Norway

A bizarre spiraling light show over Norway has raised speculations ranging from a Russian rocket test to an odd meteoric display. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute remains unsure of the phenomenon's origins, but astronomers have said that it does not appear connected to the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.

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When it comes to harnessing the energy potential of the oceans, the Norwegians have no problem starting small. The world's first osmotic power plant opened today in Tofte, Norway, utilizing the properties of salty seawater to generate a whopping 4 kilowatts of electricity for the grid, or about enough to power a coffee maker. But the Norwegian company running the project, Statkraft, is a glass-half-full kind of company, claiming that eventually osmotic plants could draw half of Europe's electricity from the saltiness of the sea.

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A Norwegian pro-whaling group released a study concluding that farming livestock is worse for the environment than hunting giant whales. The groups argument is that the process of tracking and harpooning the mammals requires less fuel than farming livestock—the boats burn less fuel, and release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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It was like falling in love," says Norwegian artist Vebjorn Sand. "I just couldn't get it out of my mind." Six years ago, while visiting an exhibit of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Sand became captivated by a model of a bridge that, in 1502, da Vinci had proposed building for Sultan Bajazet II, ruler of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan wished to span the Golden Horn, an inlet between the Turkish cities of Pera and Constantinople (known today as Istanbul). At that time, it would have been one of the world's largest bridges.

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