18 May 2013. RIA-Novosti Infographics. The Origin of Geomagnetic Storms

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NASA reported that a powerful X-class flare, the third in the past two days, occurred on the Sun on 14 May. These were the most powerful burst of solar activity since 23 October 2012. None of these flares pointed towards the Earth; otherwise, they could’ve triggered massive geomagnetic storms. Geomagnetic storms are also called geomagnetic disturbances; they last from several hours to several days, and are caused by the arrival in the neighbourhood of the Earth of perturbed solar wind flows and their interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere. Geomagnetic storms are one of the most important elements of space weather and affect many areas of human activity, including degradation of communications, navigation systems, and space vehicles, the induction of eddy currents in transformers and lines, and even the destruction of power systems.

15 May 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20130515/181166662/The-Origin-of-Geomagnetic-Storms.html

http://ria.ru/infografika/20130514/926117248.html

See also:

http://ria.ru/science/20130517/937882770.html

http://ria.ru/science/20130515/937522930.html

http://ria.ru/science/20130515/937369114.html

14 May 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. The UN Points Up Yummy Healthy Delicacies

The UN Points Up Yummy Healthy Delicacies

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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UN experts said that people should eat more insects. Could we get used to that, especially, if it became fashionable? Here’s how Sergei Yolkin sees it.

14 May 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130514/937276200.html

In 2013, Siberian Bears Better Behaved After Hibernation

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On Friday, Konstantin Osadchy, head of the nature protection committee in Tomsk, told RIA-Novosti that bears waking up after their winter hibernation in Tomsk Oblast in Siberia are better behaved this year than last year, saying, “Compared to this time in previous years, things are somehow calmer now, there were times when we had to shoot about a dozen [bears] between the end of April and beginning of May”.

At this time of year, Russian bears wake up from their winter hibernation hungry, and often head to populated areas in search of food. Usually, the authorities only shoot them after local forest rangers or other officials deem that they pose a danger to the human population or livestock in a region. The bear population in the area is growing. In 2011, there were about 8,800 bears in the Tomsk Region, whereas in 1997 the bear population there was just 2,800. Therefore, any decrease in incidents is not down to a decline in the bear population.

Osadchy told us that, so far, they’ve only to shoot one bear in Tomsk Oblast. In 2012, 33 “hooligan bears” as the Russian media dubs them, had to be shot. In 2011, this figure was higher still, at about 50. In recent years, in the Russian Far East, bears dug up corpses in a cemetery, and begged for food from passing cars along a highway.

10 May 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130510/181068221/Siberian-Bears-Better-Behaved-After-Hibernation-in-2013–.html

8 May 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. The Evolution of the Robot

The Evolution of the Robot

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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The exhibition Robots: First Steps and New Achievements. A History of Domestic Robotics from the Files of RIA-Novosti will be at the Polytechnical Museum from 7 to 18 May. Sergei Yolkin takes a light look at the topic of the evolution of robots.

8 May 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130508/936461724.html