Environment

A city in Michigan has been hit by a downpour of black rain – after a tar-like substance covered cars, porches, and houses this week.  The black substance began appearing in Harrison Township on Sunday, and residents and officials are baffled as to what the mysterious material is. Dailymail.co.uk reports: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials collected samples of the substance on Wednesday. The city’s fire chief sad that it is not bird droppings and is not flammable, according to WXYZ.

A magnitude 5.1  earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima on Friday according to the US Geological Survey. The quake struck about 105 km from the Fukushima Dai-Ni power plant, 112 km from Namie The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. The epicenter of the quake was 20 kilometers deep in the sea off the Fukushima coastline. There have been no immediate reports of damage or injury. 5.1 magnitude #earthquake. 112 km from Namie, #Fukushima, Japan https://t.co/g02ZMLHQFg — Japan Earthquakes (@QuakesJapan) February 19, 2016  

NASA have said that a ‘small’ asteroid currently heading towards Earth is likely to be a “close shave”, and have expressed concern over the mysterious nature of this unusual piece of rock.  Asteroid 2013 TX68 will pass the Earth on March 5, and although scientists are convinced it is ‘unlikely’ to hit us, they say that any potential impact would be catastrophic. Nationalgeographic.com reports: It could pass at a distance of 9 million miles (14 million km), which is a comfortable 35 times farther than the moon. Or it could come as close as 11,000 miles (17,000 km).

A mysterious ear-piercing shrieking sound has left an Oregon neighborhood completely baffled. The loud sound randomly rings near Gales Creek Road, Forest Grove, Oregon. KOIN6 reports: Paula Lynch tells KOIN she first heard the noise about two weeks ago. Since then, she’s heard it four other times. Her neighbor has heard it three times. Both Lynch and her neighbor, who asked that her name not be used, describe the sound as loud and like a warning alarm. “It’s hard to identify what angle its coming from because it just kind of encompasses the area,” Lynch said.

The ‘bride of frankenfood’ has just got an endorsement from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for supporting genetically modified food. Hillary Clinton is coming under increasing pressure following a series of revelations regarding her ties to the Biotech industry and Monsanto. Natural Society reports: Clinton’s unyielding support was once again revealed recently when she was quoted on the Cornell Alliance for Science (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) website saying: “I stand in favor of using seeds and products that have a proven track record.