Unraveling a paradox of Himalayan glacier melt
One in five glaciers on Earth are covered with a layer of rocky debris. The presence of debris influences how glaciers melt. In the Himalaya, debris covers most large glaciers, and it is so thick that it should insulate the ice, slowing the rates of.....»»
An Ultra-Precise Clock Shows How To Link the Quantum World With Gravity
Time was found to flow differently between the top and bottom of a single cloud of atoms. Physicists hope that such a system will one day help them combine quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of gravity. From a report: The infamous twin paradox s.....»»
Using quantum Parrondo"s random walks for encryption
Assistant Professor Kang Hao Cheong and his research team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have set out to apply concepts from quantum Parrondo's paradox in search of a working protocol for semiclassical encryption. In a.....»»
How much will our emissions have an impact on future Antarctic ice loss?
While the impact of emissions on Antarctic ice melt may not become clear for another hundred years, the consequences of the climate decisions made this decade will be felt for centuries......»»
Quarks and antiquarks at high momentum shake the foundations of visible matter
Two independent studies have illuminated unexpected substructures in the fundamental components of all matter. Preliminary results using a novel tagging method could explain the origin of the longstanding nuclear paradox known as the EMC effect. Mean.....»»
Two new pit vipers discovered from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Two new species of venomous snakes were just added to Asia's fauna—the Nujiang pit viper (Gloydius lipipengi) from Zayu, Tibet, and the Glacier pit viper (G. swild) found west of the Nujiang River and Heishui, Sichuan, east of the Qinghai-Tibet Pla.....»»
Himalayan hydropower "clean but risky," warn scientists
With its steep topography and abundant water resources the Himalayas offer sustainable, low-carbon hydropower for energy-hungry South Asia. But there is a catch—the mountain range falls in one of the world's most seismically active regions......»»
Unraveling the Mystery of Why Children Are Better Protected from COVID Than Adults
Their immune system is more primed to fight off the novel coronavirus -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Rain Falls at the Summit of Greenland Ice Sheet for First Time on Record
Greenland just experienced another massive melt event this year. But this time, something unusual happened. It also rained at the summit of the ice sheet, [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source] nearly two miles above sea level.....»»
Researchers solve 20-year-old paradox in solar physics
In 1998, the journal Nature published a seminal letter concluding that a mysterious signal, which had been discovered while analyzing the polarization of sunlight, implies that the solar chromosphere (an important layer of the solar atmosphere) is pr.....»»
Thwaites Glacier: Significant geothermal heat beneath the ice stream
Ice losses from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica are currently responsible for roughly 4 percent of the global sea-level rise. This figure could increase, since virtually no another ice stream in the Antarctic is changing as dramatically as the ma.....»»
Experts eye unstable glacier within Italy"s Mont Blanc
Scientists on Italy's side of the Mont Blanc massif are constantly monitoring a melting glacier, where the risk of collapse due to rising temperatures threatens the valley below......»»
SpaceX previews ruggedized Starlink dish for vehicles, ships, and aircraft
Dish built for extreme heat and cold with "improved snow/ice melt capabilities." Enlarge (credit: SpaceX) SpaceX says that Starlink user terminals for moving vehicles will be ruggedized to withstand "harsh environments" with extreme levels of.....»»
Starlink-for-vehicles plan has ruggedized terminal for extreme heat and cold
Terminals for moving vehicles will also have "improved snow/ice melt capabilities." Enlarge (credit: SpaceX) SpaceX says that Starlink user terminals for moving vehicles will be ruggedized to withstand "harsh environments" with extreme levels.....»»
Unraveling the mechanisms that control parental care in birds
When animals become parents, they often need to change their behaviors in ways that allow them to protect and ensure the survival of their offspring. What happens in the brain when an animal becomes a new parent?.....»»
Heatwave causes massive melt of Greenland ice sheet
Greenland's ice sheet has experienced a "massive melting event" during a heatwave that has seen temperatures more than 10 degrees above seasonal norms, according to Danish researchers......»»
Unraveling mysteries of the ocean from space
Using nearly a decade of satellite data, researchers at Colorado State University have uncovered "milky seas" in a way they've never been seen before—a rare and fascinating oceanic bioluminescent phenomenon detected by a highly sensitive spaceborne.....»»
Plant reproduction: Unraveling the role of a new membrane within pollen grain
While the reproduction process of flowering plants has been known for more than 120 years, there still remain many mysteries to unravel. Researchers from INRAE, ENS de Lyon, CNRS and Limagrain characterized a new membrane within pollen grain that sur.....»»
New research helps explain diversity of life and paradox of sex
There are huge differences in species numbers among the major branches of the tree of life. Some groups of organisms have many species, while others have few. For example, animals, plants and fungi each have over 100,000 known species, but most other.....»»
High concentrations of "forever" chemicals being released from ice melt into the Arctic Ocean
Known as 'forever' chemicals due to the fact they do not break down in the environment, poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in a wide range of products and processes from fire proofing to stain resistant surfaces......»»
15,000-Year-Old Viruses Discovered In Tibetan Glacier Ice
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ohio State News: Scientists who study glacier ice have found viruses nearly 15,000 years old in two ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau in China. Most of those viruses, which survived because they had r.....»»