Earth | Page 1281 | Science Codex

UCI scientists discover ozone-boosting chemical reaction

Irvine, Calif. – Burning of fossil fuels pumps chemicals into the air that react on surfaces such as buildings and roads to create photochemical smog-forming chlorine atoms, UC Irvine scientists report in a new study.

Under extreme circumstances, this previously unknown chemistry could account for up to 40 parts per billion of ozone – nearly half of California's legal limit on outdoor air pollution. This reaction is not included in computer models used to predict air pollution levels and the effectiveness of ozone control strategies that can cost billions of dollars.

Climate change could jeopardize western U.S. water supply

As the West warms, a drier Colorado River system could see as much as a one-in-two chance of fully depleting all of its reservoir storage by mid-century assuming current management practices continue on course, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

NYU physicists find way to explore microscopic systems through holographic video

Physicists at New York University have developed a technique to record three-dimensional movies of microscopic systems, such as biological molecules, through holographic video. The work, which is reported in Optics Express, has potential to improve medical diagnostics and drug discovery.

The technique, developed in the laboratory of NYU Physics Professor David Grier, is comprised of two components: making and recording the images of microscopic systems and then analyzing these images.

"Invisibility cloak" could prevent catastrophic earthquake damage

LIVERPOOL, UK – 20 July 2009: Research at the University of Liverpool has shown it is possible to develop an 'invisibility cloak' to protect buildings from earthquakes.

The seismic waves produced by earthquakes include body waves which travel through the earth and surface waves which travel across it. The new technology controls the path of surface waves which are the most damaging and responsible for much of the destruction which follows earthquakes.

Geoengineering schemes may combat the effects of global warming

Four expert speakers attended an event organised by the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Academy of Engineering on 15 July, at the House of Commons, to address an audience curious about geo-engineering the planet to combat the effects of global warming; the solutions it offers and the concerns it raises.

Ominous warning: Pacific tsunami threat greater than expected

The potential for a huge Pacific Ocean tsunami on the West Coast of America may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study of geological evidence along the Gulf of Alaska coast.

"Absolute Salinity" forces change to definition of seawater

The world's peak ocean science body has adopted a new definition of seawater developed by Australian, German and US scientists to make climate projections more accurate.

In Paris late last month the General Assembly of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) accepted the case for the introduction of a new international thermodynamic description of seawater, cast in terms of a new salinity variable called Absolute Salinity.

Scientists ever closer to unveiling quantum information networks

Scientists at MIT have figured out a key step toward the design of quantum information networks. The results are reported in the July 20th issue of Physical Review Letters and highlighted in APS's on-line journal Physics (physics.aps.org).

'Motion picture' of past warming paves way for snapshots of future climate change

MADISON — By accurately modeling Earth's last major global warming — and answering pressing questions about its causes — scientists led by a University of Wisconsin-Madison climatologist are unraveling the intricacies of the kind of abrupt climate shifts that may occur in the future.

Research indicates ocean current shutdown may be gradual

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The findings of a major new study are consistent with gradual changes of current systems in the North Atlantic Ocean, rather than a more sudden shutdown that could lead to rapid climate changes in Europe and elsewhere.

The research, based on the longest experiment of its type ever run on a "general circulation model" that simulated the Earth's climate for 21,000 years back to the height of the last Ice Age, shows that major changes in these important ocean current systems can occur, but they may take place more slowly and gradually than had been suggested.

CH503 - newly discovered pheromone is the stop sign female flies use

BOSTON, Mass. (July 16, 2009) -- There she is again: the cute girl at the mall. Big eyes. Long legs. She smiles at you. You're about to make your move… but wait! What's she wearing? It's a letterman jacket, one clearly belonging to a hulking football player named "Steve." This girl is taken. Wisely, you move on.

Wii vindicated: active video games a good alternative for kids

OKLAHOMA CITY – Scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found that playing active video games like the Wii can be an effective substitute for moderate exercise. The findings appear this week in the journal Pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While the pediatricians don't recommend children stop playing outside or exercising, their research shows that active video games offer a great alternative to moderate exercise for children of today's generation who are otherwise sedentary and at high risk for obesity and diabetes.

Quantum goes massive

An astrophysics experiment in America has demonstrated how fundamental research in one subject area can have a profound effect on work in another as the instruments used for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) pave the way for quantum experiments on a macroscopic scale.

Thanks dung beetles! Fossilized feces reveals secret ecology of lost world

A new study of 30 million year old fossil 'mega-dung' from extinct giant South American mammals reveals evidence of complex ecological interactions and theft of dung-beetles' food stores by other animals.

The dung-beetle has fallen on hard times. Once worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians its status has now slipped to that of unsung and forgotten hero, the butt of scatological jokes.

Study examines atmospheric mercury levels

When it comes to air-quality advisories, city residents are no strangers. But smog is made up of an array of air pollutants, including mercury. One Ryerson University researcher has found that during summer higher levels of mercury species exist in the urban atmosphere than rural regions.

Julia Lu is an Associate Professor in Ryerson’s Department of Chemistry and Biology and her main focus is mercury, an element that can be found in many unique places.