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Hurricane Sandy's Aftermath: Will Rats Take Over Manhattan?

Wikimedia Commons "The 8-million-strong human population of New York City is matched, if not exceeded, by the city's number of rodent dwellers," says Lynne Peeples at The Huffington Post. And lots more rats lost their homes — subway tunnels and sewers — to flooding from Hurricane Sandy than people did. What has become of those disease-carrying vermin? "Rats are incredibly good swimmers," says Rick Ostfeld of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, ominously. "And they can climb." If Sandy did... READ ON

Big Question

What Were They Thinking?: The Psychology of Riding Out the Storm

Last night we put the call out for readers’ nagging hurricane questions. @BrothaDom and @michellesipics both asked for a peek into the minds of people who defy evacuation orders “in the face of everything that is sane.”Just hours before Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey last night, Governor Chris Christie chastised residents who stayed behind on the barrier islands running along the state’s shores—despite warnings from state officials and a mandatory evacuation order—and the local... READ ON

Article

10 Fake Photos of Hurricane Sandy

Frankenstorm Sandy has passed over the New York City area on her slow, destructive path north, leaving behind a trail of wreckage and mayhem from North Carolina up to at least Connecticut. The biggest mess, though, is in New York City: The streets and subway tunnels are filled with water, power lines and power stations have erupted in flames, fires have taken out whole blocks in outer Queens — and New Yorkers with cameras, both professional and cellphone varieties, captured much of the damage. But... READ ON

Article

Why You Always Get Your Bills, Even After A Natural Disaster

When disaster hits, it destroys whatever is in its path, whether it's a private residence or a major bank that contains hundreds of thousands of financial records. But while it will take the homeowner months and even years to rebuild, he'll probably find that his credit card bills and monthly mortgage statement will continue to arrive with irritating regularity, whether he still has a mailbox or not. How is this... READ ON

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13 Vintage Photos of Hurricanes and Their Aftermath

As Hurricane Sandy makes landfall on the East Coast, here's a look back at other dramatic hurricanes in American history. Galveston, Texas Hurricane, September 1900 This hurricane was the deadliest in U.S. history—the estimated death toll was 8000 (to compare, 1800 people died during Hurricane... READ ON

Big Question

Can You Really Tell How Close Lightning is by Listening for Thunder?

Lightning image via ShutterstockIt sounds a bit like an old wives' tale, but you actually can use the speeds of light and sound to get a rough estimate of how far away a storm is.Scientists have come up with various devices and methods for determining the distance of lightning, but you can estimate it right in your head with just a little counting and a little math, using what’s called the "Flash to Bang"... READ ON

Article

What Exactly Is the Heat Index?

Is it really not the heat, but the humidity? With temperatures spiking around the country, we thought it might be a good time to answer some questions about the heat... READ ON

Article

Australian Toilets Don't Flush Backwards Because of the Coriolis Effect

Toilet image via Shutterstock File under "News to Me": you know that old story about how northern hemisphere toilets flush counter-clockwise, and southern hemisphere toilets (and buckets, drains, and such) flush clockwise, due to the Coriolis effect? It's bogus! Today I learned that while the Coriolis effect is significant for hurricanes, it's not strong enough to make toilets flush in different directions at different points on the Earth. The real cause of "backwards"-flushing toilets is just that... READ ON

Article

Views From Cars in the Rain

Artist Gregory Thielker's paintings look just like the view from a car window during rain. "These paintings became a way to explore how driving in weather changes the views outside the car as well how the driving experience informs our basic interpretation of environment," Thielker explained. Because the images lack certain details that make it difficult to discern the setting outside the car, the paintings seem relatable to anyone who's ever driven somewhere on a particularly rainy... READ ON

Article

Seasons Affect MS Symptoms

At the age of 45, Anne Rowling died from complications of multiple sclerosis (MS). Her daughter, J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, recently announced she was donating £10 million ($15.4 million) to form a MS and neurodegenerative disease research center at the University of Edinburgh. Scottish people suffer from the disease at a higher rate than others and the disease seems to impact more people living in northern regions. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital discovered that the seasons impact MS... READ ON