The Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa

NC State Study Shows How To Deflect Asteroids and Save The Earth

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Alligators Hint at What Life May Have Been Like for Dinosaurs

Records Test Competing Theories About the Evolution of Local Species

One-Story Masonry Building Survives Strong Jolts During UC San Diego Seismic Tests

Duke Physicists See The Cosmos In A Coffee Cup

Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble : Chile's energy-guzzling mines look hungrily at nearby geysers

Experiment Shows How Fast Heat Could Kill Drought-Stressed Pine

TOP: Drought-stressed trees died at higher temperatures (left) almost a third faster than drought-stressed trees at normal temperatures (right). BOTTOM: Biosphere 2 overview (Joe Martinez, UA Biosphere 2)

'Natural' nitrogen-fixing bacteria protect soybeans from aphids

Soybean plants interact with many different organisms in the field. Soybean aphids (upper inset) are invasive insect pests of the above ground portion of the plant, while nitrogen-fixing bacteria (lower inset) colonize the roots inside nodules and provide the plant with much needed nitrogen

Photo Credit: Jennifer Dean

Measuring the Immeasurable: New Study Links Heat Transfer, Bond Strength of Materials

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered there is a strong correlation between the speed at which heat moves between two touching materials and how strongly those materials are bonded together. The study shows that this flow of heat from one material to another can be dramatically altered by “painting” a thin atomic layer between materials. Changing the interface fundamentally alters the way the materials interact.

Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Would Save Arctic Ice, Reduce Sea-level Rise

Decline in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Would Reduce Sea-Level Rise, Save Arctic Sea Ice

Population centers at low elevations like Florida's Key West are vulnerable to sea-level rise.

Credit: NOAA

West African Droughts are the Norm, not an Anomaly

Large, often barren, tropical trees stand where they once grew when the area was in severe drought and water levels in Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana had bottomed out. Submerged in 15-20 meters of water, the trees are stark reminders of severe, long lasting dry spells from just a few centuries ago. In this photo, a partially submerged tree is surrounded by boys from nearby villages who still practice traditional fishing methods on the lake.

Credit: Photograph by J.T. Overpeck and W. Wheeler, University of Arizona.

Unusual Antarctic Microbes Live Life on a Previously Unsuspected Edge

A cross-section of Blood Falls showing how micorbial communities survive.

Credit: Zina Deretsky / NSF

"Instant On" Computing : Materials researchers say rebooting soon may be a thing of the past

Researchers report matching the spacing of silicon atoms--the principal component of computer semiconductors--and the spacing of atoms in a material called strontium titanate--a normally non-ferroelectric variant of a material used in "instant memory smart cards." The matched spacing allows the silicon to squeeze the strontium titanate in such a way that it produces ferroelectric properities. Ferroelectric materials provide low-power, high-efficiency electronic memory for devices such as "smart cards" that can instantly reveal and update stored information when waved before a reader. When applied to computer transistors, these materials could allow "instant-on" capability, eliminating the time-consuming booting and rebooting of computer operating systems.

Credit: Jeremy Levy, University of Pittsburgh

Scientists Discover New Chemical Reaction for DNA Production in Bacteria and Viruses

Cartoon diagram of a Thermotoga maritima bacterium flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase, or FDTS, enzyme, which is an example of the class of FDTS enzymes. The FDTS enzyme is coded by the thyX gene and has been found primarily in bacteria and viruses, including several human pathogens and biological warfare agents. The two compounds involved in the active site of the enzymatic reaction, FAD and deoxy-uridine monophosphate, are represented by the small bluish-purple and red grouped spheres, respectively, and are enclosed by four protein sub-units depicted by green, light blue, gold and pink magenta ribbon-like structures.

Credit: Amnon Kohen, University of Iowa

Greenhouse Gases Pose Threat To Public Health, EPA Finds

Read Also : Proposed Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under the Clean Air Act

http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html

Protein That Concentrates Carbon Dioxide In Algae Identified