Earth

(Edmonton) In the world of nano-scale technology, where work is conducted at the atomic level, even the smallest changes can have an enormous impact. And a new discovery by a University of Alberta materials engineering researchers has caught the attention of electronics industry leaders looking for more efficient manufacturing processes.

Economic and population growth on top of climate change could lead to serious water shortages across a broad swath of Asia by the year 2050, a newly published study by MIT scientists has found.

The study deploys detailed modeling to produce what the researchers believe is a full range of scenarios involving water availability and use in the future. In the paper, the scientists conclude there is a "high risk of severe water stress" in much of an area that is home to roughly half the world's population.

AMHERST, Mass. - A new study from climate scientists Robert DeConto at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and David Pollard at Pennsylvania State University suggests that the most recent estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for future sea-level rise over the next 100 years could be too low by almost a factor of two. Details appear in the current issue of Nature.

An ice sheet model that includes previously underappreciated processes indicates that sea level may rise almost 50 feet by 2500 due to Antarctic ice sheet melting if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, according to researchers from Penn State and University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

"In this case the atmospheric warming will soon become the dominant driver of ice loss, but prolonged ocean warming will delay the recovery for thousands of years," the researchers report in today's (Mar. 31) issue of Nature.

Former Tropical Cyclone 17S was battered by northerly 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 30 captured a visible image of the large area of remnant clouds streaming to the southeast.

WASHINGTON, March 29, 2016 -- Synthetic drugs such as "bath salts," "K2" or "Spice" have made unsettling headlines lately, with reports of violent, erratic behavior and deaths after people have used the substances. Why are these synthesized drugs so dangerous, and why aren't there more regulations? In this week's Reactions, we answer these questions by examining the chemistry of two kinds of synthetic drugs: bath salts and synthetic marijuana. Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/83gIiBD365E.

Coastal flooding is often caused by extreme events, such as storm surges, which in some areas may be amplified by climate change. A number of studies have evaluated the dynamics of future extreme storm surges, but mainly at local or regional scale. A new study gives a wider perspective by developing projections for Europe for 2010-2040 and 2070-2100. According to the findings, the North and Baltic Sea coasts show the largest increases in storm surges, especially towards the east. In contrast, southern European coasts can expect minimal change.

A group of researchers from Osaka University and The University of Tokyo discovered a new magnet capable of controlling Dirac fermions with zero mass. This group's achievement will develop a new field of study, strong correlated quantum transport of Dirac electrons, and become an innovation in realizing super high speed spintronics, the foundation of high-speed and energy-saving electronics.

So you think the gold in your ring or watch came from a mine in Africa or Australia? Well, think farther away. Much, much farther.

Michigan State University researchers, working with colleagues from Technical University Darmstadt in Germany, are zeroing in on the answer to one of science's most puzzling questions: Where did heavy elements, such as gold, originate?

When estimating portion size, we may be more influenced by food images on the packaging than by the listed serving size leading us to serve more than is recommended. When additional food items are depicted on packages--such as frosting on cake-mix boxes-- we are even more likely to overserve!

Balancing the impacts of climate change risks for all involved may not be within the realm of economics or physics, but a novel approach may help to achieve a better compromise, according to Penn State and Cornell climate researchers.

"Different climate risk management strategies can yield diverse and potentially severe impacts across different global stakeholders," the researchers said in a recent issue of Climatic Change. They add that solving this problem requires clear knowledge of the trade-offs across different risk management strategies.

A survey of a major oil and natural gas-producing region in Western Canada suggests a link between hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" and induced earthquakes in the region, according to a new report published online in the journal Seismological Research Letters.

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- High-tech metal alloys are widely used in important materials such as the cladding that protects the fuel inside a nuclear reactor. But even the best alloys degrade over time, victims of a reactor's high temperatures, radiation, and hydrogen-rich environment. Now, a team of MIT researchers has found a way of greatly reducing the damaging effects these metals suffer from exposure to hydrogen.

It's a mystery that has stumped geologists for more than a century.

Now, thanks to new technology - including satellite laser imagery - researchers may be one step closer to understanding the origins of an archetypal landform: the drumlin hill.

"Drumlin hills are the most studied and yet the most enigmatic ice age landform," says U of T Scarborough geology professor Nick Eyles. "Thanks to high resolution satellite imagery and new technology like LiDAR, we're literally seeing the surface of the planet for the first time and finding major surprises in the process."

A newly published paper "Experimental study of the electrical conductivity of hydrous minerals in the crust and the mantle under high pressure and high temperature" on SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences overviews the studies of electrical conductivity measurement of hydrous minerals in recent years.