Sci/Tech

The dust that coats much of the surface of Mars originates largely from a single thousand-kilometer-long geological formation near the Red Planet’s equator, scientists have found. A study published in the journal Nature Communications found a chemical match between dust in the Martian atmosphere and the surface feature, called the Medusae Fossae Formation. “Mars wouldn’t […]

RENO, NV, July 23, 2018 – For decades, researchers believed the Western Hemisphere was settled by humans roughly 13,500 years ago, a theory based largely upon the widespread distribution of Clovis artifacts dated to that time. Clovis artifacts are distinctive prehistoric stone tools so named because they were initially found near Clovis, New Mexico, in […]

July 23, 2018 – Suicide rates are likely to rise as the earth warms, according to new research published July 23 in Nature Climate Change. The study, led by Stanford economist Marshall Burke, finds that projected temperature increases through 2050 could lead to an additional 21,000 suicides in the United States and Mexico. “When talking […]

Stockholm, Sweden (July 20, 2018) – After years of voicing concerns, AI leaders have, for the first time, taken concrete action against lethal autonomous weapons, signing a pledge to “neither participate in nor support the development, manufacture, trade, or use of lethal autonomous weapons.” The pledge has been signed to date by over 160 AI-related […]

July 18, 2018 – In the age of Instagram and Snapchat, everyone wants to have perfect pearly whites. To get a brighter smile, consumers can opt for over the counter teeth-whitening treatments or a trip to the dentist to have their teeth bleached professionally. But both types of treatments can harm teeth. According to an […]

Jeff Inglis, The Conversation July 16, 2018 – The federal indictments of 12 Russian government agents accuse them of hacking computers to spy on and meddle with the U.S. 2016 presidential election – including state and county election databases. With the 2018 midterm congressional elections approaching – along with countless state and local elections – […]

MIAMI, July 13, 2018 – Scientists have confirmed for the first time that radical changes of one volcano in southern Japan was the direct result of an erupting volcano 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) away. The observations from the two volcanos–Aira caldera and Kirishima–show that the two were connected through a common subterranean magma source in […]

July 11, 2018 – A debate over breastfeeding fueled by a New York Times article on Monday centered on whether the U.S. threatened trade measures against Ecuador, which had proposed a resolution to the World Health Assembly that would prioritize breastfeeding over formula. President Trump fired back in a tweet, saying, “The U.S. strongly supports […]

July 10, 2018 – If you can predict the path of the jet stream, the upper atmosphere’s undulating river of wind, then you can predict weather – not just for a week or two, but for an entire season. A new Stanford study moves toward that level of foresight by revealing a physical link between […]

July 5, 2018 – Initial testing on the next generation of mobile technology with the capability of delivering 100 times faster broadband has been successful, engineers at the University of Sussex and collaborators from telecom consultancy firm Plum have confirmed. Engineering experts are pleased with the successful completion of measurements of the indoor coverage of […]

July 5, 2018 – A recently published study by a University of Texas at Arlington urban researcher shows a correlation between urban sprawl and a decreased life expectancy in the United States. Shima Hamidi, UTA assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and two directors of the National Institutes of Health […]

July 5, 2018 – In August 2016, the first large cruise ship traveled through the Northwest Passage, the northern waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The following year, the first ship without an icebreaker plied the Northern Sea Route, a path along Russia’s Arctic coast that was, until recently, impassable by unescorted commercial vessels. […]

July 5, 2018 – Future global warming may eventually be twice as warm as projected by climate models and sea levels may rise six metres or more even if the world meets the 2°C target, according to an international team of researchers from 17 countries. The findings published last week in Nature Geoscience are based […]

July 2, 2018 – A new study shows that eighth-grade science teachers without an educational background in science are less likely to practice inquiry-oriented science instruction, a pedagogical approach that develops students’ understanding of scientific concepts and engages students in hands-on science projects. This research offers new evidence for why U.S. middle-grades students may lag […]