Massive damage of rare plants probed at Nevada mine site
State and federal authorities are investigating the mysterious loss of a significant swath of a rare desert wildflower that's being considered for federal protection at a contentious mine site in Nevada with some of the largest untapped lithium deposits in the world.
A better informed society can prevent lead poisoning disasters
Six years after it began, the Flint, Michigan, water crisis remains among the highest-profile emergencies in the United States.
NASA confirms development of record-breaking tropical storm Wilfred, ending hurricane list
The list of hurricane names is officially used up with the development of the 23rd tropical cyclone of the year. Tropical Storm Wilfred just formed in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean today, Sept. 18. Using a NASA satellite rainfall product that incorporates data from satellites and observations, NASA estimated Wilfred's rainfall rates.
NASA estimates powerful hurricane Teddy's extreme rainfall
Using a NASA satellite rainfall product that incorporates data from satellites and observations, NASA estimated Hurricane Teddy's rainfall rates. Teddy is a major hurricane in the Central North Atlantic Ocean.
NASA-NOAA satellite sees tropical depression 22 strengthening in gulf of Mexico
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided an infrared image of Tropical Depression 22 in the Gulf of Mexico during the early morning hours of Sept. 18. TD22 is expected to become a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite finds tropical storm Noul fading over Laos
Tropical Storm Noul made landfall in central Vietnam on Sept. 17 and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the storm over Laos. Noul was weakening as it moves toward Thailand where it is forecast to dissipate.
Aqua satellite helps confirm Subtropical Storm Alpha
Subtropical Storm Alpha has formed near the coast of Portugal, becoming the first named storm using the Greek Alphabet list, now that the annual list of names is exhausted. NASA's Aqua satellite obtained visible imagery of the new storm.
Like humans, chimpanzees can suffer for life if orphaned before adulthood
Researchers observed three chimpanzee communities of the Tai National Park. They kept full demographic records and collected fecal samples to conduct paternity tests on all new community members, for up to 30 years. Catherine Crockford, the lead author, says: "When we study our closest living relatives, like chimpanzees, we can learn about the ancient environmental factors that made us human. Our...
Removal of a gene could render lethal poxviruses harmless
The removal of one gene renders poxviruses—a lethal family of viral infections that are known to spread from animals to humans—harmless, a new study in the journal Science Advances reports.
Indian monsoon can be predicted better after volcanic eruptions
Large volcanic eruptions can help to forecast monsoons over India. This seasonal rainfall is key for the country's agriculture and thus for feeding 1 billion people. As erratic as they are, volcanic eruptions improve the predictability, an Indian-German research team finds. What seems to be a paradox is, in fact, due to a stronger coupling between the monsoon over large parts of South and...
Flooding affects more than 1 million across East Africa
Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic.
New design principles for spin-based quantum materials
As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology—whether supporting communication while working remotely or streaming our favorite show—so too does our reliance on the data these devices create. Data centers supporting these technology ecosystems produce a significant carbon footprint—and consume 200 terawatt hours of energy each year, greater than the annual energy consumption...
Anti-resonant hollow-core optical fiber reduces 'noise'
A new hollow optical fiber greatly reduces the "noise" interfering with the signals it transmits compared to the single-mode fibers now widely used, researchers at the University of Rochester report.
VLBA makes first direct distance measurement to magnetar
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) have made the first direct geometric measurement of the distance to a magnetar within our Milky Way Galaxy—a measurement that could help determine if magnetars are the sources of the long-mysterious Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).
Biologists create new genetic systems to neutralize gene drives
In the past decade, researchers have engineered an array of new tools that control the balance of genetic inheritance. Based on CRISPR technology, such gene drives are poised to move from the laboratory into the wild where they are being engineered to suppress devastating diseases such as mosquito-borne malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever and West Nile. Gene drives carry the power to...
Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forests
Global maps of places where people and forests coexist show that an estimated 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers of a forest. The assessment, based on data from 2000 and 2012 and published September 18 in the journal One Earth, showed that of these 1.6 billion "forest-proximate people," 64.5 percent were located in tropical countries, and 71.3 percent lived in countries classified as low...
Bolsonaro's Indigenous land mining policy a billion-dollar backfire
Research has found a proposal to regulate mining of Indigenous lands in Brazil's Amazon rainforest could affect more than 863,000 square kilometers of forest and harm the nation's economy.
Melting glacier floods Arctic coal mine, highlighting climate change irony
On July 26, Svalbard's only active coal mine, Gruve 7, was reported to be flooded by its operators, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. It had been shut down earlier this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; now plans to reopen the mine will now be delayed even further as a result. Glacial meltwater entered the mine through a crevasse at the junction between the overlying ice cap and...
Arctic sea ice is being increasingly melted from below by warming Atlantic water
Each September, scientists like me look out for the point when the Arctic's meager summer fizzles out and sea ice begins to grow once more. This point is known as the annual sea ice minimum extent. It has declined consistently over the past 15 years, and 2019 was the second lowest after 2012 in 42 years of continuous satellite records. This year's minimum is imminent, and there is already even...
Hot Stuff: Unusual thermal diode rectifies heat in both directions
You can feel it on your laptop and mobile phone. It's behind your refrigerator and office copy machine. While heat is desirable for appliances like a coffee maker, it can jeopardize the reliability and safety of electronic systems in other devices, causing premature failure at best and explosions at worst.
Chimpanzees in volatile habitats evolved to behave more flexibly
One of the reasons humans are so resilient is our ability to mold our behavior to ever changing situations. It wasn't so long ago that many of us hugged when we met. In the middle of a pandemic, in which close contact between people can help spread a deadly virus, we now stand (often awkwardly) two meters apart. This is just one example of our ability to adapt to changing circumstances that can...
Human genetics: A look in the mirror
Who are we? Where did we come from? How did we get here? Throughout the ages, humans have sought answers to these questions, pursuing wisdom through religion, philosophy, and eventually science. Evolutionary analyses published by Genome Biology and Evolution (GBE) allow us to peer into the mirror and better understand ourselves as a species, bringing us closer than ever to uncovering the answers...
Survey explores impact of technology-facilitated abuse
A team from The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and University College London is examining how domestic and sexual violence survivors are being impacted by Internet of Things (IoT) technology, which enables everyday devices to collect, send and receive data.
Measuring air pollution in a post-COVID-19 world
Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. According to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution now contributes to one in eight deaths in Europe. Observations from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have been vital in tracking the evolution of air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide concentrations, across Europe.
Potential for fisheries co-management shaped by interplay between formal, informal fisheries institutions
Integrating local norms and fishermen's knowledge into fisheries regulations helps increase trust in fisheries management institutions and can make it easier for co-management to work.