Our Daily Planet: Po the Panda and Oil Spill's Air Pollution

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

Po Goes Public: Zoo Atlanta's newest giant panda cub, Po, is finally saying hello to his fans for about an hour each morning. [Related: New Panda Cub's Name Revealed ]

Oil Spill Air Pollution: Research flights over the Gulf of Mexico, at the site of the BP oil spill, are studying how the oil spill polluted the air.

New Species: About 16,000 new species have been found over the past 12 months, bringing the size of the known animal kingdom to some 1.4 million species. But there are more than five million which remain to be found, according to new research.

Major Flooding: Flooding continues in northern New Jersey, with hundreds of people unable to return home because of the high waters. [Related: East Coast Storm Seen From Space .]

Kirishima Erupts: The Shinmoedake cone on Japan's Mount Kirishima has started erupting again. See a video of the eruption here.

Previously on Our Daily Planet: Huge Earthquake in Japan and Hawaiian Tsunami

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.