Our amazing planet.

Our Daily Planet: Deadly Weather and Beserk Mission

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe.

Deadly Weather: Yesterday's severe weather brought preliminary reports of 6 tornadoes and the year's first tornado-related fatality.

Beserk Explorers: Two members of the failed Berserk expedition to the South Pole were flown from Antarctica to Christchurch, New Zealand yesterday. The two men were waiting in Antarctica for three other members, who were lost at sea when severe weather hit their vessel in the Ross Sea off Antarctica.

Oil Spill Study: Yesterday, the U.S. government launched what's being billed as the largest study ever conducted of how an oil spill affects human health.

Rocky Mountain Midsection: Geologists have proposed a new model for how the central Rockies were formed, which explains the gold, silver and other mineral deposits stretching across Colorado.

Previously on Our Daily Planet: SoCal Snow and South Pole Tragedy

Reach OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel at bisrael@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @btisrael.

Brett Israel was a staff writer for Live Science with a focus on environmental issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from The University of Georgia, a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, and has studied doctorate-level biochemistry at Emory University.