“Shijiao, in China, has been designated as the world’s capital for recycling old and unusable Christmas tree lights that are thrown away by Americans each year. There are at least nine factories in this small town that process large volumes of tree lights. Yong Chang Processing is one of them, the company recycles 2.2 million pounds of lights each year. Overall, the factories of the town go through over 20 million pounds. Shijiao is known for its cheap labor costs and low environmental standards. These factors make it an ideal place for a recycling zone. It has been so for around 20 years now. Needless to say, the burning of the wire from the lights causes huge amounts of black smoke to rise up in the air, which is clearly visible from the fields around town. The process adopted is the fastest way to extract copper from rubber and plastic, and hence there isn’t any alternative.” w/ photos + video

“They appear as if from nowhere. A previously healthy looking plant suddenly has an abnormal growth protruding from it. Some are hideous and some strangely beautiful but they leave the plant looking as if it has been invaded by miniature aliens. And in a way that’s exactly what has happened. Take a look at the weirdness of the plant gall.” w/ photos

“Scientists have discovered the world’s first hybrid sharks in Australian waters, with multiple generations of the new creature found along the nation’s east coast. Scientists say the discovery of interbred sharks could signal the presence of new “tropical” sharks in waters as far south as Sydney, The Australian reported. “Wild hybrids are usually hard to find, so detecting hybrids and their offspring is extraordinary,” said Jennifer Ovenden from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. Fifty-seven of the marine animals were found along a 1,243-mile stretch between northern New South Wales and far north Queensland, with Ovenden calling the discovery ‘unprecedented.” w/ photo

“Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter flew over the moon at just 16.2 miles up to capture shots of the huge Aristarchus crater on the moon – a feature so massive it’s visible to the naked eye from Earth, created when a huge comet or asteroid slammed into a plateau on the surface. Sixteen miles up is just over twice the height that jets fly on Earth. The cliffs of the Aristarchus crater are two miles high – twice as deep as the Grand Canyon – with layers of minerals exposed by the huge impact tumbling into the crater below. The archaeology of the huge crater is almost like a ‘strip mine’ on earth – cutting deep into the layers of minerals on the moon. The planners of the Apollo missions had the Aristarchus crater high on their list of targets for human exploration on the moon.” w/ photos

“Scientists have genetically engineered silkworms to make artificial spider silk. It is hoped the breakthrough could lead to the development of stronger fibers for textiles, bandages for burn victims and bullet-proof vests. The GM silkworms spin tough fibers containing spider silk proteins that are more elastic and extensible, making it more suitable for use in a range of medical applications. Territorialism and cannibalism among spiders pose challenges to spider farming as a viable means of manufacturing silk.” w/ photo

“They’re cute, cuddly and a little bit orange but there’s far more to orangutans than that! Here are some fun facts about orangutans.” — uzoouk

“The GSM network is the ‘normal’ mobile phone network – used by four billion phones worldwide, and accounting for 80 per cent of the global mobile market. But a new vulnerability demonstrated by Karsten Nohl, head of Germany’s Security Research Labs, shows that any phone on any GSM network is vulnerable to attack. The new attack – which Nohl did not publish – allows hackers to control hundreds of thousands of mobile phones at once. The attack allows hackers complete control over the handsets, and could be used to make or send texts to premium phone and messaging services – a typical fraudster attack which can leave victims with enormous bills. Nohl said that although he refused to lay out details of how the attack worked, it was inevitable that hackers would reproduce it within weeks.” w/ photo

“I would pay the people who name hurricanes $100 to name one Shanaynay.” — proent

“Not bad for a quick bite of history though some things need more research. Also, nothing should be called ‘bunk’ without a bit of explanation.” — easalle

“I love how Turkey count their money, hahaha!” — cXkInGoD