Fascination: Kenneth Libbrecht, Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology, has been studying snowflakes, ice patterns, crystal growth and ice formations since 1997 We are often told that every snowflake is different – but the naked eye is simply not advanced enough to appreciate the world’s favourite form of precipitation. But even without a white Christmas this year,... 

US President Barack Obama is to have a meeting with Congressional leaders in an attempt to break the deadlock over the looming ‘fiscal cliff.’ Obama will hold talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday, a White House official said. Republican House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will also attend the meeting that... 

Toyota, the third largest carmaker in the US market, has settled a US lawsuit that blames the company for defects in the speed control system in its vehicles. The class action has been the biggest safety crisis in the Japanese company’s history. The key accusation is that millions of Toyota cars accelerate unintentionally, with the proposed settlement set to cover economic losses from possible safety... 

With less than a week until a powerful legislation expires that lets the government eavesdrop on the phone and email conversations of Americans, the Senate has convened in DC to discuss whether or not to renew the FISA Amendment Act. The 2008 FISA Amendment Act, an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of the 1970s, allows the government to wiretap any conversation involving US citizens,... 

Immature: A former TSA officer has revealed that he had witnessed his co-workers laughing at the nude X-ray images of passengers going through full-body scanners A former Transpiration Security Administration (TSA) agent-turned-anonymous blogger recently revealed that his co-workers routinely make fun of passengers’ nude body images while reviewing them in backrooms. The unnamed ex-TSA officer,... 

Hawaii’s third largest island, Oahu Researchers have claimed that some parts of the Hawaiian Islands in the North Pacific that are currently dissolving by groundwater might disappear in future. The study indicates that the Hawaiian Islands are now experiencing significant erosion while the groundwater under the islands is dissolving the island from within. Researchers found that the mountains... 

What your credit says about you: Banks steer clear of giving loans to people with scores below 660, while scores above 750 are considered good according to this graphic by Credit Karma Asking for a date’s credit score has apparently eclipsed more traditional check-list questions like a good job and shared interests. According to the New York Times, websites like Creditscoredating.com state that... 

The bright spot at the center of this large elliptical galaxy is one of the biggest black holes in the universe, which scientists recently found is even bigger than previously thought. This galaxy is in the center of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-19, which is located about 1.3 billion light years from Earth It turns out that the largest black holes may be even bigger than scientists previously thought.... 

Justice: Nine Wyoming farm workers who were spotted by an undercover investigator beating pigs and tossing piglets in the air were arrested and charged with animal abuse Nine former Wyoming farm workers have been charged with animal cruelty Monday after an undercover investigation has revealed that pigs were allegedly being beaten, punched and tossed in the air. The probe began in April when an employee... 

An explosion at a BP oil rig resulted in a devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. A US federal judge has approved a USD 7.8 billion settlement which sees the BP oil giant pay out USD 7.8 billion in compensation to people and businesses affected by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. US District Judge Carl Barbier gave his final verdict on Friday. The ruling covers nearly 100,000... 

The controversial NDAA bill, which allows for the indefinite detention of US citizens, was approved by the Senate despite White House threats to veto the legislation. Republican Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has decried the law as an “abomination.” The libertarian Republican voiced his concerns to a conference committee following the decision to give the present version of National Defense Authorization... 

MIT physicists grew this pure crystal of herbertsmithite in their laboratory. This sample, which took 10 months to grow, is 7 mm long (just over a quarter-inch) and weighs 0.2 grams. Experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say that they have been able to demonstrate the existence of a new state of magnetism. MIT physics professor Young Lee, the senior author of the study, said... 

Doomsday paranoia triggers private asteroid hunt The Mayan doomsday may have passed without incident, but it’s too early to relax. Astronomers have found a large asteroid heading this way. However one private firm thinks it knows how to save us. ­Scientists from the University of Hawaii said that the 140 meter asteroid’s will just miss Earth as the orbital trajectory of the 2011 AG5 space... 

Regulators with the FDA have released a preliminary report that suggests they will soon give the go-ahead to a team of scientists who’ve created a sci-fi “frankenfish.” On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration released an environmental assessment report regarding a salmon-hybrid developed in the laboratories of AquaBounty. The FDA must wait two months before they make final their decision... 

The 2012 Mayan Prophecy has been readily distorted and misunderstood. The End of the Mayan Calendar on December 21, 2012 has nothing to do with the “End of the World”. In fact, the Mayan calendar does not end on December 21st, 2012. Rather December 21 marks the beginning of a new “Long Cycle” in the Mayan calendar system. (See Washington’s Blog, End of the World: Hear the 2012 Prophecy …...