Perfect Disaster Super tornadoes. "Supercell" solar squalls. Megafloods. They sound like Jerry Bruckheimer's next effects-drenched blockbusters. But dip into this Discovery Channel companion site and scare yourself silly with how real -- and really nasty -- Mother Nature can be. The site offers a severe weather tracker, a hazard quiz ("Would you survive?"), an interactive explanation of how we measure a twister's strength, and spectacular videos. One clip traces the anatomy of a twister on a rampage. Another follows the formation of magnetic storms on the Sun's surface, coolly illustrating how "coronal mass ejections" can wipe out airplane radar, stir up radiation storms, and spark blackouts throughout power grids. How can they be so calm? And who needs sci-fi flicks when we've got all of this barreling toward us? (in Environment & Nature)
