, New Jersey. That’s somewhat behind schedule from reports indicating EMALS was supposed to provide a manned flight launch by the fall. We’re told to await a full roll-out of the test results, possibly later today.

What’s the advantage of the so-called EMALS? If it works as manufacturer General Atomics intends, the power provided through EMALS is more easily adjustable than steam catapults, allowing it to launch everything from fighter jets to small drones — steam isn’t good for launching smaller aircraft — all with less wasted energy. Supposedly it can recharge faster than steam, allowing more rapid launching. The system will draw its power from the generators aboard its next-generation Ford-class aircraft carrier, which the Navy wants commissioned by September 2015 despite recent cost over-runs..."

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Superior, Speed Fly from Marshall Miller on Vimeo.

-- Whoa! Did not see that coming... hahaha Yes, I was so impressed/obsessed with Lego Black Ops, I looked up some of these guys' other work.

"The FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has approved new regulations which will see the 2.4 litre V8s currently used by Formula One teams replaced by four cylinder 1.6 litre engines from 2013. The decision to give the go-ahead to the changes follows lengthy discussions between the FIA, engine manufacturers and specialists.

The more environmentally-friendly units are expected to deliver a 35 percent reduction in fuel consumption, whilst providing the same level of performance enjoyed by today's F1 drivers. Energy recovery systems and additional energy management will be utilised to ensure this is possible.

“The WMSC approved the introduction of a new specification engine from 2013, underlining the FIA’s commitment to improving sustainability and addressing the needs of the automotive industry,” explained the FIA. “Following dialogue with the engine manufacturers and experts in this field, the power units will be four cylinders, 1.6 litre with high pressure gasoline injection up to 500 bar.”

Rev limits on the new engines will be reduced from the current 18,000 rpm to a maximum of 12,000 rpm.

An additional revision to the 2013 regulations will see a drop in the number of engines at drivers' disposal. Currently they can use eight units a season without penalty, but this will be limited to five in 2013 and reduced to four for subsequent seasons."

-- What is this sacrilegious nonsense!?! via Current

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-- FloooooOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRR!­!! The most bad-ass parrot you'll ever witness.

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The year brought stories of great tragedy both in the United States and the world. The gulf oil spill put New Orleans through devastation it had not seen since the hurricane. In Haiti, a massive earthquake made an already bad situation for those who live there even worse.

A street vendor tries to keep the crowd from stealing her goods in Port-au-Prince on January 24, 2010. Police in the Haitian capital counted their losses and gathered their forces today, preparing for a surge in crime they are certain will follow the devastating January 12 earthquake.

Pakistani flood survivors try to catch food bags from an army helicopter in Lal Pir on August 7, 2010. Pakistan raced to evacuate families threatened with fresh floods, as heavy rains worsened the disaster, with up to 15 million people affected.

Chilean miner Osman Araya is welcomed by his wife Angelica as he comes out of the Fenix capsule after been brought to the surface on October 13, 2010 following a 10-week ordeal in the collapsed San Jose mine, near Copiapo, 800 km north of Santiago, Chile. Araya was the sixth from the 33 trapped miners to be lifted from underground.

-- A stunning, albeit more than a little discouraging, collection of images. Please take a look, I could not pick one photo to sum up this gallery.

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-- Futurama!!!

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