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.....»»
Scaling up genome editing in tiny worms
Understanding the effects of specific mutations in gene regulatory regions—the sections of DNA and RNA that turn genes on and off—is important to unraveling how the genome works, as well as normal development and disease. But studying a large var.....»»
Road salts and other human sources are threatening world"s freshwater supplies
When winter storms threaten to make travel dangerous, people often turn to salt, spreading it liberally over highways, streets and sidewalks to melt snow and ice. Road salt is an important tool for safety, because many thousands of people die or are.....»»
"Spectacle of nature": A Denali glacier is speeding downhill, potentially hampering climbers and increasing flood risk
A Denali glacier suddenly moving at a speedier clip is intriguing scientists, increasing the risk of nearby flooding and potentially closing off some climbing routes on the mountain this season......»»
China"s plans for Himalayan super dam stoke fears in India
China is planning a mega dam in Tibet able to produce triple the electricity generated by the Three Gorges—the world's largest power station—stoking fears among environmentalists and in neighbouring India......»»
Exploration of ocean currents beneath the "Doomsday Glacier"
For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier." They find that the supply of warm water to the glacier is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of fas.....»»
Nepal hit by worst wildfires in almost a decade
Nepal is experiencing its worst fire season in almost a decade, officials said Tuesday, as huge blazes rage across the country's forests, engulfing the Himalayan nation in a shroud of brownish haze......»»
Scientists unlock the secrets of glacier-fed streams, from Greenland to Switzerland
The field scientists working on the Vanishing Glaciers project aren't afraid of heights. They climb to the icy peaks of mountain ranges from the Himalayas to the Alps, equipped with vials, pipettes, thermometers and liquid-nitrogen cylinders (which t.....»»
Microplastics are affecting melt rates of snow and ice
Microplastics have reached the farthest corners of the Earth, including remote fjords and even the Mariana Trench, one of the deepest parts of the ocean. Recently, yet another distant area of our planet has been found to contain these pollutants: gla.....»»
Why a space probe is using powdered bones as sunscreen
Dublin-based ENBIO created a coating from burnt bones, allowing ESA's Solar Orbiter probe to withstand temperatures hot enough to melt lead......»»
Revealing complex behavior of a turbulent plume at the calving front of a Greenlandic glacier
For the first time, scientists have succeeded in continuous monitoring of a subglacial discharge plume, providing a deeper understanding of the glacier-fjord environment......»»
Keeping track of spacecraft as Earth"s water alters its spin
Mass is constantly being redistributed around our planet, as Earth's atmosphere, oceans and other bodies of water on and under the surface melt, shift and stir. This mass redistribution alters Earth's center of gravity, which in turn speeds up and sl.....»»
Sidekick Browser wants to be a productivity-honed ‘work OS’ on Chromium
The paradox of connected computing is how much information is made available to us in just a few clicks or taps — but also how this ocean of available data can overwhelm and lap over a particular bit of intel the moment we need to lay our finge.....»»
To save giant sequoia trees, maybe it"s time to plant backups
Last month, unusually high winds knocked down 15 giant sequoias in Yosemite. If you haven't had a chance to see them in person, giant sequoias are big—like, warp-your-sense-of-scale and melt-your-brain big. Then, once you've taken in their size, th.....»»
The Perplexing Psychology of Returning to ‘Normal’
For a year now, we’ve been living in constant fear of Covid-19. But when you get that vaccine in your arm, it’s not like your stress will magically melt away......»»
Retreating glaciers threaten herbs used to make iconic alpine liqueurs
Alpine landscapes are irrevocably changing: scientists estimate that the Alps may be glacier-free by the end of this century. As the ice melts, the unique ecosystems that exist at their edges are also fading. New research published in Frontiers in Ec.....»»
This hot super-Earth has temperatures of 800°F and rivers of glowing lava
No day or night, heat intense enough to melt lead, and glowing rivers of lava: This hellish landscape is a typical day on exoplanet Gliese 486b......»»
A parental paradox for Black girls in the justice system
For Black girls in the juvenile justice system, attention from a caregiver might amount to too much of a bad thing, a recent study suggests......»»
Unraveling ThredUp’s IPO filing: Slow growth, but a shifting business model
What investors will be willing to pay for ThredUp is going to be very interesting. A bit like Oscar Health, it's a hard company to price. Another day, another venture-backed IPO filing. Today it’s ThredUp, a used-goods marketplace th.....»»
Researchers uncover how some animals sense the gritty texture of their food
There's more to taste than flavor. Let ice cream melt, and the next time you take it out of the freezer you'll find its texture icy instead of the smooth, creamy confection you're used to. Though its flavor hasn't changed, most people would agree the.....»»
New study identifies mountain snowpack most "at-risk" from climate change
As the planet warms, scientists expect that mountain snowpack should melt progressively earlier in the year. However, observations in the U.S. show that as temperatures have risen, snowpack melt is relatively unaffected in some regions while others c.....»»