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Young World
The lethal nod
COMPILED BY SUBAJAYANTHI B
PHOTO: P. V. SIVAKUMAR
SNAKES: Accurate predictors of earthquakes.
Scientists in China say they have developed a new way of predicting earthquakes — by observing the erratic behaviour in snakes. Experts at the earthquake bureau in Nanning, in southern Guangxi province, monitor local snake farms via 24-hour Internet video links. They say the serpents can sense a quake from 120km (75 miles) away, up to five days before it happens. "Of all the creatures, snakes are perhaps the most sensitive to earthquakes," says Jiang Weisong, director of the earthquake bureau in Nanning. "When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out of their nests, even in the cold of winter. If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while trying to escape. By installing cameras over the snake nests, we have improved our ability to forecast earthquakes. The system could be extended to other parts of the country to make our earthquake forecasts more precise," he adds.
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