Start Spreading The News: What You Should Read Today [01/12/15]

The AirAsia Flight 8501 black box was recovered Sunday and agencies have begun analyzing the data on the flight recorder. Some experts believe an explosion downed the plane while others have doubts about that analysis. Here's what you should read today.

A Dragon Reaches The International Space Station

SpaceX successfully launched the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station Saturday. Launching atop the Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon spent two days chasing the space station before being pulled in by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, Expedition 42 Commander, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti at 5:54 a.m. EST Monday. "Today’s launch not only resupplies the station but also delivers important science experiments and increases the station’s unique capabilities as a platform for Earth science with delivery of the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System, or CATS, instrument," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. Wilmore and Cristoforetti are in the process of bolting Dragon to the space station.

SpaceX attempted to soft-land the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which contains the 9 Merlin engines and propellant tanks, on an ocean platform after Dragon was launched into orbit. Conditions were not favorable, and the rocket instead performed a hard landing on the platform. SpaceX engineers will analyze the data and attempt another soft landing in upcoming launches.

Kim Jong Un To Open A Restaurant In Scotland?

Most Westerners probably didn't know that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is also in the restaurat business. Kim is in charge of the "Pyongyang" chain of restaurants in the country, which also has branches in the Netherlands and China -- and may be looking to expand to Scotland, according to comments by Michael Madden, editor of the North Korea Leadership Watch blog. Speaking to the Scotsman, Madden said: "It would not surprise me at all if they opted to open a restaurant in Scotland." A North Korean official quoted in the Independent, however, denied the rumors and called any such speculation "nonsense." North Korea's restaurant in the Netherlands is called Haedanghwa and serves kimchi, cold buckwheat noodle soup, Korean barbecue and other traditional North Korean dishes.

Silk Road Trial Begins This Week

The Silk Road trial begins Tuesday with jury selection. Ross Ulbricht, the alleged mastermind behind the drug emporium known as the Silk Road, was charged with narcotics-trafficking conspiracy, computer-hacking conspiracy and money-laundering conspiracy, Businessweek reported. Ulbricht faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Nessie's Ancestor?

Researchers have identified a new species of marine reptile from fossils discovered on the Isle of Skye. Dearcmhara shawcrossi, which pays tribute to the island's Gaelic history and the amateur astronomer who discovered the fossils in 1959, measured 14 feet and roamed the seas around Scotland during the Jurassic era, around 170 million years ago.