These photos show the D-Day invasions like you’ve never seen them before

Just in time for the 70th anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasions of Normandy, France, the UK's Ministry of Defense has released fresh photos showing what it looked like on the water and on the beach during the invasions.

The photos come from a series of 30 trips made by planes flying just 1,000 feet above the battlefield. Some of the planes were over the beaches — Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword — right as the invasion started. They used heavy cameras strapped to the bottom of the planes to make careful panoramas of the action. To mark the anniversary, the ministry dispatched two modern Tornado fighter jets to recreate the photos in modern conditions.

The Independent has more of the photos, as well as some photos from the effort to recreate the World War II pictures.

(Editor's note: The Global Scan can be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Just register and sign up today.)

The Moon may become humanity's library of last resort

There's an effort underway to put a Torah on the Moon, where it will join a Bible left there by the Apollo astronauts. But that's not all. Hindu scriptures called the Veda and the I Ching, an ancient Chinese philosophical work, are also planned for flights to the Moon.

Eventually, copies of DNA from various Earth organisms may all end up stored on the Moon, where they would be safe from nuclear holocausts or even errant asteroid strikes. The Washington Post has the story.

Those koalas aren't cuddling with trees because they're lonely

It's actually an effort to keep cool. Koalas are often pictured with both arms wrapped around trees, and scientists in Australia wanted to know why. Turns out it is their own form of air conditioning. The koalas hug in a certain way because those parts of their body have the least fur — and therefore transfer heat most effectively.

PRI's The World talks to the scientists who did the research, who explain how the species of tree is even important to the koala's behavior.

The US World Cup team probably would have preferred this draw

Fans of the US national soccer team have been disappointed with the draw it received in this year's World Cup. Widely regarded as playing in one of the toughest groups, the US will be lucky to advance out of the first group round. French mathematician Julien Guyon has come up with what has been described as a better way — a way that reliably produces more balanced groups.

The Upshot, from The New York Times, looks at the different draws and why the FIFA draws produce the sort of results they do.

When can music be the best indicator of a seizure?

Sometimes, patients can have a seizure without even knowing it. But what if there were a way patients could actually hear their brain having a seizure? Turn out, it might be possible. PRI's Science Friday introduces us to the researchers who are converting brain waves into music so, one day, patients will literally be able to hear their brain having a seizure.

What we're seeing on social

Weather around the world

Tokyo is preparing for heavy rain, and possibly flooding, as a slow-moving storm that's dropped as much as six inches of rain on the southern Japanese islands moves north. The storm is expected to bring a few thunderstorms across Tokyo and surrounding areas on Thursday night and Friday, according to AccuWeather.

Just in time for the 70th anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasions of Normandy, France, the UK's Ministry of Defense has released fresh photos showing what it looked like on the water and on the beach during the invasions.

The photos come from a series of 30 trips made by planes flying just 1,000 feet above the battlefield. Some of the planes were over the beaches — Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword — right as the invasion started. They used heavy cameras strapped to the bottom of the planes to make careful panoramas of the action. To mark the anniversary, the ministry dispatched two modern Tornado fighter jets to recreate the photos in modern conditions.

The Independent has more of the photos, as well as some photos from the effort to recreate the World War II pictures.

(Editor's note: The Global Scan can be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Just register and sign up today.)

The Moon may become humanity's library of last resort

There's an effort underway to put a Torah on the Moon, where it will join a Bible left there by the Apollo astronauts. But that's not all. Hindu scriptures called the Veda and the I Ching, an ancient Chinese philosophical work, are also planned for flights to the Moon.

Eventually, copies of DNA from various Earth organisms may all end up stored on the Moon, where they would be safe from nuclear holocausts or even errant asteroid strikes. The Washington Post has the story.

Those koalas aren't cuddling with trees because they're lonely

It's actually an effort to keep cool. Koalas are often pictured with both arms wrapped around trees, and scientists in Australia wanted to know why. Turns out it is their own form of air conditioning. The koalas hug in a certain way because those parts of their body have the least fur — and therefore transfer heat most effectively.

PRI's The World talks to the scientists who did the research, who explain how the species of tree is even important to the koala's behavior.

The US World Cup team probably would have preferred this draw

Fans of the US national soccer team have been disappointed with the draw it received in this year's World Cup. Widely regarded as playing in one of the toughest groups, the US will be lucky to advance out of the first group round. French mathematician Julien Guyon has come up with what has been described as a better way — a way that reliably produces more balanced groups.

The Upshot, from The New York Times, looks at the different draws and why the FIFA draws produce the sort of results they do.

When can music be the best indicator of a seizure?

Sometimes, patients can have a seizure without even knowing it. But what if there were a way patients could actually hear their brain having a seizure? Turn out, it might be possible. PRI's Science Friday introduces us to the researchers who are converting brain waves into music so, one day, patients will literally be able to hear their brain having a seizure.

What we're seeing on social

Weather around the world

Tokyo is preparing for heavy rain, and possibly flooding, as a slow-moving storm that's dropped as much as six inches of rain on the southern Japanese islands moves north. The storm is expected to bring a few thunderstorms across Tokyo and surrounding areas on Thursday night and Friday, according to AccuWeather.