There's a place on Earth where lightning flashes almost every nightuntil, one day, it stopped. What ... [+] causes the Catatumbo lightning, why did it stop briefly and why did it return 160 days later?gettyFor as long as people have traveled through Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, theyve known about the storm that never sleeps. Sailors in the 16th century called it El Faro del Catatumbothe Catatumbo Lighthousebecause its relentless flashes of lightning illuminated the sky for miles, making navigation possible even on the darkest nights.The phenomenon was so reliable that Spanish poet Lope de Vega wrote about it in 1597, describing how it gave away Sir Francis Drakes fleet during a failed raid on Spanish-controlled Maracaibo.For centuries, this great electrical storm never truly stopped. But then, in 2010, something unimaginable happened: The Catatumbo lightning went silent.Catatumbo LightningThe Conditions That Make Perpetual Lightning PossibleDeep within Venezuelas Lake Maracaibo basin, where the Catatumbo River meets the lake, intense thunderstorms light up the sky as often as 260 nights a year. To understand how something as extreme as this is possible, we have to look at the unique geography, climate and atmospheric forces that make this one of the most electrically charged places on Earth.For one, the region where this phenomenon takes place is a literal storm trap between the Andes. Lake Maracaibo is one of the largest in South America and it sits in a geological bowl, surrounded by the Andes Mountains to the west, the Perij Mountains to the north and the Mrida ranges to the south. These peaks act like walls, creating a perfect environment for storms to brew.The Catatumbo lightning occurs only over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake ... [+] Maracaibo.gettyMORE FOR YOUBut geography alone isnt enough to explain the mysterious lightning.The real secret lies in the interaction between unique atmospheric conditions provided by the vast lake (which is actually, more accurately, an estuary) and the storm-trapping topography provided by the mountains that turns this region into a near-permanent electrical storm.Lake Maracaibo breathes energy into the sky every single day. The lake, stretching over 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles), is a massive heat reservoir, absorbing the suns energy throughout the day. As night falls, this stored heat rises, pushing warm, moisture-laden air upwardthe perfect recipe for cloud formation.At the same time, cool air cascades down from the Andes and surrounding mountain ranges, rushing in to replace the rising heat. When these two air masses collide, the warm air is forced even higher into the atmosphere, rapidly cooling and condensing into towering thunderclouds.This cycle repeats night after night, creating a perfect storm system where lightning thrives.Why the Lightning Here is So ExtremeBut heres what makes Catatumbo lightning different from a regular thunderstorm:The updrafts are incredibly strong. The rapid lifting of warm air means that clouds build fast and high, creating the perfect conditions for electrical charges to accumulate.Lake Maracaibos humidity fuels the storm endlessly. Unlike other storm systems that burn out when their moisture source is depleted, this one is constantly replenished by the lake.Wind currents keep the storm trapped in place. The mountains act as a natural barrier, preventing the weather system from moving away like a normal thunderstorm.The result is a lightning machine that never fully shuts down.Catatumbo Lightning Temporarily Vanished In 2010This Is Our Best Guess As To WhyFor around a 160 days in the year 2010, Catatumbo lightningthe most reliable storm system on Earthwas nowhere to be seen. No towering thunderheads, no nightly flashes lighting up the sky. The great atmospheric engine that had raged for centuries had simplystopped.The most widely accepted explanation has to do with El Nio, the climate-disrupting powerhouse of the Pacific Ocean. Every few years, this massive weather phenomenon sends shockwaves across the globe, shifting rain patterns, raising temperatures and throwing entire ecosystems off balance.And in 2010, it may have been responsible for the dark skies over the mouth of Catatumbo River, where it empties into Lake Maracaibo.El Nio begins in the Pacific, when warm ocean waters spread eastward toward South America, disrupting atmospheric circulation. Normally, moist trade winds carry warm air and humidity across the tropics, but during El Nio, these winds weaken or reverse, disrupting rainfall patterns worldwide. And in Venezuela, that meant one thingdrought.That year, the normally moist, storm-feeding air over Lake Maracaibo dried up. Water levels dropped. Humidity plummeted. The thunderstorms that relied on the lakes steady supply of evaporating moisture had nothing to fuel them.By April of the same year, El Nios grip had weakened. Rain returned to the lake, water levels stabilized and the air grew thick with moisture once more. The convection currents that had been missing for months kicked back into action, and with them came the lightning. Almost as if the sky had simply been paused.El Nio had proved that even a storm that never stops has its limits. It had found the one thing that could silence Catatumbo lightningcutting off its fuel source. But the moment the conditions returned, so did the storm. It was almost as if nothing had ever changed.This story is a reminder that even the most unstoppable forces have breaking points. Does this make you wonder about your feeble place in the planet? Take this free, science-backed Connectedness To Nature Scale to understand your attitude toward nature better.

In context: AMD has firmly established itself as the leading CPU maker in the handheld gaming PC market, powering popular devices like the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally X, and Lenovo Legion Go. At CES 2025, AMD further strengthened its position by unveiling new chips specifically designed for next-gen handheld gaming PCs, including the Z2, Z2 Go, and Z2 Extreme chipsets. Now, Intel is making strategic moves to challenge this dominance. Robert Hallock, Intel VP and GM of client AI and technical marketing, recently revealed the company's renewed focus on the handheld gaming PC market in an exclusive interview with Laptop Magazine. "Intel is beefing up its staff to support gaming ISVs who want to do handhelds," the executive said.This support extends beyond just providing hardware; Intel is implementing internal programs to help manufacturers optimize performance for handheld devices. The company has also assembled a team of handheld specialists to provide additional support for engineers and software developers.A key aspect of Intel's strategy involves giving game developers early access to handheld gaming hardware. Since many developers typically focus on desktop environments, Intel aims to broaden their perspective.A lot of game devs tend just to target what they have on their desks or in their QA labs, Hallock noted. To address this, Intel plans to supply developers with prototype devices and development kits leading into the launch of Panther Lake.Also see: The History of Handheld Gaming PCsAt CES, Intel showcased a range of upcoming products featuring its chipsets, including the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Tencent Sunday Dragon 3D handhelds. However, Hallock noted that some unidentified devices on display were powered by Intel's latest Arrow Lake-H SoC.Hallock pointed out that Arrow Lake-H offers graphics performance comparable to Lunar Lake and that some of these handhelds now operate at up to 30 watts. He also emphasized that Arrow Lake is well-suited to the gaming handheld form factor. // Related StoriesIntel's roadmap extends beyond Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake, as the company is already preparing for its next-generation mobile chips, codenamed Panther Lake. Unlike Lunar Lake, which features on-package memory, Panther Lake will allow for greater customization.That feature is welcomed by handheld vendors as they are able to customize the memory they put in the platform, Hallock said. At the same time, he added, Intel offers other technologies that can compensate for the removal of the memory on package, which saves power.As part of Intel's push into the handheld gaming market, it is actively seeking partnerships with game developers to optimize software for handheld devices. Hallock extended an open invitation: "If there's a game developer out there who happens upon this article eventually and you've been thinking about handhelds, give us an e-mail. We would love to work with you and help you optimize your software for handheld devices."

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsRelease datePlatformsTrailersGameplayPreorderThe team at Supermassive Games made a name for themselves with one of the best horror games Until Dawn.Since then, the team has produced new narrative horror games almost every year, with their next upcoming video game revealed to be Directive 8020.BetweenIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and Saros, there are a lot of upcoming PS5 games set in space to look forward to. However, none promise to blend horror with a narrative driven by player choice like this. Supermassive Games havent approached sci-fi horror in their games yet, so lets make all the right choices to learn everything about Directive 8020 and hopefully survive.A ton of games have been announced this year, so keep up to date with our lists of upcoming Xbox Series X games, upcoming Switch games, and upcoming PC games.Recommended VideosSupermassiveDespite just being revealed this year, Directive 8020 will launch on October 2, 2025. Supermassive Games usually tries to line its games up with the Halloween season, so this should be a great game to pick up at that time of year.Please enable Javascript to view this contentSupermassiveDirective 8020 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There is a chance it could come to the Switch 2, but no other Supermassive Games titles have hit that platform so we wouldnt bet on it.Directive 8020 - Story Reveal Trailer | PS5 GamesThe story trailer for Directive 8020 debuted during the February State of Play event. This was the first look at the game, but also gave us the release date.The game will take place on a ship called the Cassiopeia on a mission to survey and scout a new planet before the Earth becomes uninhabitable. The craft is meant to serve as a colony but only staffed with essential crew for this test mission. Of course, this test doesnt go smoothly. Our cast of characters will wake up four years into the journey when a hull breach is detected. Thats only the start of the trouble, as a murder and unexpected crash landing throws everything into chaos. Despite all that, the trailer also teases an alien threat that, much like The Thing,has the ability to appear and act like any member of the crew.The only named characters we know of is Brianna Young and Commander Staford who are played by Lashana Lynch and Danny Sapani respectively.SupermassiveThe gameplay in Directive 8020 isnt wildly different from previous Supermassive Games. It is still a third-person narrative adventure game where you will control several characters, in this case 5, and explore environments, talk to others, and make critical decisions that can have dire consequences. Making decisions has always been the meat of these games, and this entry promises to have some of the most difficult yet.Beyond walking around and interacting with things, Directive 8020 will include some new mechanics. Characters will be equipped with a utility strap that controls a flashlight that is great for exploring the dark but also exposes your position. Stealth will be a bigger focus here, which is helped by a new scanner that you can use to remotely interact with various electronics to use as distractions or communicate with other crew members.The last new tool we know of is called a wedge tool which mainly lets you pry open doors, but can also be used to attack the alien. It can only stun it, however, so dont expect to kill it with brute force. At best, it will give you a chance to escape.SupermassiveIn a strange twist, Directive 8020 is not available to preorder yet, despite having a set release date. As soon as we get more information on when and how you can preorder, we will update this article.Editors Recommendations

After the season 1 finale of Prime Videos Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the show apparently needs two fresh leading performers. For a while, it looked like musician Billie Eilish would be the new Jane Smith. But with Eilish unavailable due to her touring commitments, Yellowjackets Sophie Thatcher is reportedly in talks to become the shows latest co-lead.Deadline was the first to report the news, while noting that Thatcher will star opposite Mark Eydelshteyns John Smith if she closes her deal with Amazon. In addition to her breakout role on Yellowjackets, Thatcher has appeared in The Book of Boba Fett and Foxs Exorcist TV series as a young Regan MacNeil, who was the victim of possession as seen in The Exorcist. The actress has also established herself as a scream queen through leading roles in horror movies including The Boogeyman, Heretic, and most recently, Companion.Recommended VideosDonald Glover and Francesca Sloane created Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and they took their inspiration from the 2005 film starring a former real-life couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. While the movie initially depicted the Smiths as unaware of their respective double lives as assassins, the show featured John (Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) as strangers who accepted an undercover operation from their secretive employers. Thus they had to pretend to be married for their cover story, and slowly grew to have real feelings for each other.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe fate of John and Jane in the season 1 finale was intentionally left ambiguous, and its possible one or both could return to the show at some point. Glover remains an executive producer on the series alongside Slone, who will once again be the showrunner for season 2. There are also rumors that the show will adopt an anthology format, with a different couple at the heart of each season.Amazon Prime Video hasnt set a premiere date for Mr. & Mrs. Smith season 2 yet.Editors Recommendations

I have two daughters, ages 4.5 and 1.5 years old. I wanted one kid, but my husband felt we should give our oldest a sibling. I want them to be friends and maybe I'm projecting the relationship I wanted to have with my brother."Can you hold your sister's hand?" I ask my oldest as we walk through the crowded airport.I decided to fly solo with both kids for a long weekend. In doing so, though, I also put a lot of trust in my 4.5 and 1.5-year-old daughters to get through the airport as a unified team."Her hand is sweaty," Maeve said, shaking her little sister off."Please," I try again. "She's your little sister and best friend." It's hard to mask the pleading in my eyes as I roll two carry-on suitcases and have absolutely zero free hands."Ugh, fine," Maeve said. Gemma smiles when her big sister grabs her hand again. And I smile, too.My husband and I disagreed on the number of kids we should haveMy husband, an only child, had felt a bit lonely growing up, whereas I'd had a little brother and knew friendship wasn't guaranteed. While I was happy with one, he wanted our daughter to have a sibling. He figured they'd be best friends. I told him we didn't know if that was the case. They could very well hate each other. My brother and I are only 18 months apart. I remember being inseparable as little kids we looked out for each other, spent hours riding bikes together, and would put on elaborate plays for our parents. Today, though? We have a fraught relationship. It was a divide that began when I was in middle school and has continued well into adulthood, thanks to a combination of differing personalities and the competitive atmosphere my parents unintentionally fostered.I want my kids to be friendsNow that I have two daughters who are three years apart, I've made it a goal that they not only have a strong relationship but are also friends maybe even best friends."You and your brother are best friends?" I once asked a coworker when I was pregnant with my second daughter. She'd told me she was traveling with her brother something I could never imagine doing. "How did that happen?"She said that her mom just kept telling them they were best friends, and so that's what they became. Could it really be that simple? Almost immediately, I started telling my oldest that her new little sister would be her best friend.As it turned out, it's obviously not that simple. When Gemma was born, Maeve was (understandably) upset that this screaming potato with eyes had come in and taken her mom's attention. It wasn't until the six-month mark that Maeve seemed to finally accept that Gemma wasn't going anywhere. And then, at around eight months, Maeve made Gemma laugh. Which seemed to give Maeve just enough satisfaction to try to make her laugh again.Their relationship has ups and downsAlmost two years into being siblings, I watch their relationship ebb and flow sometimes hugging and giggling, other times crying and screaming. The book "Siblings Without Rivalry" told me to set expectations low they don't need to be friends, the goal should be for them to have a good relationship.Still, I want them to be friends. I know that I'm projecting the relationship I wish I'd had with my brother onto them. But I can't help it I don't want them to grow up and not be able to rely on each other. While I know I can't force them to willingly spend time together (they may very well end up like my brother and I), there are some things I can control.So, for now, I try to plan activities they both like to do together. I occasionally remind them they're built-in best friends. And when something good happens for one of them (like my daughter's holiday recital), I make sure her sister cheers her on from the crowd. Soon enough, I won't be able to dictate how they spend their time, and it will be up to them to decide their future relationship. Selfishly, I hope that relationship is friendly, and I have to hold on to that.

I moved from Russia to the US as a teen for college and loved Southern culture.When I became a mother, I mixed my Russian culture with Southern ideals.It wasn't until I became a single mother that I saw how great the South truly is.It was the summer of 1994. I was only 19 and leaving Russia to start college in America. I grew up in the most amazing family that loved art, culture, and cooking.Sunday brunches, fun Friday dinners with cousins, and dance parties at my grandmother's house after a big meal were always a big hit. My family has been there for me at every school event, dance recital, theater production, and math competition. They threw me a big surprise party and invited my friends and family to send me to America.A few days later, I began my journey to the US. After almost 10 hours of travel, I landed in New York. My next stop was Nashville, a land of country music, the best church potluck meals in the South, and high humidity.It did not take long to dive into the charming southern culture. The little town in western Tennessee Henderson where I went to college was everything I thought it would be.The people I met there shaped me into the mother I am today, with old-fashioned values and a pantry room full of southern cooking recipe books but I never forgot my Russian roots.My parenting became a mix of Russian culture and Southern idealsLike many girls in the 90s, I married young at the age of 21 in a small church outside Nashville. By the time I turned 30, I was a mom of two amazing sons.My life was more than baking cornbread and biscuits and serving sweet tea for Sunday lunches. I embraced my upbringing and was quite excited to introduce my Russian traditions, which had been passed from my grandparents to my parents.Being a Russian mom to me meant staying home and raising my kids. It meant throwing big birthday parties and inviting all your adult Russian friends and their kids. Being a Russian parent was about teaching my kids about my home country's cuisine and accepting that they might not like it. It meant teaching my kids everything about Russian art, music, and books just how my mom raised me.Even though I left my parents and everything I knew to start a new life in America, I took a piece of my heart with me to America.Still, I wanted to be a perfect Southern Mom. After 20 years of living in the US, I learned to speak English with a little drawl, make cornbread and chili for potluck meals, and bake homemade cookies. I eventually mastered the art of Southern hospitality, kids' sleepovers, and pizza nights.I still took my kids to church because everyone in the South seemingly went to church on Sunday. Sometimes, I felt like a Russian soul operating in the body of an American Southern mother.Going through a divorce showed me a new side of the SouthJust before Christmas in 2014, I became a single divorced mom and started my life over again in Nashville. I was overwhelmed. I had to adjust my lifestyle, thinking, and career choices.I had to become the most fearless mother. I also had to figure out how to continue living my life as if nothing had changed so my kids could weather the storm.Thankfully, the community I built in Tennessee helped me along the way. That's when I learned the Southern way of welcoming people was more than an accent and sharing a recipe. Some people truly opened their hearts to me and helped me care for my children independently. They were there for me. They helped my family and me through a challenging time.That's when I saw the real soul of the South.After 20 years of living in America, I proudly carry the title of a perfect Southern Mom, but when I became a single mother, I finally learned what it meant to be a true Southerner.

By Isaac Schultz Published February 16, 2025 | Comments (0) | The aftereffects of a massive September 16, 2023 landslide on a Greenland fjord are seen in this photo, taken three days later. Danish Army Much of icy Greenland may soon go the way of the dodo, according to a group of researchers latest climatological analysis. Soon is a relative term, but the team posits that just a few degrees of temperature change could put the second-largest ice sheet on Earth into a death spiral, catalyzing over 20 feet (6.1 meters) of global sea level rise and drastic changes to the immediate marine environment. The teams research was published in The Cryosphere. Greenlands ice sheet is one of two on Earth, the other spanning Antarctica. Combined, the two ice sheets contain more than 68% of Earths fresh water, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Greenlands ice sheet covers 656,000 square miles (1.7 million square kilometers), or about 80% of the island. The ice is over 1.9 miles (3 km) thick in places and if the entire sheet melted, sea levels would rise 24 feet (7.4 meters). In its work, the team used a climate model to simulate how different climates would affect Greenlands surface massin other words, they applied different climate scenarios to see how quickly or slowly the Greenland ice sheet would melt. The team found the tipping point for Greenlands ice sheet occurs when approximately 230 gigatons of ice is lost in a single year, which corresponds to a 60% decrease from the pre-industrial equilibrium for the ice sheet. That event would be the point of no return for Greenlands ice, which would completely disappear in a relatively short period (between 8,000 years and 40,000 years, according to Science X Network). All of this sounds very hypothetical, until you consider that the team ties that threshold to a global temperature increase of 6.12 degrees Fahrenheit (3.4 degrees Celsius) compared to pre-industrial levels.The teams findings come on the heels of a Nature paper published last year that found that calving from the landmasss ice sheet ubiquitously accelerated between 1985 and 2022. Furthermore, last years team found that previous research underestimated mass losses from Greenland by as much as 20%, and the mass loss the team reported had minimal direct impact on global sea level but is sufficient to affect ocean circulation and the distribution of heat energy around the globe. Greenland is in the zeitgeist because of President Trumps repeated claims about wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark. Greenland has been part of Denmark for six centuries; though it gained its autonomy in 1979 and has its own local government, the island is a territory of Denmark.Trumps insistence has prompted silly moves from his political allies and followers; yesterday, Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia (no relation to Georgia native and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter) introduced H.R.1161, a bill meant to authorize the President to enter into negotiations to acquire Greenland and to rename Greenland as Red, White, and Blueland. The bill is a reminder of how much of American politicking is performative grandstanding, and not done in service of political representatives constituents. It may be thousands of years before such a tipping pointand given that the teams work was a simulation, theres still plenty of time for humankind to right the ship. But the study shows one plausible scenario should global warming continue at its current ratea worrying sign whether you are in the market for Greenland or are simply an Earthling.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By AJ Dellinger Published January 24, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published January 8, 2025 Lylla Younes, Grist Published December 14, 2024 By Margherita Bassi Published November 29, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published November 25, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published October 30, 2024

Malbun Houses / Sandro DurrerSave this picture! Samuel HolznerArchitects: sandro durrerAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:1100 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Samuel HolznerMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Three houses nestle snugly against the steep slope in Malbun. On the outside, they are based on traditional Maienssse houses and barns on the alp once used during the summer months. Inside, their restrained exterior gives way to the ambience of contemporary interior design.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Natural materials of the highest quality create a cosy and intimate setting. These have been meticulously selected, crafted by hand and joined with precise workmanship. Light skims gently over the pale oak flooring, and travels over the green slate kitchen and across the oak panelling of the wall.Save this picture!A wide strip of windows allows an unexpected abundance of sunlight to stream into the interior. This is thanks to the glazing being set in part behind a wooden slat faade, a filter that produces a subtle interplay of light and shadow. According to the time of year, the effect varies in spring, summer, autumn and winter.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!All three houses harmonise with each other in terms of their architecture and interior yet also stand alone. They have been thoughtfully designed and handcrafted to allow the material, the light and the landscape to take centre stage a home where you can live, enjoy life and grow in a calm, balanced environment.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officesandro durrerOfficeMaterialWoodMaterials and TagsPublished on February 16, 2025Cite: "Malbun Houses / Sandro Durrer" 16 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1026582/malbun-houses-sandro-durrer&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Stack CommerceShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Youve got the high-end graphics card, the ultra-fast SSD, and the RGB lighting that could blind your neighbors. But if your games still arent running as smoothly or looking as sharp as youd expect, the problem might not be your hardwareits your operating system. If youre a Windows 10 holdout, its time to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.Its so simple, yet so obvious. You can get the best gaming experience with speed improvements and new features like DirectX12 Ultimate graphics. Dont wait to upgrade because Windows 11 Pro is on sale for $17.97 until March 30its lowest price ever (reg. $199).Breaking down Windows 11 Pros gaming featuresIf youve been skeptical about upgrading to Windows 11, you may take some more convincing. So, how exactly can an operating system upgrade go as far as helping you win more Fortnite battles?DirectX 12 Ultimate graphics maximize your hardware for more realistic visuals and lighting effectsAuto HDR enhances quality of older gamesDirectStorage accelerates loading times by enabling the GPU to access NVMe SSD storage directlyWindows 11 is also optimized to have fewer apps running in the background, improving your PCs performance when youre gaming and working. Plus, since Windows 11 has been out for quite a while, its already compatible with most games.Immediately after purchase, youll receive an email with your unique Windows 11 Pro activation key. In fact, this key can upgrade two compatible PCs.Dont miss this Windows 11 Pro discount: $17.97 until March 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed to get this price.StackSocial prices subject to change.Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $17.97See Deal

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