Coolest thing to happen today. Sorry, everybody else. But Time and Google take the cake with this, first-ever, multi-decade timelapse of... wait for it... Planet Earth. The innovators at Google took satellite footage, both not available to the public and also choppy visual sequences that they had to upgrade to see the video above (and at time.com/timelapse).
It shows the sprawling of cities like Dubai (fascinating) and Las Vegas; Saudi Arabia's exponential growth in agriculture; and the unfortunate: the melting of the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, the mining industry's decapitation of the mountains in West Virginia, and the removal of forests in the Amazon. All of these timelapses date as far back as the 80s and are amazing to see the appropriate growth or decay. Furthermore, this gives us all a better understanding at the ever-changing planet and the importance of preserving our natural resources. Our generation may not feel some of these effects first-hand, if at all in our lifetime, but we have to take care of our planet for future generations to come!
Props once again to Time and Google — find out all the details about the project, some conclusions, and more amazing photos here (all the links are the same!).
TIME's Person Of The Year cover is always a prestigious one this time of year and for 2012, President Barack Obama earns the honor. Other candidates were Malala Yousafzai, the teen Pakistani advocate for education for girls who was shot by the Taliban, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
It has been a trying time for the country this year, but with Obama's leadership, I feel like we're making strides as he symbolizes our progression and strength. Here's to hoping his 2nd term is even more impactful!
What do you guys think of President Obama on the TIME cover?
