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Our Daily Planet: Knut the Polar Bear Dies and an Earthquake in Afghanistan

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

Berlin Polar Bear Dies: The world-famous polar bear Knut has died of unknown causes, according to the Berlin Zoo. Knut was 4 years old.

Weather Watchers: More than 20,000 weather stations, many run by amateur meteorologists, are helping the website Weather Underground refine its forecasts.

Golden Wildfire: A large wildfire west of Golden, Colo., calmed down Sunday, but is still a threat to nearby homes on the burning mountains.

Afgan Earthquake: A magnitude 5.8 earthquake rocked the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan today.

Polar Trek: 42-year-old Swedish explorer Johan Ernst Nilson will soon embark on an expedition from the North Pole to the South Pole.

Previously on Our Daily Planet: Colorado Bike Race and Tropical Storm Cherono

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

Brett Israel
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.