The Winter Olympics Are Sadder, Quieter, Scarier.
Isolation rooms, fears of positive Covid-19 tests and the absence of cheering crowds are squeezing all the joy from the Beijing Games. From a report: On the day Team USA flag bearer Elana Meyers Taylor was supposed to march her country into the Olymp.....»»
Olympic ice rinks put spotlight on potent greenhouse gases
The ice rinks that play host to figure skating and speedskating competitions at the Beijing Olympics will also be putting a major environmental problem on the world stage—the potent greenhouse gases often lurking in refrigerators, air conditioners.....»»
Scientists race to gather winter data on warming Great Lakes
What's happening in the Great Lakes during those long, frigid months when they're often covered partially or completely with ice? A casual observer—and even experts—might be inclined to say, "Not much.".....»»
Could Texas see a repeat of last year"s winter storm?
Most Texans will never forget last year's historic winter storm that paralyzed much of the state and set numerous record-low temperatures. But a Texas A&M University expert says that in any given year, there is only about a 2 percent chance of such a.....»»
The Winter Olympics gets a new video game … featuring NFTs
The latest Olympics video game adopts the video game industry's most controversial trend......»»
A deep freeze is coming to Texas, and no one knows if the power grid is ready
"The Texas electric grid is more prepared for winter operations than ever before." Enlarge / Texas Governor Greg Abbott, center, during a press conference at the Capitol on June 8, 2021, in Austin, Texas. He signed two bills into law t.....»»
A deepfreeze is coming to Texas, and no one knows if the power grid is ready
"The Texas electric grid is more prepared for winter operations than ever before." Enlarge / Texas Governor Greg Abbott, center, during a press conference at the Capitol on June 8, 2021, in Austin, Texas. He signed two bills into law t.....»»
Volcanoes, plague, famine, endless winter: Historians and scientists recall 536, the "worst year to be alive"
It's only February and already 2022 is shaping up badly. A huge volcanic eruption off the coast of Tonga, the prospect of war with Russia, the ongoing pandemic (and its economic disruptions). And that's even before we touch on Chinese saber-rattling.....»»
Here Come the Underdogs of the Robot Olympics
Can a scrappy team of robotics undergrads play to win against the best-funded labs in the world? At the Darpa Challenge, it’s anyone’s game......»»
What’s new on Peacock in February 2022
Here's what's new on Peacock in February 2022. You'll find the premiere of reboot series Bel-Air, Super Bowl LVI, the Winter Olympics, and more......»»
Governors Asked To Sign Compact Committing To K-12 CS Expansion
theodp writes: At the 2022 Winter meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA), Arkansas Governor and NGA Chair ASA Hutchinson called on attendees to rally together to advance K-12 computer science education across the country. The pitch was p.....»»
NASA is designing a quieter supersonic plane, the X-59
NASA is working on a new design of supersonic plane which, instead of causing a sonic boom, causes a quieter sonic thump......»»
How the future of US corn, soybean and wheat production depends on sustainable groundwater use
In the U.S., 52% of irrigated land is used for corn, soybean and winter wheat production. Corn and soybean are two of the country's most important crops, with 17% of corn production and 12% of soybean production coming from irrigated areas. However,.....»»
NASA planes fly into snowstorms to study snowfall
Scientists repeatedly check the weather forecasts as they prepare aircraft for flight and perform last-minute checks on science instruments. There's a large winter storm rolling in, but that's exactly what these storm-chasing scientists are hoping fo.....»»
Gut microbes help hibernating ground squirrels emerge strong and healthy in spring
Ground squirrels spend the end of summer gorging on food, preparing for hibernation. They need to store a lot of energy as fat, which becomes their primary fuel source underground in their hibernation burrows all winter long......»»
How is snowfall measured? A meteorologist explains how volunteers tally up winter storms
The Blue Hill Observatory, a few miles south of Boston, recorded the deepest snow cover in its 130-year history, an incredible 46 inches, in February 2015. The same month, Bangor, Maine, tied its record for deepest snow at 53 inches. Mountainous loca.....»»
What wintering squirrels can teach astronauts
When bears and ground squirrels hibernate in winter, they stop eating, lasting until spring simply on the fat reserves they've stored up in their bodies. Usually, this sort of prolonged fasting and inactivity would significantly reduce the mass and f.....»»
New study improves understanding of Southern California"s intense winter rains
New research looks to improve prediction of brief but intense rainstorms that can cause devastating flash floods and landslides......»»
Snowbirds caught in pandemic turbulence feed economy, seek stability, and still face uncertainty
Snowbirds—the hundreds of thousands of Canadian retirees who travel south for the winter—faced numerous hurdles due to travel restrictions imposed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study of media reporting has found......»»
China pledges "purification" of the internet ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year
China's top cybersecurity regulator is vowing to crack down on "illegal" online content as part of a campaign to clean up the internet ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics and one of the country's most important annual holidays......»»
Check out this robot restaurant built for the Winter Games
A robot restaurant built for the Winter Olympics delivers meals from the ceiling and is designed to minimize human contact to prevent COVID-19 infections......»»