A lightning strike in Africa helps take the pulse of the sun
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 11, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
2
Sunspots, which rotate around the sun's surface, tell us a great deal about our own planet. Scientists rely on them, for instance, to measure the sun's rotation or to prepare long-range forecasts of the Earth's ...
Cassini Captures Ghostly Dance of Saturn's Northern Lights (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (10) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the first video showing the auroras above the northern latitudes of Saturn, Cassini has spotted the tallest known "northern lights" in the solar system, flickering in shape and brightness ...
Climate change in Kuwait Bay
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 30, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (13) |
1
Since 1985, seawater temperature in Kuwait Bay, northern Arabian Gulf, has increased on average 0.6°C per decade. This is about three times faster than the global average rate reported by the Intergovernmental ...
Sea Level Is Rising Along U.S. Atlantic Coast, According to New Data Analysis
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (13) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of environmental scientists led by the University of Pennsylvania has shown that sea-level rise along the Atlantic Coast of the United States was 2 millimeters faster in the 20th century ...
Close-up movie shows hidden details in the birth of super-suns (w/ Video)
Nov 16, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The constellation of Orion is a hotbed of massive star formation, most prominently in the Great Nebula that sits in Orion's sword. The glowing gas of the Nebula is powered by a group of young ...
Cosmic rays hunted down: Physicists are closing in on the origin of cosmic rays
Dec 07, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (11) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- A thin rain of charged particles continually bombards our atmosphere from outer space. The mysterious particles were first detected 100 years ago but until 10 years ago when a new type of ...
Ancient high-altitude trees grow faster as temperatures rise
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 16, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (11) |
0
PIC=32536:left]Increasing temperatures at high altitudes are fueling the post-1950 growth spurt seen in bristlecone pines, the world's oldest trees, according to new research.
Antarctica served as climatic refuge in Earth's greatest extinction event
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 02, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (10) |
0
A new fossil species suggests that some land animals may have survived the end-Permian extinction by living in cooler climates in Antarctica. Researchers have identified a distant relative of mammals that apparently survived ...
Fighting climate change by turning CO2 to stone
Nov 17, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (13) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- While politicians debate the best ways to cut global carbon dioxide emissions, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory's Center for Advanced Energy Studies are charging ahead on a strategy ...
A Tale of Planetary Woe (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 11, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (11) |
5
Once upon a time — roughly four billion years ago — Mars was warm and wet, much like Earth. Liquid water flowed on the Martian surface in long rivers that emptied into shallow seas. A thick atmosphere blanketed ...
NASA 'Drops' Next Generation Robotic Lander During Autonomous Tests
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 16, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (10) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA has successfully completed a series of autonomous "drop" tests of a robotic lander test article - in a record 10 months - to demonstrate the ability to perform a controlled landing on ...
Leaders say momentum building on climate change
Nov 29, 2009 |
2.9 / 5 (15) |
12
(AP) -- Leaders of the Commonwealth countries called Saturday for a legally binding international agreement on climate change and a global fund with billions of dollars to help poor countries meet its mandates.
Oceanic crust formation is dynamic after all
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 25, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
0
Imagine the Earth's crust as the planet's skin: Some areas are old and wrinkled while others have a fresher, more youthful sheen, as if they had been regularly lathered with lotion.
Herschel takes a peek at the ingredients of the galaxies
Nov 27, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The European Space Agency has today released spectacular new observations from the Herschel Space Observatory, including the UK-led SPIRE instrument. Spectrometers on board all three Hershel ...
First comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica's climate
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 01, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (11) |
3
The first comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica's climate and its relationship to the global climate system is published this week by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The review - Antarctic ...
