Powerful blast injures at least 35 in Prague

PRAGUE (AP) — A powerful blast believed to be a gas explosion ripped open an office building in the center of Prague on Monday, injuring at least 35 people and sending shockwaves through the heavily touristed Old Town. Authorities fear several people are buried under the rubble.The blast shattered windows in the scenic district of charming streets and postcard-pretty buildings and left tourists stranded on street corners with baggage-loaded trolleys, unable to get into their hotels.An AP Television cameraman filming at the time of the blast said the physical impact could be felt on the famed 15th- century Charles Bridge, which was packed with tourists.The blast occurred on Divadelni Street at about 10 a.m., in one of a row of several-story tall brick buildings dating back about a century. The street was covered with rubble and sealed off by police, who evacuated people from nearby buildings and closed a wide area around the explosion site.   Original post on ap.org    Comments on reddit.com   

A Fertilizer Plant Just Exploded Near Waco, Texas – Adam Clark Estes

Several homes are on fire, and residents of a nearby retirement home are trapped inside after an explosion at a fertilizer plant in a small town near Waco, Texas. The cause of the explosion and extent of the damage is unclear, but a number of people are severely injured.   Original post on theatlanticwire.com    Comments on reddit.com   

Dozens Killed as Explosions Hit Syrian University

Each side in Syria’s conflict blamed the other Tuesday after multiple blasts rocked Aleppo University, leaving 82 people dead, according to a Syrian official.   Original post on nytimes.com    Comments on reddit.com   

Ind. home explosion now homicide investigation

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of people have turned out in Indianapolis for the funeral of a couple killed in a house explosion earlier this month. According to the Indianapolis Star, Monsignor Tony Volz told   Original post on usatoday.com    Comments on reddit.com   

RTV6 – Loud explosion rocks Indianapolis’ south, southeast side – Local Story

At least one person was killed and at least eight people were injured in an explosion and massive fire that tore through a neighborhood on Indianapolis’ south side late Saturday evening.   Original post on theindychannel.com    Comments on reddit.com   

Methane warnings ignored before NZ mine disaster

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand coal mining company ignored 21 warnings that methane gas had accumulated to explosive levels before an underground explosion killed 29 workers two years ago, an investigation concluded. The official report released Monday after 11 weeks of hearings on the disaster found broad safety problems in New Zealand workplaces and said the Pike River Coal company was exposing miners to unacceptable risks as it strove to meet financial targets. The country’s labor minister, Kate Wilkinson, resigned from her labor portfolio after the report’s release, saying she felt it was the honorable thing to do after the tragedy occurred on her watch. In the seven weeks before the explosion, the Pike River company received 21 warnings from mine workers that methane gas had built up to explosive levels below ground and another 27 warnings of dangerous levels, the report said.   Original post on sfgate.com    Comments on reddit.com   

Previously Unknown Population Explosion of Human Species 40,000 Years Ago -Discovered

DNA sequencing of 36 complete Y chromosomes has uncovered a previously unknown population explosion that occurred 40 to 50 thousand years ago, between the first expansion of modern humans out of Africa 60 to 70 thousand years ago and the…   Original post on dailygalaxy.com    Comments on reddit.com   

“Pillars of Creation” -An ‘Illusion’ Vaporized by a Supernova Explosion 6,000 Years Ago (Today’s Most Popular)

In early 2007, scientists using the Spitzer discovered evidence that potentially indicates the famed three Pillars of Creation photographed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 in the Eagle Nebula were destroyed by a nearby supernova explosion about 6,000 years…   Original post on dailygalaxy.com    Comments on digg.com   

Supernova Could Have Caused Mysterious “Red Crucifix” in the Sky in A.D. 774: Scientific American

An ancient text suggests that an eighth-century jump in carbon 14 levels in trees could be explained by a previously unrecognized supernova explosion   Original post on scientificamerican.com    Comments on reddit.com