Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The oceans play a pivotal role in drawing down atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and have so far acted as a brake on the full impact of climate change. Current estimates of the CO₂ from the atmosphere that disappears in the ocean, commonly referred to as the ocean CO₂ sink, suggests that … Read more
The NISAR mission will help researchers get a better understanding of how Earth’s surface changes over time, including in the lead-up to volcanic eruptions like the one pictured, at Mount Redoubt in southern Alaska in April 2009. Credit: R.G. McGimsey/AVO/USGS Data from NISAR will improve our understanding of such phenomena as earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, … Read more
Someday, people might finally say goodbye to defrosting the freezer or scraping frost off slippery surfaces. Northwestern University engineers have developed a new strategy that prevents frost formation before it begins. In a new study, the researchers discovered that tweaking the texture of any surface and adding a thin layer of graphene oxide prevents 100% … Read more
Subtle temperature differences at the ocean surface allow more carbon dioxide (CO₂) to be absorbed, new research shows. Scientists have thought that the ocean skin — a 0.01 mm sliver of surface water, thinner than a human hair, which is typically fractionally cooler than the water below — should increase the amount of carbon dioxide … Read more
Ever had an itchy nose or, worse, an unreachable spot on your back that drives you mad? Now imagine an itch that refuses to go away, no matter how hard or long you scratch. That persistent itch, or pruritus, may actually be one of the skin’s first lines of defense against harmful invaders, according to … Read more