How many amazing and beautiful moments nature presents to us.
The most common occurrences are rainbows, sunset and sunrise.
But there is still a lot of amazing things that we don’t even notice.
Morning Glory (Australia)
Clouds in the traditional sense are pretty boring - just clumps of condensation that travel across the sky all day. But in the skies over Australia, everything is different: there you can often see truly unusual clouds - morning glory. These clouds are made up of long, tubular accumulations of water vapor and can sometimes reach 1000 km (no, that's not a mistake) in length and 300 m in height. In most parts of our world they are extremely rare, but in the Gulf of Carpentaria during the dry season from August to November, such clouds are frequent visitors. During the specified period, the morning gloria appears there once every few days, and throughout the season, pilots are on duty near the bay, ready to take tourists on board for a small fee so that they can look at the gloria from above. The spectacle is worth going up into the sky - the air from the bottom of the cloud rises upward at great speed, and as a result, turbulent vortices of insane beauty arise.
No, it's not lava - that would be too simple. Horsetail Fall begins to glow every February: for two weeks, the sun's rays hit it at such an angle that the waterfall appears as if it is made of flame - this phenomenon is often called a firefall. Typically, a firefall can be observed for only about ten minutes at sunset if the clouds do not cover the sky.
It is difficult to photograph a firefall, but, nevertheless, many photographs have been taken, including fakes: for example, in Yosemite for almost a century, from 1872 to 1968, groups of people gathered, lit a giant fire and then throwing burning coals off the Glacier Point cliff. The national park rangers eventually asked people to stop this activity for some mysterious reason - really, why can't a person throw burning coals off a cliff? So now we have to be content with a real firefall in that fabulous moment when the sun's rays dance on the water.
What we mean by the “miracle of Moses” is that for a very brief period in the spring, you can walk on the coastal waters around a small South Korean island—read: you can walk on water here. Approximately twice a year, between March and June, the coastline of the Yellow Sea is exposed due to tidal forces, resulting in a strip of land about three km long, connecting the two islands of Jindo and Modo, in the place where the sea once reigned. The 40m wide passage remains open for just one hour, during which time thousands of tourists take advantage of the rare opportunity to pass through the sea. A four-day festival dedicated to this event is held every year on Jindo Island. The "Miracle of Moses" is named after a similar event described in the Bible - Moses caused the waters of the Red Sea to part: we can say that the Bible indirectly contributed to the development of the local tourism business. Koreans have their own story about the origin of the Yellow Sea phenomenon: it says that once on the island of Jindo many bloodthirsty tigers bred, then all the people living on the island fled to Modo, believing that there were no tigers there - all except for one old the woman they forgot to take with them. She prayed to the God of the Seas to create a path, and she, too, could go to Modo - the God of the Seas heeded her requests, and the woman was saved. True, it can be assumed that the God of the Seas had a specific sense of humor or insufficient knowledge about the local fauna - tigers are not at all afraid of water.
For most of the year, the Caño Cristalis River in Colombia is an ordinary river: its water is clean and clear, and the bottom is overgrown with green moss - beautiful, of course, but nothing special. However, during the short period from September to November, the river begins to look a little different. In autumn, thanks to the warmth and sun, the boring green moss blooms in all imaginable shades, like a fancy carpet - Caño Cristalis takes on such crazy colors that people give it the nickname “the river flowing from Paradise”. True, to see this splendor, you will have to go a long way: fly to the small Colombian town of La Macarena, then take a short boat trip, and then walk to the river bank along wild paths.
The Dolomites in northeastern Italy have the unique property of turning pink under the rays of the setting sun - a phenomenon locals call Enrosadira, which literally means “turn pink.” Every evening, the western slopes of the mountains are painted in different warm colors - from bright yellow to dark red or purple. This effect is possible due to the unusual composition of the mountains: the Dolomite Alps consist of the remains of ancient marine animals and magma from volcanic eruptions. The phenomenon is at its most impressive in the summer, so if you've ever wondered if God can color the world as he sees fit, add a summer trip to Italy to your list.
Green Lake in Austria is more than just a body of water tucked away somewhere in the middle of the Hochschwab mountain range, although most of the year the lake is no more than two meters deep and there is a lot of greenery growing around it, as well as hiking trails, making this place ideal for hiking. But it remains like this only in winter, while the snow lies on the slopes of the mountains: in summer the snow melts, and a huge amount of water cascades into the lake valley, creating an amazing Water World. Now the depth of the renewed Green Lake reaches about 12 m - the water in it is so clean that if you don’t notice the ripples, at first you won’t even understand that all the paths and greenery are under water, and the benches and bridges look like toys in an aquarium. So a flood, which in most places on the planet becomes a disaster for people, is rather a blessing for Austria - hundreds of tourists, mostly divers, flock here in the summer. And indeed, seeing landscapes under water that seem quite ordinary on land is extremely interesting. The depth of the lake reaches its maximum in mid-summer, so the next time you plan your vacation, keep this in mind.
Nature is amazing, but often we forget how magnificent and powerful its beauty can be. Winds and rains have the power to create impressive landforms that we could not even imagine. Nature itself taught people the art of creating...
We have collected 22 photographs of stunning miraculous mountain landscapes from different parts of our planet.
1 Wahweap Hoodoos, Utah
Wahvip hoodusHidden in the rocky valley of Utah are amazing natural formations: brown stone “caps” rise on eroded islands of white clay. These clay sculptures are very fragile and are constantly susceptible to erosion. Many of them have already completely melted...
2 Red Canyon National Park, Nevada (Toadstool, Red Rock Canyon)
Red Canyon National Park One of the most amazing places on the planet is the Red Canyon Nature Reserve, located about 25 kilometers west of Las Vegas. The picturesque landscapes of the great canyons and valleys cracked under the hot sun attract tourists to the vicinity of Las Vegas. About 600 million years ago, the canyon was under a layer of ocean waters. 250 million years ago, the earth's crust began to rise, pushing out salt and gypsum formations from the water. The exposure of areas of the former ocean floor caused oxidation of the rocks and they acquired a bizarre red color. Thanks to him, the canyon got its name.
3 Wave Rock, Australia
Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located in Western Australia. The rock got its name because it looks like a huge ocean tsunami wave rushing upward and beginning to subside. The solid rock formation occupies several hectares of territory. However, the most reminiscent of a tsunami is the rocky part of the ridge, about 15 m high and 110 m long! Local aborigines are sure that the ancient rocks have this shape for a reason - the power of nature here is mysteriously intertwined with the power of the spirits of that area.
The rounded, wave-like shape of the rock was achieved by deep chemical processes, accompanied by the leaching of soft granite by long-term river erosion, so that the tilting of the entire block occurred underground before it was pushed out. The result was a kind of trimmed base, rounded and tapering upward.
4 Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
Moeraki Boulders Giant stone boulders are located on the edge of the sea along the Koekohe coast in New Zealand. People find it hard to believe that nature could create such perfect forms. They tend to believe that these are fossilized dinosaur eggs or capsules of alien ships. Scientists believe that the Moeraki boulders were the result of natural radial cementation of porous fine-grained clay or sandy sedimentary rocks. This process is very lengthy. The formation of each of these stones took 4 - 5.5 million years!
5 Natural Sphinx, Hingol National Park, Pakistan
Nature has created an analogue of the Egyptian Sphinx in Pakistan. The stone giant arose as a result of wind erosion. It is located in the Hingol National Park, which
located in Pakistan's troubled southwestern province of Balochistan. It took natural phenomena millions of years to create this statue. Only at certain angles does the sculpture take on the shape of the Sphinx; in other angles it is an ordinary rock.
6 Colored Canyon, Sinai, Egypt (Red Canyon, Sinai, Egypt)
The Colored Canyon is located 150 km from Sharm El Sheikh. It is a gorge in the mountains almost 5 km long and 25-30 meters high. The canyon was formed as a result of volcanic transformations (most likely earthquakes) many millions of years ago. The wind gave amazing shapes to the red sandstone. The shades of the rocks in the canyon are quite varied - from white and sand-brown to orange-brown and bright red, interspersed with granite, cobalt, copper and ancient corals. Rocky cliffs form entire impenetrable labyrinths.
7 Heart Rock, Valley of Enchantment, California
Heart in the Rock, Enchantment Valley Heart in the Rock in Enchantment Valley is one of the natural wonders. This is a natural heart-shaped pond formed right in the middle of the rock. It was created under the pressure of a large amount of water from the outside. Next to this formation is a waterfall that fills the heart with water.
8 Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
"Giant's Causeway" The Giant's Causeway is one of the most beautiful places in Northern Ireland and is considered one of the wonders of the world. The road consists of 40,000 interconnected basalt columns. The columns were formed 50 million years ago as a result of volcanic eruptions followed by weathering. Most of the columns are stone hexagons of regular shape.
9 Large Boulders, Joshua Tree National Park, California (Joshua Tree Boulders, California)
Large boulders The park is located in the high desert of Southern California. It is a national monument and is notable for its rocky landscapes and wildlife. The park's rock formations are varied and complex. These boulders are formed as a result of erosion that began millions of years ago when raindrops accumulated in small depressions in the granite and began to erode it. The more the rock eroded, the more water collected in the depressions, which in turn caused increased erosion.
10 Fingal's Cave, Scotland
Fingal's Cave A unique creation of nature, Fingal's Cave, is located on the Isle of Staffa, off the west coast of Scotland. The cave was formed as a result of a sharp eruption of lava from the bowels of the earth. This lava crystallized into its present form. Fingal's Cave was discovered in the 17th century by the English botanist and naturalist Joseph Banks. Members of Banks' expedition were so shocked by the beauty that in their notes they compared the cave vaults to the Louvre. The British call the island of Staffa one of the most beautiful places
Great Britain. The island is currently protected by the National Trust for Scotland.
11 “Pipe Organ”, Damar, Namibia (Pipe Organ, Namibia)
"Organ Pipes" Organ Pipes are a geological formation of volcanic rocks in the Twyfelfontein Valley. The long orange-brown columns resemble the shape of a church organ pipe. Some of them reach a height of up to 5 m. There is an opinion that these columns arose as a result of faults and cracks of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana approximately 120 million years ago, as a result of which dolomite pillars were formed, joining each other.
12 Split Apple Rock, South Island, New Zealand
"Cracked Apple" The Cracked Apple rock formation grows directly from the water of Tasman Bay, which washes the shores of South Island (New Zealand). A giant granite boulder is broken into two halves as if it had been hit with a giant axe. The stone is located in shallow water and at low tide you have to get to it through a swamp. This landmark is a popular tourist attraction. Pleasure boats bring people here who want to see and photograph the unusual stone.
13 Idol Rock, North Yorkshire, England
Rock-Idol The Idol Rock is located on the territory of Brimham Moor Park, which has an area of 20 hectares in North Yorkshire (Britain). The idol rock, which is 4.5 meters high, looks as if it is about to collapse, although in fact it is quite stable. The giant stone sculpture, according to scientists, weighs 200 tons. Contrary to the laws of physics, the giant stone balances on its small base, surprising both tourists and the local population. The strange position of the stone is the work of erosion over 18,000 years. “If Brimham could be transported to Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge would look like a poor and insignificant miniature,” someone said about this magical place.
14 The Wave Canyon, Arizona, USA (The Wave, Arizona, USA)
Canyon "Wave" The Arizona "Wave" is one of the most unusual and beautiful places on our planet. This area is a rocky sandstone canyon that has been transformed into amazing rock waves by wind and rain. The walls of the canyon smoothly flow into the floor and it seems as if you are walking on a frozen sea. The unique rock formation was formed over 190 million years. However, despite its venerable age, its beauty is very fragile. Therefore, getting into the peculiar sand gallery is quite difficult. No more than 20 people a day can admire this miracle of nature. And even this number of people is enough to turn the beauty of the canyon into dust.
15 Colored Cliffs of Zhangye Danxia, Gansu Province, China
Colored rocks of Zhangye Danxia These colorful rock formations are a unique example of petrographic geomorphology that is not found anywhere else on the planet except China. The colored rocks contain red sandstone and its compounds belonging to the Cretaceous period. As a result of the study, scientists determined the age of these colorful formations, which is 100 million years old. At this place there was a huge pool into which silt from nearby areas was deposited. Over time, the pool dried out, the bottom sediment oxidized and acquired the color of rust. Since 2010, the colored rocks have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
16 Skull Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Rock Skull Skull Rock is located along the main northwest road of Joshua Tree Park, making it a popular stopping point for visitors. This rock formation was formed over many millions of years. Raindrops accumulated in small depressions in the granite began to destroy it. Large accumulation of water in the excavations led to even greater erosion. In this way, the eye sockets were formed and the rock began to resemble a skull. The nasal recess of the “skull” can easily accommodate a tall man standing up to his full height. The skull rock, along with other attractions of the park, attracts curious tourists from all over the planet.
17 Sleeping Pele, Hawaii
Sleeping Pele Pele is the goddess of volcanoes, fire, lightning and winds in Hawaiian mythology. She is a popular figure in many stories of ancient Hawaii. The rock formation on the island is a flow of volcanic lava frozen in bizarre shapes. In its texture, lava resembles the hair of this Polynesian goddess. Hawaiians say that you should not take pieces of lava from the Hawaiian Islands, as this may anger the powerful goddess. However, many tourists still bring home pieces of solidified lava from the island. Subsequently, they have to return these things back in order to stop the streak of failures in life.
18 Pamukkale Travertine Terrace, Turkey
Terraces of Pamukkale Pamukkale literally translates from Turkish as “cotton castle”. This natural wonder is a collection of unique hot springs and bizarre limestone terraces formed from the waters flowing from Mount Pamukkale. The picturesque terraces are located in the province of Denzili. Their dazzling white color is due to the deposition of calcium-rich salts from local sources. You can walk on the terraces only in specially designated areas, very carefully and always without shoes. Pamukkale Cotton Castle has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988. Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is a very unusual and interesting nature reserve located in the state of South Dakota, USA. Literally from English badlands translates as “bad, barren land.” However, in fact, the territory of the reserve has nothing to do with its name. The park's picturesque landscapes and sharp mountain ridges are formed from arid, wind-swept soil. The colors of the park are dominated by golden, green and sandy shades. A magnificent picture woven from motley hills, deep ravines, and sharp peaks opens before the tourist’s gaze. The area of this natural wonder reaches 100 sq. km. Due to the heterogeneity of the soil, moving around the park is very difficult. However, this does not in the least prevent tourists from coming here and enjoying the wild nature of the National Park.
20 Chimney Rock, Nebraska, USA (Chimney Rock, Nebraska)
Rock Chimney Chimney Rock is one of the most famous and recognizable tourist attractions near Oregon and California. This impressively sized sand boulder is a bizarre geological formation consisting of volcanic ash and clay. Over the centuries, the peak has changed several names, it was called Chimney Tower, Elk Peak. Since 1840 it has been named Chimney Rock. The rock formation is 1 km high and 200 m above sea level and rises 91 m above the surrounding valley. The top constantly changes its hue from gray and white to brick red. In the 19th century, it was a border point between roads leading from Oregon, California and the lands of the Mormons (who lived along the north side of the rock). In addition, the mountain served as a landmark for settlers. Now she is a symbol
migrants of the state and country.
21 Flinders Chase National Park, Australia
Flinders Chase National Park Unusual rocks rise within the Flinders Chase National Park, located on Australia's Kangaroo Island. Huge granite boulders, eroded and shaped by wind, seawater and rainfall over more than 500 million years, rise above the lava dome.
Some stones, of a wide variety of shapes and shapes, are covered with golden-orange lichens. The island's territory, along with Australia, South America, Africa, India and Antarctica, was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. 150 million years ago, the process of dividing Gondwana into the continents that exist and are known today began, as a result of which chimerical rock formations of impressive sizes and bizarre shapes were formed throughout the globe.
22 Dog Rock, Albany, Western Australia
Rock Dog Dog Rock is a large granite sculpture protruding from the ground in the small town of Albany, Western Australia. The rock is a well-known landmark on the road and has long been considered a territorial marker. When viewed from the west, the huge stone is shaped like a dog's head.
In 1921, the city council proposed demolishing the rock with explosives in order to widen the road. However, this idea was met with protests from the local population and the decision had to be rejected. Instead, the city painted a distinctive white collar around the base of the cliff to make it more visible to motorists.
MOSCOW, November 1 - RIA Novosti. Llama immunity helped geneticists from the United States create nano-antibodies that neutralize almost all common strains of the influenza virus, including the famous H1N1 “swine flu”. The results of their experiments on mice were presented in the journal Science.
Nature's help
So-called nanoantibodies are a fragment of a “regular” antibody containing only one randomly arranged “building block” from which their molecules are usually assembled. Thanks to this, nanobodies are much more compact and stable, and also better withstand heat and aggressive chemical environments, including stomach acid and digestive enzymes.
Such antibodies are not found in humans or almost all other animals, but they were recently discovered by studying blood samples and other biomaterials from camels, alpacas, llamas and sharks.
Their discovery prompted Wilson and his colleagues to think that such nanobodies could be used as a “constructor” to create unique compound antibodies that recognize all three types of influenza virus - A, B and C.
As a rule, most of the most serious and severe influenza epidemics are caused by viruses from category A, however, the other two types of virus are also dangerous to human life. The structure of their shell is noticeably different, which is why scientists could not create antibodies that suppress all three subtypes of the virus at the same time and create a universal cure for this disease.
Wilson and his team took a big step towards realizing this dream of therapists by injecting several llamas with large quantities of "scraps" of the shells of two types of influenza - H7 and H2. When the animals' immunity began to react to these fragments, scientists took samples of their blood and extracted antibodies from them.
Antivirus "Lego"
In total, they were able to find four types of nanobodies that respond to influenza - SD36, SD38, SD83 and SD84. Each of them interacted only with certain types of the virus. For example, SD36 suppressed influenza type A2, but did not respond to class A1 viruses, and SD38 acted in the opposite way.
After analyzing their structure, scientists identified those areas in the structure of viruses with which they bind, and used this information to “glue” all four antibodies into a single construct, called MD3606.
These “multibodies,” as Wilson and his colleagues called them, successfully protected mice from death when infected with three types of avian and swine influenza, H1N1, H3N2 and H7N9, as well as various variants of group B viruses.
This protection, as further experiments showed, has one drawback. Antibodies are washed out of the body quite quickly, which is why a person will have to either undergo very frequent injections or take very large doses of MD3606 for protection for the entire season. Both will be very expensive and potentially dangerous pleasures.
Scientists got around this problem by inserting a gene containing instructions for producing this "multibody" inside an AAV retrovirus from which all potentially harmful genes had been removed. If you spray these viral particles into the nose of a rodent or human, they will enter their epithelial cells and cause them to produce MD3606 for several months until they die.
As further experiments on mice showed, such a vaccination protected rodents from influenza for at least two months, which would be enough for “complete protection” of humans throughout the season.
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Nature is the best architect and cool designer. True, it does not work very quickly: it takes millions of years to create one masterpiece. We are in website We appreciate everything beautiful and therefore were inspired by the latest natural wonders. This selection of heavenly places will give you moments of peace and tranquility after a hard day at work.
1. Mendenhall Ice Caves, Alaska, USA
The Mendenhall Ice Caves are located in the center of the Mendenhall glacier in Alaska. It stretches for 19 kilometers. Caves are formed as a result of meltwater flowing down, which then destroys the ice. The thinner the ice on the cave roof becomes, the lighter the blue color. Every year the ice massif of caves decreases due to global warming.
2. Chocolate Hills, Philippines
Their uniqueness is that they have a regular conical shape with a large slope angle. The hills got their name because of the grass, which, when burned in the sun during the dry season, turns brown and stands out against the bright greenery of the surrounding forests. This is a "chocolate" wonder of the world.
3. Benagil Cave, Portugal
The picturesque cave next to the beach is a world-class attraction. You can only get into it from the sea. In the scorching heat, under the quiet sound of the waves, it gives shade, coolness and pleasure. Even more enjoyable is a walk along the sea in the company of dolphins along this miracle. Romance lovers from all over the world come to admire this amazing beauty.
4. Helmcken Falls, Canada
The 141-metre Helmcken Falls (the fourth highest in Canada) tumble over the edge of a cliff into a wide stone bowl surrounded by pine trees. The ice cone that freezes here in winter can reach 50 meters in height.
5. Caño Cristales River, Colombia
For several weeks a year, between September and November, the Caño Cristales River turns into a "multi-colored river". Rich scarlet, yellow, green, blue and even black shades of the underwater world are visible even at a meter depth. The amazing river gets its bright red color thanks to algae.
6. Jellyfish Lake, Palau
About 15,000 years ago, a single limestone cliff cut off the island of Palau from the ocean, creating a sea lake. Several jellyfish were closed from the inside. Since there were practically no predators, they began to multiply and develop. Now Jellyfish Lake is inhabited by millions of these creatures. All of them belong to one of the species that are safe for humans, so we have an amazing opportunity to swim with them.
7. Waitomo Caves, New Zealand
Could you ever imagine that you would see a sky strewn with bright glowing stars... underground? This is quite possible in these caves. And although thousands of small fireflies will illuminate your path instead of real stars, you will be guaranteed the feeling of being somewhere far away in the depths of the universe. Some researchers believe that the fireflies in the Waitomo Caves glow from hunger. And the hungrier the firefly, the brighter it will glow. With light they lure various insects into their trap nets.
8. Saltstraumen Current, Norway
This place is surprising because every day in the narrow strait near the town of Bode, the Saltstraumen, one of the most powerful tidal currents in the world, gains strength: the water picks up speed up to 37 kilometers per hour and rushes along a narrow corridor, forming whirlpools with a diameter of up to 10 meters. And so four times a day.
