Lurking 130ft in the deep: The extraordinary creatures that live in the freezing waters of the Russian Arctic

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Demonic: This Naked Sea Butterfly was found under the White Sea in the Russian Arctic

These glowing underwater life forms are among the most alien-looking in the world.

Resembling eerie beings from a far-off planet, these see-through jelly-like creatures cruise the waters of one of the most remote and inhospitable seas on Earth.

The pulsing orbs and tentacled balls of flesh live 130ft underwater, encased under the ice sheets of the White Sea in the Russian Arctic, in temperatures only just above freezing.


Dinner: This picture shows an Amphipod Hyperia Galba inside a Lion's Mane Jellyfish


Despite the inhospitable environment, Alexander Semenov, 25, from Moscow, now the chief diver of the White Sea Biological Station, took the teeth-chattering plunge in his quest to document the lives of these extraordinary specimens.

He uses strobe light to backlight the creatures and record exactly how their incredible bodies look.



Futuristic: The Dryodora Glandiformis looks almost electronic, but in fact is found 130ft under the sea


'Most of these types of organisms are translucent,' explained Mr Semenov.

'They live in the water column and need to be invisible to predators. Or if they are predators they use this invisibility to surprise their food.

'The glowing in my photos is produced by scattered light inside their bodies which is refracted on their external parts. Without light in the dark abyss almost all of them are totally invisible.'


Lion's Mane Jellyfish: Alexander Semenov says his pictures are aimed at 'anyone from a housewife to an experienced specialist'


Mr Semenov's lighting technique is so efficient that he is even able to show how these animals eat each other. 'You can see all the food inside them,' he said. 'Sometimes I see there are creatures still living and moving inside the predator.'

'My main mission was to show others how wonderful the underwater world is. I have seen creatures and behaviour that have only been witnessed by a few specialists in the world.'


Glowing: This Moon Jellyfish was one of many creatures snapped by Alexander Semenov of Moscow State University


Scaleworm: The creatures were photographed using a strobe light


Adventurous: Mr Semenov photograped this Hydromedusan Jellyfish on behalf of the White Sea Biological Station


Coryphella Polaris: These pictures give scientists a unique look at the body structure of the otherworldly sea-creatures

source: dailymail

The chimp they tried to turn into a human: An extraordinary experiment in which scientists raised a chimpanzee as their child... with chilling results

By TOM LEONARD

Monkey business: Nim is taught sign language by volunteer Joyce Butler

The woman volunteer thought Nim was coming to hug her, but instead the young chimp lunged, biting so deep into her cheek that his fangs pierced her mouth.

As she clutched her bleeding face, the little ape was beside himself, using the same piece of sign language again and again to attract her attention. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ he repeated.

This haunting recollection is one of many contained in a riveting new film, Project Nim, by the director of the Oscar-winning Man On Wire, about one of the most bizarre scientific experiments of recent times.


'A heartless Doctor Doolittle': Professor Herb Terrace takes Nim for a ride


British film-maker James Marsh’s latest subject undertakes a journey every bit as astonishing as tightrope artist Philippe Petit’s walk on a wire strung between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Centre.

Nim was a chimp that was raised as a human child in order to test out the radical theory that man and his closest relative could learn to talk to each other.

Tragically, as Marsh’s film relates through a mixture of archive footage, re-enactments and interviews with those who took part in the early-Seventies experiment, this is a tale that ultimately says more about human arrogance than simian intelligence.


Meal time: The animal eating with one of the volunteers. The chimp was given the name Nim Chimpsky - a pun on Noam Chomsky, the famous thinker who insisted that only humans have the capacity for language

source: dailymail

Home at last: Atlantis makes historic final landing as Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme comes to a glorious end

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Home, and job done: Commander Chris Ferguson, right, shakes hands with pilot Doug Hurley after Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. To their left are crew members Sandra Mangus and Rex Walheim

Atlantis made the perfect landing as dawn broke this morning, gliding down on to the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to bring to an end 30 years of shuttle missions.

It the 135th mission for the fleet, which has covered an astonishing 542 million miles and circled Earth 21,150 times.

And considering this accomplishment, none of the record 2,000 gathered by the landing strip to witness the historic spectacle was complaining that Atlantis was precisely one minute late.

The five shuttles have carried 355 people from 16 countries - and here were the last four astronauts safely home to cheers and tears.

As Commander Christopher Ferguson eased Atlantis on to the runway, he radioed: 'Mission complete, Houston'.

'Job well done, America,' replied Mission Control.



A final stop: Commander Ferguson checks one of Atlantis' chocks and right, addresses the crowds who gathered to watch the historic landing


Incoming: Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson gently steers the 100-ton spaceship high overhead, then nose-dives toward the swamp-surrounded landing strip


Touchdown: Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center one minute behind schedule at 5.57am (10.57am BST) today, bringing to an end Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme


Ferguson added: 'After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop,' radioed commander Christopher Ferguson.

The twilight landing, just before dawn, came exactly 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight in 1981.

It will be another three to five years at best before Americans are launched again from U.S. soil, with private companies gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from Nasa.


Final farewell: Hundreds of spectators gathered near the runway to welcome Atlantis home - and to bid Nasa's space shuttle programme goodbye


The long-term future for American space exploration is just as hazy, a huge concern for many at NASA and all those losing their jobs because of the shuttle's end.

Asteroids and Mars are the destinations of choice, yet NASA has yet to settle on a rocket design to get astronauts there.

Today, though, belonged to Atlantis and its crew: Ferguson, co-pilot Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus, who completed a successful space station resupply mission.
Atlantis' main landing gears touched down at 5:57 a.m. (0957 GMT), with 'wheels stop' less than a minute later.

'The space shuttle has changed the way we view the world and it's changed the way we view our universe,' said Ferguson. 'There's a lot of emotion today, but one thing's indisputable. America's not going to stop exploring.


Atlantis' mission was to resupply the International Space Station, ending a 12-year programme to build and service the orbital research outpost



Atlantis comes to a standstill on the runway. Private companies will now take over trips to the ISS. Nasa's next stop with astronauts will be an asteroid, then Mars


Hugs and cheers inside Johnson Space Center's mission control as staff congratulate themselves on a job well done


NASA employee Jerry Davison, center, and his wife, Maureen, right, take photos, while colleague Sean Carter, right, watches with his family


Fingers crossed: Johnson Space Center employees Jeremy Rea, right, and Shelley Stortz hold hands


Homeward bound: An image of the ISS that was taken by an Atlantis crew member shortly after the shuttle departed the station on Tuesday and, right, docked with the space station



Last lift-off: Hundred of thousands of spectators watched blast-off at Cape Canaveral and millions tuned in to watch the crew chat to President Obama during the mission


NASA - PARTE 1.mp4


source :dailymail

Home at last: Atlantis makes historic final landing as Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme comes to a glorious end

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Home, and job done: Commander Chris Ferguson, right, shakes hands with pilot Doug Hurley after Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. To their left are crew members Sandra Mangus and Rex Walheim

Atlantis made the perfect landing as dawn broke this morning, gliding down on to the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to bring to an end 30 years of shuttle missions.

It the 135th mission for the fleet, which has covered an astonishing 542 million miles and circled Earth 21,150 times.

And considering this accomplishment, none of the record 2,000 gathered by the landing strip to witness the historic spectacle was complaining that Atlantis was precisely one minute late.

The five shuttles have carried 355 people from 16 countries - and here were the last four astronauts safely home to cheers and tears.

As Commander Christopher Ferguson eased Atlantis on to the runway, he radioed: 'Mission complete, Houston'.

'Job well done, America,' replied Mission Control.



A final stop: Commander Ferguson checks one of Atlantis' chocks and right, addresses the crowds who gathered to watch the historic landing


Incoming: Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson gently steers the 100-ton spaceship high overhead, then nose-dives toward the swamp-surrounded landing strip


Touchdown: Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center one minute behind schedule at 5.57am (10.57am BST) today, bringing to an end Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme


Ferguson added: 'After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop,' radioed commander Christopher Ferguson.

The twilight landing, just before dawn, came exactly 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight in 1981.

It will be another three to five years at best before Americans are launched again from U.S. soil, with private companies gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from Nasa.


Final farewell: Hundreds of spectators gathered near the runway to welcome Atlantis home - and to bid Nasa's space shuttle programme goodbye


The long-term future for American space exploration is just as hazy, a huge concern for many at NASA and all those losing their jobs because of the shuttle's end.

Asteroids and Mars are the destinations of choice, yet NASA has yet to settle on a rocket design to get astronauts there.

Today, though, belonged to Atlantis and its crew: Ferguson, co-pilot Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus, who completed a successful space station resupply mission.
Atlantis' main landing gears touched down at 5:57 a.m. (0957 GMT), with 'wheels stop' less than a minute later.

'The space shuttle has changed the way we view the world and it's changed the way we view our universe,' said Ferguson. 'There's a lot of emotion today, but one thing's indisputable. America's not going to stop exploring.


Atlantis' mission was to resupply the International Space Station, ending a 12-year programme to build and service the orbital research outpost



Atlantis comes to a standstill on the runway. Private companies will now take over trips to the ISS. Nasa's next stop with astronauts will be an asteroid, then Mars


Hugs and cheers inside Johnson Space Center's mission control as staff congratulate themselves on a job well done


NASA employee Jerry Davison, center, and his wife, Maureen, right, take photos, while colleague Sean Carter, right, watches with his family


Fingers crossed: Johnson Space Center employees Jeremy Rea, right, and Shelley Stortz hold hands


Homeward bound: An image of the ISS that was taken by an Atlantis crew member shortly after the shuttle departed the station on Tuesday and, right, docked with the space station



Last lift-off: Hundred of thousands of spectators watched blast-off at Cape Canaveral and millions tuned in to watch the crew chat to President Obama during the mission


NASA - PARTE 1.mp4


source :dailymail

Home at last: Atlantis makes historic final landing as Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme comes to a glorious end

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Home, and job done: Commander Chris Ferguson, right, shakes hands with pilot Doug Hurley after Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. To their left are crew members Sandra Mangus and Rex Walheim

Atlantis made the perfect landing as dawn broke this morning, gliding down on to the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to bring to an end 30 years of shuttle missions.

It the 135th mission for the fleet, which has covered an astonishing 542 million miles and circled Earth 21,150 times.

And considering this accomplishment, none of the record 2,000 gathered by the landing strip to witness the historic spectacle was complaining that Atlantis was precisely one minute late.

The five shuttles have carried 355 people from 16 countries - and here were the last four astronauts safely home to cheers and tears.

As Commander Christopher Ferguson eased Atlantis on to the runway, he radioed: 'Mission complete, Houston'.

'Job well done, America,' replied Mission Control.



A final stop: Commander Ferguson checks one of Atlantis' chocks and right, addresses the crowds who gathered to watch the historic landing


Incoming: Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson gently steers the 100-ton spaceship high overhead, then nose-dives toward the swamp-surrounded landing strip


Touchdown: Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center one minute behind schedule at 5.57am (10.57am BST) today, bringing to an end Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme


Ferguson added: 'After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop,' radioed commander Christopher Ferguson.

The twilight landing, just before dawn, came exactly 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight in 1981.

It will be another three to five years at best before Americans are launched again from U.S. soil, with private companies gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from Nasa.


Final farewell: Hundreds of spectators gathered near the runway to welcome Atlantis home - and to bid Nasa's space shuttle programme goodbye


The long-term future for American space exploration is just as hazy, a huge concern for many at NASA and all those losing their jobs because of the shuttle's end.

Asteroids and Mars are the destinations of choice, yet NASA has yet to settle on a rocket design to get astronauts there.

Today, though, belonged to Atlantis and its crew: Ferguson, co-pilot Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus, who completed a successful space station resupply mission.
Atlantis' main landing gears touched down at 5:57 a.m. (0957 GMT), with 'wheels stop' less than a minute later.

'The space shuttle has changed the way we view the world and it's changed the way we view our universe,' said Ferguson. 'There's a lot of emotion today, but one thing's indisputable. America's not going to stop exploring.


Atlantis' mission was to resupply the International Space Station, ending a 12-year programme to build and service the orbital research outpost



Atlantis comes to a standstill on the runway. Private companies will now take over trips to the ISS. Nasa's next stop with astronauts will be an asteroid, then Mars


Hugs and cheers inside Johnson Space Center's mission control as staff congratulate themselves on a job well done


NASA employee Jerry Davison, center, and his wife, Maureen, right, take photos, while colleague Sean Carter, right, watches with his family


Fingers crossed: Johnson Space Center employees Jeremy Rea, right, and Shelley Stortz hold hands


Homeward bound: An image of the ISS that was taken by an Atlantis crew member shortly after the shuttle departed the station on Tuesday and, right, docked with the space station



Last lift-off: Hundred of thousands of spectators watched blast-off at Cape Canaveral and millions tuned in to watch the crew chat to President Obama during the mission


NASA - PARTE 1.mp4


source :dailymail

Home at last: Atlantis makes historic final landing as Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme comes to a glorious end

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Home, and job done: Commander Chris Ferguson, right, shakes hands with pilot Doug Hurley after Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. To their left are crew members Sandra Mangus and Rex Walheim

Atlantis made the perfect landing as dawn broke this morning, gliding down on to the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to bring to an end 30 years of shuttle missions.

It the 135th mission for the fleet, which has covered an astonishing 542 million miles and circled Earth 21,150 times.

And considering this accomplishment, none of the record 2,000 gathered by the landing strip to witness the historic spectacle was complaining that Atlantis was precisely one minute late.

The five shuttles have carried 355 people from 16 countries - and here were the last four astronauts safely home to cheers and tears.

As Commander Christopher Ferguson eased Atlantis on to the runway, he radioed: 'Mission complete, Houston'.

'Job well done, America,' replied Mission Control.



A final stop: Commander Ferguson checks one of Atlantis' chocks and right, addresses the crowds who gathered to watch the historic landing


Incoming: Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson gently steers the 100-ton spaceship high overhead, then nose-dives toward the swamp-surrounded landing strip


Touchdown: Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center one minute behind schedule at 5.57am (10.57am BST) today, bringing to an end Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme


Ferguson added: 'After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop,' radioed commander Christopher Ferguson.

The twilight landing, just before dawn, came exactly 30 years and three months after the very first shuttle flight in 1981.

It will be another three to five years at best before Americans are launched again from U.S. soil, with private companies gearing up to seize the Earth-to-orbit-and-back baton from Nasa.


Final farewell: Hundreds of spectators gathered near the runway to welcome Atlantis home - and to bid Nasa's space shuttle programme goodbye


The long-term future for American space exploration is just as hazy, a huge concern for many at NASA and all those losing their jobs because of the shuttle's end.

Asteroids and Mars are the destinations of choice, yet NASA has yet to settle on a rocket design to get astronauts there.

Today, though, belonged to Atlantis and its crew: Ferguson, co-pilot Douglas Hurley, Rex Walheim and Sandra Magnus, who completed a successful space station resupply mission.
Atlantis' main landing gears touched down at 5:57 a.m. (0957 GMT), with 'wheels stop' less than a minute later.

'The space shuttle has changed the way we view the world and it's changed the way we view our universe,' said Ferguson. 'There's a lot of emotion today, but one thing's indisputable. America's not going to stop exploring.


Atlantis' mission was to resupply the International Space Station, ending a 12-year programme to build and service the orbital research outpost



Atlantis comes to a standstill on the runway. Private companies will now take over trips to the ISS. Nasa's next stop with astronauts will be an asteroid, then Mars


Hugs and cheers inside Johnson Space Center's mission control as staff congratulate themselves on a job well done


NASA employee Jerry Davison, center, and his wife, Maureen, right, take photos, while colleague Sean Carter, right, watches with his family


Fingers crossed: Johnson Space Center employees Jeremy Rea, right, and Shelley Stortz hold hands


Homeward bound: An image of the ISS that was taken by an Atlantis crew member shortly after the shuttle departed the station on Tuesday and, right, docked with the space station



Last lift-off: Hundred of thousands of spectators watched blast-off at Cape Canaveral and millions tuned in to watch the crew chat to President Obama during the mission


NASA - PARTE 1.mp4


source :dailymail