More News from the Earthquake

The Bad

News from the Fukushima power plant continues to be terribly devastating. The hydrogen explosions were caused by partial meltdowns, not overheating water, as we reported yesterday.

The spent fuel rods at the plant also are posing a radioactive threat, New Scientist and the New York Times write today.

A new fire was just spotted at the Unit 4 reactor building, reports Reuters.

With radiation levels increasing, the Japanese prime minister warned nearby residents to stay in their homes, but NPR reports that just the opposite happened:

Some packed their cars, others got into buses, and residents simply headed west — many toward Koriyama City.

Sadly, donations for relief efforts seem to be slow, compared to other recent disasters, according to CNN.

The Weird

The Japanese earthquake may have moved the Earth’s axis and shortened days, Universe Today describes. “But don’t worry—you won’t notice the difference.” We reported on a similar occurrence after the large Chilean earthquake last year.

The New York Times details that the movement brought Japan closer to the US and New Scientist states that the quake shifted an Antarctic glacier.

While the Sendai area was known to be seismically active, no one expected such a large earthquake to hit the area, reports Scientific American today.

The Good and More Bad

Academy researcher Wallace “J” Nichols emailed us today:

Our deep collaborations with Japanese scientists began in 1996 when we tracked Adelita [a loggerhead sea turtle] from Baja to Sendai, Japan, and continue to grow. Fortunately, the news from our colleagues is that all are safe. But we've spent time in the fishing communities along the coast north of Sendai, now largely destroyed by the tsunami.

Science in Action covered his work about two years ago. If you are interested in the latest study from his team, published yesterday, click here.

These terribly tragic events have affected millions of people, and the news can sometimes be overwhelming.  Please feel free to share your thoughts with us as a way to process this together.

Image courtesy of daveeza/Flickr