Wow! Beautiful Flowers-From Holland!!!

Art-Mark Keller

Art-Mark Keller

Interesting facts

The World's Fastest Plants

The World's Fastest Plants Bunchberry - World's fastest plant explodes with pollen Cornus canadensis (bunchberry or Canadian dogwood) grow in dense carpets in the tiaga or boreal forests of the northern hemisphere. Flowers bloom in late spring and produce small, edible, red berries during the summer. Like a medieval catapult, the bunchberry dogwood shoots pollen grains into the air faster than the Venus flytrap can snap its jaws shut, giving this launcher the speed record for plants. "Most people think of plants as stationary and sedentary," said Joan Edwards of Williams College . "We were even surprised how fast this flower opens." Using high-speed video observations, Edwards and her colleagues timed the tiny explosions of Cornus Canadensis, a species of dogwood that covers the ground of spruce-fir forests from Virginia to Canada . The flower opens its petals and fires its pollen in less than 0.5 milliseconds. This discharge is quicker than other speedy organisms: the Venus flytrap closes in 100 milliseconds; the froghopper (an insect) leaps in 0.5 to 1.0 milliseconds; the mantis shrimp (a tiny crustacean) kicks in 2.7 milliseconds. This shows a flower first closed and then open. The bar is 0.04 inches (1mm). Bunchberry flower opening, recorded on video at 10,000 frames per second. Time elapsed is indicated. First frame shows a closed flower with four petals fused at the tip,

Cool Tatoos

CONFIRA 10

TATUAGENS 3D QUE 

PARECEM 

VERDADEIRAS 

ILUSÕES DE ÓPTICA 

Incríveis tattoos tridimensionais impressionam pelo realismo e criatividade. Independente de que você seja fã desse tipo de arte ou não, não dá para negar que existem tatuagens simplesmente incríveis, que chegam a nos fazer imaginar como elas ficariam em determinadas partes do nosso próprio corpo, mesmo que nunca tenhamos pensado em fazer uma de verdade. Um exemplo disso são as tattoos tridimensionais publicadas no site imgur por Dinosounds, que parecem verdadeiras ilusões de óptica. Confira:

Menina dos olhos (ou do olho!)

Fonte da imagem: Reprodução/imgur

Interior infinito

Fonte da imagem: Reprodução/imgur

Trampolim para o vazio

Fonte da imagem: Reprodução/imgur

New Airship

Thundebird 2 is go! California firm unveils gigantic amphibious airship which could revolutionize air travel as we know it

• The Aeroscraft can take off and land without an airstrip meaning it can operate even in war zones and disaster areas

Zeppelins were once considered the future of air transport - but after the horror of the Hindenburg disaster, they disappeared from the skies for more than 75 years.

Now a pioneering aviation firm hopes to bring back the airships in a bid to revolutionise the global market in transporting freight.

The Aeroscraft is built using innovative technology which allows it to control its flight better than previous airships, so it should avoid the problems experienced by the first generation of zeppelins.

Revolutionary: The Aeroscraft airship, pictured during testing, is set to reintroduce the zeppelin to the world's skies

Nearly ready: The zeppelin is set to have its first full test flight, and will roll off the production line from mid-2015

It requires only a third as much fuel as an aeroplane carrying cargo, and it can take off and land anywhere even without a formal airstrip - including on water - making it well suited to war zones and disaster areas.

The aircraft has been designed thanks to a $3million grant from the U.S. government, and it will soon be ready for its first test flight, according toBusiness Insider.

The Aeroscraft is designed by Worldwide Aeros Corp., who predict that it will change the way that goods are moved around the world by providing a mode of transport which is cheaper than planes but faster than ships.

The key technological breakthrough came when the firm's founder Igor Pasternak came up with a way to compress helium, which allows the airship to control its weight.

Impressive: The new age of the zeppelin relies on technology which compresses helium to allow better control of the aircraft

Pillar Mountains

Spectacular Pillar Rocks Of Zhangjiajie |
Inspiration For Avatar's Floating Mountains

The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park or Hunan Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is a unique national forest park located in Zhangjiajie City in northern Hunan Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the China's first national park (4,810 hectares), it was then approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as Zhangjiajie Sandstone Peak Forest National Geopark (3,600 km²) in 2001. In 2004, Zhangjiajie Geopark was listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The unique and stunning geographic feature is the pillar-like rocks throughout the park. They are result of many years of erosion caused by ice. One of the park's quartz-sandstone pillars (3,544 foot) is the 'Southern Sky Column'. It is said that the Avatar film's director and production designers drew inspiration for the floating mountains from this pillar rocks. Recently, in January 2010, the 'Southern Sky Column' has been officially renamed as "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" in honor of the film.

Photography Winning Entries

Which of these pictures is worth £76,000? Winning entries for the world's biggest prize in photography

Haunting, beautiful images of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award

• The total prize amount for successful photographers is an incredible £248,000

By SAM WEBB

Incredible photographs chronicling breathtaking vistas and scenes from all over the world are to go on display in London later this month.

An exhibition showcasing the winning and shortlisted images from the third Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) will open at London's Royal Geographical Society in late September as part of a global tour.

It is the first time the awards have visited the UK. The theme of the competition this year is 'Beauty of Light'.

It was established in 2011 and is open to photographers of all abilities, with an overall prize fund of £248,000, making it the world's biggest photography prize.

It includes spectacular landscapes, intimate portraits and stunning black and white images by photographers from around the world. The pictures incorporate shimmering deserts, Vietnamese fishermen, birds of prey and child monks.

The exhibition will also showcase the work of five British photographers.

Sun and shadow: A man leads a camel across the dunes, leaving footprints in the sand

A weather-beaten man's eyes and head-dress stand out from the gloom as he sits by a camel

20 Places That Don't Look Real

20 Places That Don t Look Real 
1. Bamboo Forest (China)
Image credits: Yuya Horikawa | Tomoaki Kabe 2. Black Forest (Germany)

Image credits: Andy linden

3. Fields of Tea (China)

Image credits: unknown

4. Hang Son Doong (Vietnam)

Image credits: Carsten Peter

Sublime Sunsets Around The World

New Zealand is among the first countries to experience sunrise – and, as a result, sunset. The South Island's 450km-long Southern Alps, known for their glaciers and glacial lakes, create an epic landscape that is well suited to hikers who want to enjoy dusk in serene isolation. (Annie Griffiths/National Geographic Creative)



Asia's capacious beaches remain one of the most tranquil locales for ending the day. In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, vacationers can watch the sun set over Ochheuteal Beach, as they sip cocktails and await nightfall by the light of tiki torches. (Kris LeBoutillier/National Geographic Creative)



Santorini is one of 220 Greek islands that were created by the Minoan eruption, a volcanic explosion that divided up a single island into today's beloved archipelago. Made picturesque by whitewashed buildings and an arid landscape, Santorini is a hedonist's dream, with a slew of beaches, bars and infinity pools from which to enjoy the setting sun. (Michael Melford/National Geographic Creative)

Thrillseekers

The world's biggest thrillseekers – incredible photographs of adrenalin junkies putting their lives on the line for fun

• Images are part of Red Bull's Illume photo contest to honour photographers who put lives on line for their art
• They include bouldering in Himalayas, Surfing in California, highlining in Austria, surfing in Fiji, BASE jumping in Utah

By Matt Blake

Whether they are leaping off a cliff, dangling over a ravine or scything through a cranberry field at breakneck speed, these daredevils all have one thing in common... they are happy to put their lives on the line in the name of fun.

This eye-watering collection of photographs shows just how far the world's most committed adrenaline junkies are prepared to go in their hunt for the ultimate thrill.

Taken in a host of exotic locations across the globe, the pictures not only offer an insight into the outer limits of human endeavour, but also provide tantalising snapshots of some the planet's most beautiful locations.

They include bouldering in the Indian Himalayas, Surfing in California, highlining in the Austrian Dolomites, ice caving in Argentina and BASE jumping in Utah.

Castle Valley, Utah: This picture by Krystle Wright shows BASE jumper Michael Tomchek leap into Castle Valley, Utah. The photographer says, 'What continues to drive me is the love and challenge of documenting unique stories and the incredible privilege to share the athletes' stories with a wider audience'

Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique: Jody MacDonald took this picture of paraglider Gavin McClurg. She says, 'My fuel, my drive, my being comes from capturing a precious split second in time - a time and place that shows how amazing this planet is'

Dutch Cargo Ship On France's West Coast

People stroll around the Dutch cargo ship "Artemis" in Les Sables d'Olonne, on France's west coast in 2008, after strong winds pushed it off course.

Top Photographs of 2012 - pictures........SHOW!

CHICAGO FROM AFAR Photograph by Robert Elves on Flickr A DESERT OASIS IN LIBYA Photograph by George Steinmetz  THE ALPINISTS Photograph by Jakub Polomski on 500px

Interiors Of Famous Opera Houses In The World

[Interiors Of Famous Opera Houses In The World]    00 - Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, Odessa 1. Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, Italy, 2009 2. Palace Garnier, Paris, 2009

DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT

DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT

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Things That Make Funs

20 World`s Unusual and Unheard of Wonders

20 World`s Unusual and Unheard of Wonders On the left – a candle that burns on Earth, right side – in a weightless condition. The Indian, Aditya 'Romeo' Dev, 19 year, weighing about 9 kg, is considered the smallest bodybuilder in the world. 2/6/2008, Jakutija: group portrait of the basketball club sports industrial-technical University Village Bright. B. Yeltsin – 189 cm, V. Putin – 170 cm, V. Medvedev – 158 cm, Women's Basketball -???