Robot Sub Reaches Deepest Ocean

Nereus can switch between free-swimming and tethered configurations

A robotic sub called Nereus has reached the deepest-known part of the ocean.

The dive to 10,902m (6.8 miles) took place on 31 May, at the Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean.

This makes Nereus the deepest-diving vehicle currently in service and the first vehicle to explore the Marianas Trench since 1998.

The unmanned vehicle is remotely operated by pilots aboard a surface ship via a lightweight tether.

Its thin, fibre-optic tether to the research vessel Kilo Moana allows the submersible to make deep dives and be highly manoeuvrable.

THE NEREUS SUBMERSIBLE
Nereus submarine













Weight on land: 2,800kg
Payload capacity: 25kg
Maximum speed: 3 knots
Batteries: rechargeable lithium ion

Nereus can also be switched into a free-swimming, autonomous vehicle.

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French plane lost in ocean storm

Relatives have been gathering at the two airports involved

An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil to France has vanished over the Atlantic after a possible lightning strike, airline officials say.

The Airbus sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT, four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro, reporting a short circuit as it flew through strong turbulence.

It was well over the ocean when it was lost, making Brazilian and French search planes' task more difficult.

Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has set up a crisis centre.

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Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues (Live)

LYRICS

Used to be so easy to give my heart away
But I've found that the hard way is a price you have to pay
I found that love was no friend of mine
I should have known time after time

So long, it was so long ago
But I've still got the blues for you

Used to be so easy to fall in love again
I've found that the hard way, it's a road that leads to pain
I've found that love was more than just a game
To play and to win but to lose just the same

So long, it was so long ago
But I've still got the blues for you

So many years since I've seen your face
And now in my heart, there's an empty space
You used to be

So long, it was so long ago
But I've still got the blues for you
Though the days come and go, there's one thing I know
I've still got the blues for you

Virtual worlds and web 'merging'

Virtual worlds and web 'merging'

CEO of Second Life, Mark Kingdon
Second Life boss, Mark Kingdon, said identity is key in virtual worlds

"You take one avatar and you cross multiple virtual worlds… that is going to be a really powerful and important part of the virtual world future," predicted Mark Kingdon, the boss of Second Life.

This online fantasy space had 1.4m users over the past two months, out of its 17m registered users, who can access to products and places replicated from real life.

The residents can spend their time visiting exact replicas of actual tourist hotspots, shops, or even bizarre fantasy lands.

Videos on the site's homepage aim to help users find content that interests them within the vast 3D environment.

Second Life may have been one of the first virtual worlds of its kind, but six years on, the competition is fierce.

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Did You Know?

Shedding light on the Catacombs of Rome

By Duncan Kennedy
BBC News, Rome

Rome's underground Christian, Jewish and pagan burial sites, the Catacombs, date back to the 2nd Century AD.

There are more than 40 of them stretching over 170km (105 miles).

But, until now, they have never been fully documented, their vast scale only recorded with handmade maps.

That is now changing, following a three-year project to create the first fully comprehensive three-dimensional image using laser scanners.

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La niña que silenció al mundo durante 6 minutos

Laird Hamilton on Life

NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) Tour

Teddy Weisberg, who has worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for 40 years, gives us a tour of the exchange.

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