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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 03/25
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Pollution
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Tsunamis
In Pictures: Wildfires around the world
Five of world's biggest tsunamis

The Japan tsunami was relatively small in size and deadliness compared to those on record. The following five are among the worst in recorded history.

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Transit of Venus: Early 'tape measure' for size of our solar system (+video)

The next transit of Venus occurs June 5. Astronomers once used the transit of Venus across the sun to come up with the 'astronomical unit' – the distance from Earth to our sun.
Backchannels
The sacred and the profane: Indonesian churches and Lady Gaga

The pop-star Lady Gaga and Indonesian churches have both been the recent target of a thuggish group called the Islam Defenders Front.
Tsunami warning: This time, the system mostly worked

Tsunami warning sirens sounded around the Indian Ocean region after an 8.6 earthquake hit yesterday. During the 2004 tsunami, few warning systems were in place.
How the myth of Atlantis could help predict volcanic eruptions

Researchers examining crystals on the Greek island of Santorni – which 3,600 years ago saw a cataclysmic volcanic eruption that is thought to inspired the story of Atlantis – have found a possible way to predict the eruptions of the world's largest volcanoes.
Dracula-esque monkey long thought vanished reappears

A team set up camera traps in Borneo in June, hoping to captures images of wildlife known to congregate at several mineral salt licks but the pictures that came back caught them all by surprise: groups of monkeys none had ever seen.
Global News Blog
Bali earthquake rattles, but does little substantial damage

Today's 6.1-magnitude Bali earthquake caused no deaths and only minor injuries, in part because of the better development standards the tourist industry has pushed, say observers.
Japan's earthquake actually altered Earth's gravity, scientists find

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in March was the fifth most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The quake also altered the distribution of the Earth's mass, affecting the pull of gravity near the epicenter.
Change Agent
Borneo project restores orangutan habitat

The Borneo Orangutan Survival project in Indonesia could be a blueprint for saving habitat, cutting greenhouse gases.
The surprising factors behind Asia's renaissance

With a bright future ahead of it, Asia is increasingly rediscovering its past. To fully understand Asia's rise, we must come to grips with the forces that shaped its history: Western, Islamic, and Buddhist heritage. It's time to consider Asia's lesson on religious and cultural pluralism.
Rise of smaller militant cells forces Indonesia to rethink terror strategy

While large-scale acts of terrorism have fallen, smaller instances of religious violence that include attacks on churches and beatings of non-Muslims have risen.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 03/25
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Pollution
Japan earthquake accelerated Earth's rotation, study finds

By changing the distribution of mass on the earth, Japan's earthquake sped up the planet's rotation, shortening the day by 1.8 microseconds, a new analysis has found.
What unleashed Japan's massive 8.9 earthquake?

Like the other 14 biggest earthquakes since 1900, the magnitude 8.9 event – that shook Japan and triggered tsunamis that swept the Pacific – was created by a piece of the Earth's crust shoving down into the planet's interior.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Tsunamis
That new species of big cat? Turns out it's actually two new species.

First identified only in 2006, the Sunda clouded leopard actually comes in two distinct types.
In Pictures: Wildfires around the world
Bridging divides

A Christian Science perspective.
Tiger trade in Myanmar and China targeted by wildlife group

Tiger trade: The markets, in an area of northeastern Myanmar controlled by the Wa minority, are considered one of the world's hot spots for wildlife trafficking, and among the only places left where tiger parts are openly sold.
How Indonesia keeps Islamic extremists at bay

Indonesia's version of counterterrorism could be a helpful example to follow in the campaign against extremism.
Did Merapi volcano ash damage the Qantas A380 engine?

Indonesian authorities say the Merapi volcano had nothing to do with Thursday's Qantas A380 engine emergency. But ash clouds from Indonesia and elsewhere have been a hazard to aviation before.
Airbus A380 fleet grounded after Qantas jet engine blowout

Airbus A380 airliners have been grounded by the Australian airline after an engine blowout Thursday that prompted an emergency landing in Singapore with 459 people aboard.
Indonesia's Mt. Merapi shelters overflow with restless evacuees, flights canceled

One week after Indonesia's Mount Merapi unleashed its major blast, evacuation centers have reached capacity. Ongoing eruptions have sent more people fleeing and forced cancellation of some international flights.
Indonesia's Merapi volcano erupts again and threatens more

Indonesia's Mt. Merapi erupted again on Friday. Officials say most, but not all, of the danger is past.
Rescue workers, officials debate warning system as Indonesian volcano erupts again

The responses to Indonesia's back-to-back disasters this week and revelations about the possibility that the warning system did not have proper upkeep highlight the difficulties in trying to put together an efficient disaster management system.