Earth | Page 1308 | Science Codex

Measuring the immeasurable: New study links heat transfer, bond strength of materials

Troy, N.Y. – The speed at which heat moves between two materials touching each other is a potent indicator of how strongly they are bonded to each other, according to a new study by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Additionally, the study shows that this flow of heat from one material to another, in this case one solid and one liquid, can be dramatically altered by "painting" a thin atomic layer between materials. Changing the interface fundamentally changes the way the materials interact.

Fish researcher demonstrates first 'non-visual feeding' by African cichlids

KINGSTON, R.I. – April 14, 2009 – Most fish rely primarily on their vision to find prey to feed upon, but a University of Rhode Island biologist and her colleagues have demonstrated that a group of African cichlids feeds by using its lateral line sensory system to detect minute vibrations made by prey hidden in the sediments.

Scripps scientists uncover mimicry at the molecular level that protects genome integrity

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University of Toronto chemists uncover green catalysts

A University of Toronto research team from the Department of Chemistry has discovered useful "green" catalysts made from iron that might replace the much more expensive and toxic platinum metals typically used in industrial chemical processes to produce drugs, fragrances and flavours.

Propagation of earthquake waves: How do they spread?

Propagation of earthquake waves within the Earth is not uniform. Experiments indicate that the velocity of shear waves (s-waves) in Earth's lower mantle between 660 and 2900 km depth is strongly dependent on the orientation of ferropericlase. In the latest issue of "Science" (Vol. 325, 10.04.2009), researchers from the German Research Center for Geosciences GFZ, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the University of Bayreuth, and Arizona State University report unexpected properties of ferropericlase, which is presumably the second most abundant mineral of the lower mantle.

Climate change and atmospheric circulation will make for uneven ozone recovery

Earth's ozone layer should eventually recover from the unintended destruction brought on by the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and similar ozone-depleting chemicals in the 20th century. But new research by NASA scientists suggests the ozone layer of the future is unlikely to look much like the past because greenhouse gases are changing the dynamics of the atmosphere.

CSI: Pisco, Peru earthquake tectonics

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – A magnitude 8.0. earthquake destroyed 90 percent of the city of Pisco, Peru on August 16, 2007. The event killed 595 people, while another 318 were missing. Tsunami waves were observed locally, off the shore of Chile, and as far away as New Zealand.

Fresh details about Silver Creek Fault in downtown San Jose, Calif.

Session: Active-Source Seismic Imaging—Characterizing the SubsurfacePoster: Location: Serra I, Friday, April 10, 2009, 8:30 a.m.

Active-source seismology is the chief investigative tool for imaging the Earth's crust. This paper focuses on the use of active-source seismic studies to image faults, basin geometry, groundwater, geologic hazards and the local and regional tectonic setting.

Imaging and discovery from USArray and EarthScope

Unprecedented dense deployment of EarthScope USArray Transportable Array, Flexible Array and Magnetotelluric instruments is providing data that are being used to develop a new generation of high-resolution Earth models and understanding of structure and processes. Fresh observations:

Evolution canyon shows scorpion biodiversity

Scorpions possess resistance to high temperatures and the ability to conserve water for long periods of time, and as a result thrive in hot and arid parts of the world. But is this global distribution also seen at a more local level? Reporting in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE April 9, Doctoral student Shmuel Raz and colleagues at the University of Haifa, Israel now show that this is indeed the case, even when European-like and African-like habitats were separated by no more than 100 metres.

Optical lattice could overcome one of the grand challenges in physics (and BEC will help)

Ohio State University researchers have developed a new strategy that could eventually aid high-temperature superconductivity, as well as the development of new high-tech materials.

So what, you ask?

Genes from tiny algae shed light on big role managing carbon in world's oceans

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.— Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded genomes of two algal strains, highlighting the genes enabling them to capture carbon and maintain its delicate balance in the oceans. These findings, from a team led by Alexandra Z. Worden of MBARI and published in the April 10 edition of the journal Science, will illuminate cellular processes related to algae-derived biofuels being pursued by DOE scientists.

Solomon Islands earthquake sheds light on enhanced tsunami risk

The 2007 Solomon Island earthquake may point to previously unknown increased earthquake and tsunami risks because of the unusual tectonic plate geography and the sudden change in direction of the earthquake, according to geoscientists.

On April 1, 2007, a tsunami-generating earthquake of magnitude 8.1 occurred East of Papua New Guinea off the coast of the Solomon Islands. The subsequent tsunami killed about 52 people, destroyed much property and was larger than expected.

Monitoring Yellowstone earthquake swarms

The Seismological Society of America (SSA) is an international scientific society devoted to the advancement of seismology and its applications in understanding and mitigating earthquake hazards and in imaging the structure of the earth.

Understanding risk to Seattle's high-rise buildings from a giant Cascadian earthquake

Session: Deterministic Simulated Ground Motion Records Under ASCE/SEI (7-05: Guidance for the Geotechnical IndustryLocation: DeAnza Ballroom 3, Thursday 9 April 2009, 8:30 a.m.