Think global warming is no big deal? Have you ever thought about Santa’s home? According to National Geographic, scientists are reporting that the North Pole might be free of ice for the first time in recorded history this summer, due to dramatic global climate change. Those maps and globes showing the arctic as a solid chunk of frozen ice may have to be updated soon, as scientists believe that the entire Arctic may have a completely ice-free summer by 2013 to 2030! The poles have drawn scientific scrutiny because of “ice albedo feedback” the ends of the earth see temperature increases about three times as great as the rest of the Earth. The world is changing…

[National Geographic]

According to biologists at Harvard University, some African frogs can morph their toes into claws by puncturing their own skin with sharp bones. The bones are sharp enough to wound predators and protect the frogs from danger, but obviously it’s using sparingly since it requires the bone to pierce the skin on their feet. These “claws” are nothing like the claws of a cat which retract into a special spot, the frogs suffer a wound each time they use the claws!

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For those that don’t know, “The Fast and the Furious” featured a group of thieves that would overtake semi-trucks on the road, hijack them, and steal the expensive electronics on-board. Well, it seems that a group of thieves from Romania got the idea to do this for real as the group travelled to Germany to rob trucks travelling on the autobahn at 60 miles an hour. The group would approach trucks, jump on them, break into the back, and hand equipment over to others, all while moving.

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Unrelated imagine of D-list “celebrity” using ATM machine

We love Wired magazine, and their blogs are pretty good too. Recently the “Threat Level” blog, concerning privacy, security, politics, and crime online covered the stories around recent Citibank ATM heists. It hasn’t really been publicized, but nearly $200,000 was stolen by ATM thefts in just three days on the Upper East Side of Manhattan from Citibank ATMs, prompting investigations by the bank and the FBI. Chasing down and capturing the Eastern European cyberthieves has proved challenging, but the real goal is the man behind it all, a mysterious Russian mobster with powerful connections. The quest to stop these thieves has proved difficult, and produced such scenes as a man being arrested with over half-a-million stuffed in bags and boxes, and thieves chasing an FBI agent through the streets of New York. Read more about at the link below!

[Story]

According to the BBC, Dubai will soon feature a revolutionary new type of building with a constantly shifting shape. The Dynamic Tower will have revolving floors and 80 stories, with each apartment in the building capable of spinning an entire 360 degrees through a voice command. Not only will the building be a shape-shifter, but wind turbines will make it energy self-sufficient and even produce extra power to put back into the grid. The building is slated to be finished by 2010 for an estimated cost of $700 million, and if you plan on buying one of the apartments you’ll have to spend at $3.7 million to $36 million. Who said the constantly changing and revolving future would be cheap?

[BBC]

The Carnegie Science Center’s Titanic exhibit was closed today due to flooding caused the bursting of an eight-inch water pipe. The burst occurred outside the center beneath a sidewalk, sending water into the exhibit space. Luckily, the exhibits higher level caused water to gather at the lobby and gift shop, protecting the Titanic’s artifacts from ending up underwater once again. Although officials do not know what caused the break, it’s possible the pipe was damaged from cold weather and ice buildup, meaning this flood, like the Titanic’s, was the result of ice. In addition to flooding the building, the water caused a 20-by-20-foot hole to open in the sidewalk. Fortunately, curators believe the water will cause no damage to the artifacts. That’s good to hear. Last thing they need is for the artifacts to be lost because of water after being retrieved from the ocean.

[Source]

Earlier we wrote about journalist Vlado Taneski who was being held in prison while police collected evidence against him regarding the murders of several women. Police believed Taneski murdered the women for the stories as he promptly gave detailed accounts of the events in his stories. Anyway, officials have now reported the death of Taneski while in prison. Apparently Taneski could not stand being put on trial for the murders and decided to end his life by drowning himself. Officials state he grabbed a bucket from the prison’s bathroom, filled it with water, and decided to drown himself. That is pretty hardcore considering how easy it would be to change his mind. This makes us think maybe foul play was involved but at least this serial killer is no longer a threat.

[Source]

Remind us to never go swimming with some friends at Nubbin Slough, a canal near Lake Okeechobee in Florida please. Ever. Because that’s Kasey Edwards, an 18-year-old, was attacked by a wild alligator. Edwards was face to face with the ferocious animal at first, staring for what must have been some of the scariest 10 seconds of his life. The other scariest moments in his life surely encompassed wrestling with the gator, in what Edwards called a “humbling experience.” Why did his “humbling experience” have to rob him of an arm? That just seems egregiously cruel.
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