SciGlow | All Science News In One Place
SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
Concentrations of methane, a greenhouse gas about 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, have risen steadily in Earth’s atmosphere since 2007. Although several potential explanations, including an increase in methane emissions from the tropics, could account for this upsurge, due to a lack of regional data scientists have been unable to pinpoint the source. … Read more
Close friendships improve the survival chances of rhesus macaques, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists studied the social lives of female macaques on “Monkey Island” (Cayo Santiago, off Puerto Rico). Data spanning seven years revealed that females with the strongest social connection to a another macaque – measured by factors including time spent together … Read more
Using instruments onboard the International Space Station, researchers have observed millisecond pulses of gamma-rays produced by thunderstorms, clarifying the process by which these flashes are made, and discovering that they can produce an ultraviolet emission known as an “Elve.” The results help reveal the process by which terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are generated from thunderstorms, … Read more
The oxygenation of Earth’s surface – which transformed the planet into a habitable haven for all life as we know it – may have been the consequence of global biogeochemical feedbacks, rather than the product of discrete planetary-scale biological and tectonic revolutions as proposed, according to a new study. The findings have implications for the … Read more
Just beyond the horizon of practicality, researchers are trying to develop a new generation of chips that would control photons as reliably as today’s chips control electrons. But after years of effort they’re still grappling with a crucial step: identifying the best material to trap and tame light. Jelena Vuckovic has already devoted some 20 … Read more
The motivations for using biology as inspiration to engineering vary based on the project, but for Ling Li, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, the combination of flexibility and protection seen in the chiton mollusk was all the motivation necessary. “The system we’ve developed is based on the chiton, which has … Read more
Greenland is losing ice seven times faster than in the 1990s and is tracking the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s high-end climate warming scenario, which would see 40 million more people exposed to coastal flooding by 2100. A team of 96 polar scientists from 50 international organisations have produced the most complete picture of Greenland … Read more
Scientists at the University of Illinois have created sugar cube-sized blocks of an electromagnetic material with potential to transform communication networks. Several countries are building futuristic communication systems using higher frequency electromagnetic waves to transfer more data at faster rates, but they have lacked network components to handle these higher bandwidths. Researcher J. Gary Eden … Read more
Political affiliations, the presence of local environmental organizations and prior local media coverage of climate change play a role in how a community reacts to an extreme weather event, an article published today in Nature Climate Change concludes. “Extreme weather events such as a catastrophic wildfire, a 500-year flood or a record-breaking heatwave may result … Read more
New research led by scientists from Florida Institute of Technology found that megadroughts – strong and long-lasting droughts – parched the usually moist Peruvian cloud forests, spurring farmers to colonize new cropland. The study, “2,100 years of human adaptation to climate change in the High Andes,” reveals that Andean climate changes – especially droughts – … Read more