Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupting

Geology:
A volcano eruption (Eyjafjallajökull) in Iceland has been causing a lot of havoc in the Northern Hemisphere in the past week, especially in Europe. It has grounded flights all across the continent and many people are stuck and can't get back home or to their destination. The interesting thing is that flights can get off in the main Iceland airports, since the ash is being carried south and the main airport for example in Keflavik is located more to the north. The last time the volcano erupted in the 19th century, it continued on erupting for more than two years from 1821 to 1823.

Undersea volcano eruption

Below Antarctica

Geology/Biology:
"Scientists have found an ancient ecosystem below an Antarctic glacier and learned that it survived millions of years by transforming sulfur and iron compounds for growth.
Described in the latest issue of Science, the ecosystem lives without light or oxygen in a pool of brine trapped below Taylor Glacier and next to frozen Lake Bonney in eastern Antarctica, said John Priscu, co-author of the Science article. Priscu is a longtime Antarctic researcher and professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University.
The ecosystem contains a diversity of bacteria that thrive in cold, salty water loaded with iron and sulfur. The water averages 14 degrees Fahrenheit, but doesn't freeze because the water is three or four times saltier than the ocean.
The scientists made a breakthrough discovery when they learned that the bacteria convert key elements on Earth into food, Priscu said. The bacteria cycle sulfur compounds to access iron in the bedrock."
"Ancient Ecosystem Thrives Millions of Years Below Antarctic Glacier." Space Daily
Ancient Ecosystem Below Antarctic Glacier

"Buried beneath several miles of ice in Antarctica are lakes ranging in size from Lake Ontario to lakes the size of Manhattan. Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake on Earth, is believed to harbor ancient life that has been isolated from open exchange with the atmosphere for several million years."
"Ancient Lakes of Antarctica - Living Biological Labs Millions of Years Old." The Daily Galaxy
Ancient Antarctic Lakes

"Scientists have found what they say is the first evidence of a volcanic eruption under the Antarctic ice sheet.
They believe the volcano erupted about 2,000 years ago, and would have burst through its ice covering, producing a burst of steam and rocky debris."
"Ancient Antarctic Eruption Noted." BBC News
Ancient Antarctic Eruption

Speeding up brain network might boost IQ

Biology:
So you want to get smarter?
"For decades scientists have tried, mostly in vain, to explain where intelligence resides in our brains. The answer, a new study suggests, is everywhere.
After analysing the brain as an incredibly dense network of interconnected points, a team of Dutch scientists has found that the most efficiently wired brains tend to belong to the most intelligent people.
And improving this efficiency with drugs offers a tantalising – though still unproven – means of boosting intelligence, say researchers.
The concept of a networked brain isn't so different from the transportation grids used by cars and planes, says Martijn van den Heuvel, a neuroscientist at Utrecht University Medical Center who led the new study.
"If you're flying from New York to Amsterdam, you can do it in a direct flight. It's much more effective than going from New York, then to Washington, and then to Amsterdam. It's exactly the same idea in the brain," he says."

"Speeding up brain networks might boost IQ." New Scientist
Brain Networks and Higher IQ

Environment:
Mount St. Helens has blown once before in recent memory. Is a much larger explosion coming?
"IS A supervolcano brewing beneath Mount St Helens? Peering under the volcano has revealed what may be an extraordinarily large zone of semi-molten rock, which would be capable of feeding a giant eruption."

"Supervolcano may be brewing beneath Mount St. Helens." New Scientist
Supervolcano Mount St. Helens

Astronomy:
Scientists have observed that a star about 600 light years away from Earth is shrinking and showing signs that it will go supernova. Of course what we're observing in the sky right now is 600 year old history, since it takes that long for the light from that star to reach us. So the star in present time could already have exploded.

"Nearby Star May Be Getting Ready To Explode." Fox News
Nearby Star May Go Supernova

Chemistry:
New element added to the periodic table, element 112.

"New Chemical Element In The Periodic Table." Science Daily
New Element 112

Element 118, one of the superheavies also discovered.

"Livermore Scientists Team With Russia To Discover Element 118." Science Daily
New Element 118