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Scientists Say Toads Can Predict Earthquakes

Posted by samzenpus on from the does-the-toad-think-it's-safe? dept.

reillymj writes "Researchers claim toads sensed a severe earthquake last year five days before it hit. Last spring's L'Aquila earthquake devastated the medieval city of the same name in Italy. Five days earlier, a group of biologists noticed some toads behaving strangely in a pond nearby that would later be the quake's epicenter."

5 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Pfft by somersault · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They didn't predict it. They CAUSED it.

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    which is totally what she said
  2. Useful by VisualD · · Score: 5, Funny

    So all we need now is a way of measuring this reliably and we canALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD

  3. Don't RTFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's right. Don't read it. I'm going to summarize it for you:

    Some scientists noticed frogs acting "strange". A couple days later, an earthquake followed. Scientists wondered if the frogs were somehow aware of the earthquake. They had no particular reason to believe they were. Other scientists interviewed on this matter say probably not. People retroactively attribute all kinds of things to big events that follow.

    The article ends: "For now at least, the hunt for a way to predict earthquakes must continue."

    That's it. You're welcome.

    1. Re:Don't RTFA by VJ42 · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's right. Don't read it. I'm going to summarize it for you:

      Some scientists noticed frogs acting "strange". A couple days later, an earthquake followed. Scientists wondered if the frogs were somehow aware of the earthquake. They had no particular reason to believe they were. Other scientists interviewed on this matter say probably not. People retroactively attribute all kinds of things to big events that follow.

      The article ends: "For now at least, the hunt for a way to predict earthquakes must continue."

      That's it. You're welcome.

      No, I heard the researcher on the radio yesterday; the toads unexpectedly left the area for a few days & whilst they were gone, the quake hit; the toads returned after the quake, she had a couple of hypotheses about how the toads could detect the coming quake, but freely admitted she had no strong evidence for them.

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      If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
  4. Real funny thing by oldhack · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nowadays, I can't tell the difference between your typical slashdot stories and April Fool's Day stories.

    Everyday is April Fool's day here.

    --
    Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.