CONGRATULATIONS TAMPA BAY RAYS! major props.

rag-bones:

preteenmom:

A boy left his bike chained to a tree when he went away to war in 1914. He never returned, leaving the tree no choice but to grow around the bike.

eudaimonist:

Five fossil human skulls show how the shape of the face and braincase of early humans changed over the past 2.5 million years. From left to right: Australopithecus africanus, 2.5 million years old; Homo rudolfensis, 1.9 million years old; Homo erectus, ~ 1 million years old; Homo heidelbergensis, ~350,000 years old; Homo sapiens, ~ 4,800 years old.

Photo Cred: Chip Clark, Jim DiLoreto, & Don Hurlbert, Smithsonian Institution

thedailywhat:

Breaking News of the Day: An 8.9-magnitude Earthquake struck some 80 miles off the coast of Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture (230 miles northeast of Tokyo) around 2:45 PM local time. It is the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history, and the seventh largest of all time.

The earthquake reportedly triggered a 33-foot-high tsunami which was captured in part on live television:

Tsunami warning have been issues for 50 surrounding countries and territories, including as far away as the Pacific Coast of the United States (expected arrival times here). Evacuations possible in California.

The confirmed death toll currently stands at 288, but that number is expected to rise rapidly. Aftershocks are still being felt at this time.

Live coverage of the ongoing catastrophe can be found at these sites: BBC, CNN, NYT, Al Jazeera, NHK. Photos can be found here.

More raw footage and news reports below:

Raw tsunami footage.

Raw footage from inside a home in Miyagi.

Footage from inside a supermarket.

Russia Today report.

Al Jazeera English report.

[photo: ap via telegraph.]