Earth | Page 652 | Science Codex

A fast solidification process makes material crackle

What does it sound like when liquids solidify very fast?

Researchers from the Centre of Excellence in Computational Nanoscience at Aalto University and their colleagues at Brown University and the University of California, Irvine, have developed a theory that answers this question by combining for the first time the understanding of vibrations in solid material and the solidification of liquid at a microscopic level. The results were published in the renowned scientific publication Physical Review Letters in January.

The seawater temperature distribution in tropics affects the rainfall in East Asia

A wide swatch of Asia, from the tropics to the mid-latitudes, which has wet and dry seasons, is significantly affected by "Asian monsoons." The amount of rainfall in particular has a close relationship to agriculture and damage from flooding. For this reason, understanding the mechanisms of changes in the Asian monsoon and being able to forecast such changes are vital to social and economic activities in the region. It is said that from the middle to the end of the 20th century, the amount of land-based rainfall from monsoons has declined globally.

Physical activity reduces risk of serious falls in older men

New Haven, Conn.--Older men who engage in regular physical activity experience far fewer serious fall injuries than those who do not, say Yale researchers. Their findings suggest that moderate exercise can help prevent potentially devastating falls, the leading cause of injury in people age 70 and older.

The study results, published online Feb. 3 in The BMJ, are drawn from the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study, the largest and longest trial of physical activity in older people.

Cause for hope: Secondary tropical forests put on weight fast

How fast tropical forests recover after deforestation has major consequences for climate change mitigation. A team including Smithsonian scientists discovered that some secondary tropical forests recover biomass quickly: half of the forests in the study attained 90 percent of old-growth forest levels in 66 years or less. Conservation planners can use their resulting biomass-recovery map for Latin America to prioritize conservation efforts.

In the Southern Ocean, a carbon-dioxide mystery comes clear

Twenty thousand years ago, when humans were still nomadic hunters and gatherers, low concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allowed the earth to fall into the grip of an ice age. But despite decades of research, the reasons why levels of the greenhouse gas were so low then have been difficult to piece together.

Research may explain mysterious deep earthquakes in subduction zones

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Geologists from Brown University may have finally explained what triggers certain earthquakes that occur deep beneath the Earth's surface in subduction zones, regions where one tectonic plate slides beneath another.

Receptors inside nerve cells may be a key to controlling pain

In real estate, location is key. It now seems the same concept holds true when it comes to stopping pain.

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and McGill University in Montreal indicates that the location of receptors that transmit pain signals IS important in how big or small a pain signal will be and how effectively drugs can block those signals.

Phosphine as a superconductor? Sure, but the story may be complicated

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Phosphine is one of the newest materials to be named a superconductor, a material through which electricity can flow with zero resistance.

In 2015, scientists reported that they had liquefied the chemical and squeezed it under high pressure in a diamond vice to achieve superconductivity.

Now, a different group of researchers is providing insight into what may have happened to the phosphine as it underwent this intense compression.

Consistency of Earth's magnetic field history surprises scientists

Washington, D.C.--Earth's magnetic field is generated by the motion of liquid iron in the planet's core. This "geodynamo" occasionally reverses its polarity--the magnetic north and south poles swap places. The switch occurs over a few thousand years, and the time between reversals can vary from some tens of thousands to tens of millions of years.

Antarctic study identifies melting ice sheet's role in sea level rise

Loss of ice in Antarctica caused by a warming ocean could raise global sea levels by three metres, research suggests.

Scientists carrying out fieldwork in the region have assessed the landscape to determine how the West Antarctic ice sheet might respond to increasing global temperatures.

In the first study of its kind, researchers were able to gauge how levels of ice covering the land have changed over hundreds of thousands of years. They did so by studying peaks protruding through ice in the Ellsworth Mountains, on the Atlantic flank of Antarctica.

How variation in body size correlates with en-route migration performance of songbirds?

Every spring and fall, migratory songbirds around the world make epic journeys from their breeding to their wintering grounds. Ornithologists have long known that not all birds travel at the same speed during the treks, as some individuals tend to stay longer at stopover sites than others. The reason for the varying stopover lengths has usually been attributed to differences in feeding rates. Now, a team of Canadian researchers from the University of Manitoba has determined there is another, very surprising, reason why some birds stay longer at stopover sites than others.

Greenland ice sheet releasing 'Mississippi River' worth of phosphorus

Phosphorus is a key nutrient that could, if it reaches the open ocean, enrich waters of the Arctic Ocean, potentially stimulating growth of the marine food chain.

Phosphorus feeds plankton at the base of the ocean food web. Glacial meltwater has long been known to contain phosphorus, but new research by Dr Jon Hawkings, from the Cabot Institute at the University of Bristol, shows as the Greenland ice sheet melts, it could be releasing far more of the nutrient than previously thought..

Study shows North Atlantic Ocean CO2 storage doubled over last decade

MIAMI--A University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science-led study shows that the North Atlantic absorbed 50 percent more man-made carbon dioxide over the last decade, compared to the previous decade. The findings show the impact that the burning of fossil fuels have had on the world's oceans in just 10 years.

U-Idaho researchers: The US must address the 'wicked problem' of wildfire

MOSCOW, Idaho - Feb. 2, 2016 - The United States must make preparing for and adapting to wildfire a top national priority, says a team of University of Idaho researchers and their international partners in a paper published today in the journal BioScience.

The researchers issued a call for academia, government agencies, industries and communities to work together to address wildfire because it is a "wicked problem" -- one so complex that a one-size-fits-all solution does not exist.

Gray treefrogs provide clues to climate change

COLUMBIA, Mo. - According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2015 was the hottest year on record. According to a University of Missouri researcher, increasing temperatures and climate variability might have an effect on the sounds produced by gray treefrogs. According to a recent study, scientists found that a female's interpretation of male mating calls may not be affected by climate change; however, knowing how breeding habits are affected can help predict the health of ecosystems.