22 articles from SATURDAY 25.6.2022

Climate damage caused by growing space tourism needs urgent mitigation

Published today in the journal Earth's Future, researchers from UCL, the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used a 3D model to explore the impact of rocket launches and re-entry in 2019, and the impact of projected space tourism scenarios based on the recent billionaire space race.

Britain is being hit by a new wave of Covid – so what do we do now?

Health experts answer the key questions arising from the latest surge in infectionsBritain is now going through its third major wave of Covid-19 infections this year. According to the ONS Infection Survey released last week, about 1.7 million people in the UK are estimated to have been infected in the week ending 18 June, a 23% rise on the previous week. This follows a 43% jump the previous week....

Sleep scientist Russell Foster: ‘I want to take the anxiety around sleep away’

The Oxford professor has studied our circadian rhythms for decades – and says much of what we think we know is wrongBorn in Aldershot in 1959, Russell Foster is a professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford and the director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology. For his discovery of non-rod, non-cone ocular photoreceptors he received numerous awards including the Zoological Society...

Multiple lab analyses of Antarctic minerals offer a better understanding of Mars

Results of multiple and complementary lab analyses of minerals found in samples of material from Antarctica could give scientists a better understanding of the surface and subsurface environment of Mars, and indicate locations of potentially habitable subsurface locations, says a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Research Scientist Elizabeth C. Sklute.

Image: Hubble captures a galactic menagerie

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured this massive galaxy cluster, called Abell 1351, with its Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. Abell 1351 lies in the constellation Ursa Major in the northern hemisphere.

Oceans saved us, now we can return the favor

Humanity must heal oceans made sick by climate change, pollution and overfishing in order to rescue marine life and save ourselves, experts warned ahead of a major UN conference opening Monday in Lisbon.

Investigating the dynamics that reshape permafrost environments

When permafrost thaws, water can flow more quickly through the ground, creating a complex subsurface flow system. Researchers at the Barrow Environmental Observatory in Alaska gained insight into this process by taking daily measurements of the electrical resistivity of the ground. The results show that vegetation and the snowpack that accumulates on the vegetation in winter control the...

New study offers insight into past—and future—of west-side wildfires

When the 2020 Labor Day Fires torched more than 300,000 hectares over the span of two weeks in parts of western Oregon and Washington, they devastated communities and put the threat of west-side fires squarely into focus. A new study led by the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station examines the context surrounding the fires and offers insight into the historical role of large,...

Built infrastructure, hunting and climate change linked to huge migratory bird declines

New research shows how migratory birds are declining globally because of the way that humans have modified the landscape in recent decades. A total of 103 species of migrating birds were studied, including rapidly declining species like the turtle dove and the common cuckoo, using large-scale datasets. Advances in satellite imagery allowed the team to map threats across Europe, Africa and Western...