A small asteroid hit us last weekend
Asteroid 2019 MO exploded in our atmosphere with an energy of about 3 to 5 kilotons of TNT. Such events happen once or twice yearly, astronomers say. Most are unexpected, but this space rock was detected hours before it struck.
Thunderbolt of lightning, gamma rays exciting
(University of Tokyo) University of Tokyo graduate student Yuuki Wada with colleagues from Japan discover a connection between lightning strikes and two kinds of gamma-ray phenomena in thunderclouds. The research suggests that in certain conditions, weak gamma-ray glows from thunderclouds may precede lightning bolts and their accompanying gamma-ray flashes.
New evidence on the reliability of climate modeling
For decades, scientists studying a key climate phenomenon have been grappling with contradictory data that have threated to undermine confidence in the reliability of climate models overall. A new study settles that debate with regard to the Hadley cell, a tropical atmospheric circulation widely studied by climate scientists because it controls precipitation in the subtropics and also creates a region called the intertropical convergence zone, producing a band of major, highly-precipitative storms.
Northern lights’ ‘social networking’ reveals true scale of magnetic storms
Magnetic disturbances caused by phenomena like the northern lights can be tracked by a ‘social network’ of ground-based instruments, according to a new study.
New sensor precisely measures air pollution
Scientists agree that air pollution shortens
the lives of many Europeans every year, but have had a hard time accurately
measuring it. Now, thanks to new sensor technology developed at Sweden’s
Chalmers University of Technology, pinpointing air pollution and calculating
its effects may become much easier. This new optical nano-sensor detects
nitrogen dioxide concentrations down to the parts-per-billion level. The underlying
concept is an optimal phenomenon called a plasmon, which has to do with…
‘Revolution’ Needed To Stop The Free Speech Crisis At Universities
It will take a revolution to recover academic freedom from the group-thinking bureaucrats who exert control over corporate universities, says a physics professor sacked after going public with climate science criticism. Peter Ridd, whose academic freedom was upheld by a…
Researchers report new understanding of thermoelectric materials
(University of Houston) Researchers reported a major step forward in the search for new thermoelectric materials Friday, the discovery of a new explanation for asymmetrical thermoelectric performance.
Strange wave-shaped clouds roll across Mount Pisgah
Wave clouds over Mount Pisgah in Asheville, North Carolina. (Photo: Grant W. Goodge/Wikimedia Commons) At first glance, you might assume this image is the result of some elaborate Photoshop trick, but trust us, it’s 100 percent real! These bizarre, tubular…
Nuclear Scientist: HBO’s Chernobyl More Fiction Than Fact
As a nuclear physicist, I can report that HBO’s Chernobyl was sensational fiction inspired by real events, not a factual documentary. Melting faces makes for riveting television but is no more realistic than the zombie cannibalism in the Walking Dead….
Scientists chart course toward a new world of synthetic biology
A team has compiled a roadmap for the future of synthetic or engineering biology, based on the input of 80 leaders in the field from more than 30 institutions. The report provides a strong case that the federal government should invest in this area, not only to improve public health, food crops and the environment, but also to fuel the economy and maintain the country’s leadership in synthetic/engineering biology.
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