Heavens

Although years of drought and over-pumping have significantly depleted groundwater in Arizona and California, a new study shows the situation has an upside: It has created underground reservoirs where extra surface water can be stored during wet times so it is available during drought.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters in March, also found that regions that actively store surface water in underground aquifers have increased their groundwater supply over time, even as surrounding areas depleted theirs.

The Earth is often struck by solar eruptions. These eruptions consist of energetic particles that are hurled away from the Sun into space, where those directed towards Earth encounter the magnetic field around our planet. When these eruptions interact with Earth's magnetic field they cause beautiful auroras. A poetic phenomenon that reminds us, that our closest star is an unpredictable neighbor.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- What happens when doctors misbehave? The answer depends a lot on which state they practice in, a new study shows.

In fact, the percentage of doctors who get disciplined or pay a malpractice claim is four times less in some states than the percentage in other states, the research by a pair of University of Michigan Medical School researchers shows.

Alexandria, Va., USA - The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published an article titled "Tooth Loss Increases the Risk of Diminished Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" in the OnlineFirst portion of the JDR Clinical & Translational Research. In it, Cerutti-Kopplin et al systematically assessed the association between oral health and cognitive function in adult populations.

A new study published today in Nature reports discovery of a rare event -- that Earth's moon slowly moved from its original axis roughly 3 billion years ago.

Former Tropical Cyclone Emeraude was battered by northeasterly vertical wind shear and reduced to a remnant low pressure area in the Southern Indian Ocean. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the system on March 24 captured a visible image of the large area of remnant clouds.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- When we think of a galaxy the first thing that comes to our minds is an assembly of stars. Indeed, the stars of a galaxy are one of its most important characteristics.

Research led by Johns Hopkins University scientists has found new persuasive evidence that could help solve a longstanding mystery in astrophysics: Why did the pace of star formation in the universe slow down some 11 billion years ago?

HANOVER, N.H. - More mercury than previously thought is moving from aquatic to land food webs when stream insects are consumed by spiders, a Dartmouth College-led study shows.

The findings, which appear in the journal Ecological Applications, shed new light on the influence of dissolved organic carbon in the spread of mercury contamination. A PDF is available on request.

The following press release and accompanying image can be found at: http://news.agu.org/press-release/solar-storms-trigger-jupiters-northern-lights/

WASHINGTON, DC -- Solar storms trigger Jupiter's intense 'Northern Lights' by generating a new X-ray aurora that is eight times brighter than normal and hundreds of times more energetic than Earth's aurora borealis, new research finds.

New research by engineers from the Universities of Bristol and Lund, working alongside National Instruments (NI), has demonstrated how a massive antenna system can offer a 12-fold increase in spectrum efficiency compared with current 4G cellular technology.

High speed and athlete inexperience are top contributing factors to injuries and accidents on the Whistler sliding track, according to a UBC study conducted following the death of an athlete during a training run before the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Results showed that the track, used for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events, was not significantly more dangerous than other Olympic sliding tracks.

Rather like an uncontacted tribe living deep in the Amazon rainforest or on an island in Oceania, WLM offers a rare insight into the primordial nature of galaxies that have been little disturbed by their environment.

Human activities continue to expand. At the same time, an increasing number of plants face habitat loss and fragmentation. In fact, more than 700 plants are classified as endangered in the United States.

One such plant is the shrubby reed-mustard. Natural gas and oil extraction projects have increased in Northeastern Utah where the plant grows. The construction of roads and well pads has fragmented shrubby reed-mustard habitats. The species is at risk for extinction.

Researchers have developed a new conceptual framework for understanding how stars similar to our Sun evolve. Their framework helps explain how the rotation of stars, their emission of x-rays, and the intensity of their stellar winds vary with time. According to first author Eric Blackman, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, the work could also "ultimately help to determine the age of stars more precisely than is currently possible."