World’s Fair!

The 2015 World Expo will be one for the books. The theme this year revolves around food and sustainability practices. So what better place to host such an event than Milan? Dishes from modern Italian cuisine have become dietary staples for many Americans, but many of the authentic “Italian” dishes served in the US have a distinctly American flair. So, you want some true to life Italian food? Then there can be no better chance than the expo this year, where you will be learning about the future of food while sampling some of the best in the world! Day passes start at around €39.

Learn more at the Expo website!

from Ivana De Domenico | World Traveler http://ift.tt/1LA5aLE

The Very Hungry… Killer Whale?

This doesn’t exactly qualify as news, but it is fascinating none the lesser. The Guardian recently ran a fantastic piece on an orca whale discovered in the 1860’s that, upon dissection, was revealed to have quite the appetite. The piece goes into the gastronomic details at length, but let it be said that the whale was found to contain the remains of just over two dozen seals and porpoises. It even made its way into pop culture at the time, being featured in Jules Verne’s 20,000  leagues under the sea.

Get the Full Story at the Guardian

 

from Ivana De Domenico Research http://ift.tt/1Nmpw9Z

New Species Of Firefly Discovered

A new species of firefly has recently been discovered in Southern California by an undergraduate student by the name of Joshua Oliva. Joshua was collecting specimens for his semester insect collection. The Entomology Research Museum made the announcement of the discovery at the University of California in Riverside yesterday. Doug Yanega, the head of the museum confirmed the find after Joshua Oliva had brought it to him to inspect.

When Joshua had first collected the inspect he was not sure what it was exactly that he found. He decided to bring it to Doug Yanega for a second opinion who then confirmed that it was a firefly. Doug has a great familiarity with the area and after seeing the specimen knew that this firefly was something new.

Experts at the University of Florida also had a chance to inspect the insect and agreed with Yanega that the specimen is a new species of firefly. The formal announcement was made because the habitat where the firefly was found may end up requiring some protection as they continue to try and learn more about the species. While the discovery is certainly a big moment, especially in Joshua Oliva’s early career, discoveries of new species of insects is actually a fairly common occurrence.

A name for the new species has yet to be determined as they look to uncover more evidence on the species beforehand. This process may end up taking several years to complete. However, there is a chance that we will see the new firefly named after Joshua, as the practice of naming a new species after the person who discovered it is a fairly common practice.

from Ivana De Domenico Research http://ift.tt/1REmjmO

Black Hole Re-Awakens

A huge black hole has re-awakened after 26 years of being dormant. The black hole is located about 7,800 light-years from Earth and is described by the European Space Agency as part of V404 Cygni, a binary system made of up the hole and a star. The last time activity was dedicated from V404 was back in 1989, but on June 15th NASA’s Swift satellite detected new bursts of gamma rays.
You can read more about this story here.

from Ivana De Domenico Research http://ift.tt/1dmeHYH

NASA Begins To Plan Where To Land On Mars

NASA is planning to send a group of astronauts to Mars by the mid – to late 2030s. Now they must begin to decide where its first astronauts should make their landing on the Red Planet. This October in Houston, NASA will be holding a workshop where they will discuss possible landing sites for this expedition.
You can read more about this story here.

from Ivana De Domenico Research http://ift.tt/1dmeC7n

Coral Reef’s Building Resistance To Pollution

As species survive the increasing heat over time, they are building up a resistance, or “genetic rescue.” Scientists have discovered the certain types of coral in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have developed elevated thermal tolerances. As long as one type of the coral’s parents come from a warmer lower-latitude location, they are actually able to survive far better than similar coral without such parents. Essentially, a piece of coral who has a parent that lived in a heated environment, you are able to withstand the heat. This means that the coral is naturally toughening up to protect itself from pollution.

You can read more about this story here.

from Ivana De Domenico Research http://ift.tt/1KgqdSq

Grand Rapids & Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast

Grand Rapids is Michigan’s second-largest city and is home to a fabulous art scene. You can explore the impressive blooms and Rodin sculptures in the Meijer Gardens or spend some time checking out the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The city was also voted the best beer city in the United States by the national Beer Examiner blog in 2012 and 2013. There are over 25 craft breweries in the area with plenty of beer-tourism attractions and events to keep you busy. 

Only 30 miles away from Grand Rapids, you will be able to find Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast. This beach getaway rivals the shores of places like Hawaii and Southern California. The beach spans some 300 miles with sugar-white dunes. Aside from the endless beach you will also be able to find wineries, orchards, beery farms and cider houses. Many people would never think that the Midwest is home to one of the most beautiful beach vacation getaways!

from Ivana De Domenico | World Traveler http://ift.tt/1BSWjCD

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a U.S. National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The main attraction within the park is Carlsbad Cavern. This show cave includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural linestone chamber that is nearly 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 feet high at the highest point. Carlsbad Cavern is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world.

It is estimated that around 250 million years ago, the area surrounding Carlsbad Caverns National Park served as the coastline for an inland sea. Within this sea was diverse marine life, whose remains formed the reef. Unlike modern reef growths, this reef contained bryozoans, sponges and other microorganisms. Eventually, most of the water evaporated and the reef was buried by evaporites and other sediments. Tectonic movement then occurred, uplighting the reef above ground followed by erosion and water sculpting the Guadalupe Mountain region into its present-day state.

You can learn more about the park here.

from Ivana De Domenico | World Traveler http://ift.tt/1HkJkLW

Arches National Park, Utah

from Ivana De Domenico | World Traveler http://ift.tt/1LAzjLz

Travel Destinations: Tsingy de Bemahara National Park

Some places on earth are fantastic for exploring. They seem to be an ideal way to pass a few days with family and friends, to frolic about while getting in touch with nature. A place to unwind, a place to relax.

But at Madagascar’s Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, this is far from the case. The landscape may be breathtaking, but at the same time it is literally life-taking. This is because of an unusual geographic feature characteristic of the region, called karsts. Simply defined, a karst is a topographical landscape that has been carved out from soluble rock, usually limestone. Dangerous as it may be, Tsingy de Bemaraha is a biological wonderland. New species are constantly being discovered every time scientists go there. After all, it’s not like a particularly easy place to conduct research.

Check out this video below. Though it’s in German, you don’t need to speak the language to see the wonders.

from Ivana De Domenico | World Traveler http://ift.tt/1K8mp5x