Ancient texts provide insight into past solar storms

Ancient texts provide insight into past solar storms

In a collaborative effort between the arts and sciences, researchers at Kyoto University and Japan's National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) and National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL) have used historical documents to garner better insight into the…

California droughts and floods linked to distinctive atmospheric waves

California droughts and floods linked to distinctive atmospheric waves

In a recent study, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found that the persistent high-pressure ridge off the west coast of North America that blocked storms from coming onshore during the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15 was associated…

New theories about nature of Earth’s iron

New theories about nature of Earth’s iron

In a study published March 20, 2017 in Nature Communications, an international team of scientists challenges the prevailing theory that the unique nature of Earth’s iron was the result of how its core was formed billions of years ago. The study opens the door…

Calbuco’s eruption expanded ozone hole to record size

Calbuco’s eruption expanded ozone hole to record size

A new study argues that eruption of the Chilean volcano Calbuco on April 22, 2015 stretched the Antarctic Ozone Hole, the thinnest portion of the ozone shell that shields Earth from harmful radiation, to a record size nearly as large as Africa. It did so by ejecting…

One of the greatest mass extinctions caused by volcanic eruptions

One of the greatest mass extinctions caused by volcanic eruptions

Scientists have linked global mass extinction at the Permian-Triassic boundary some 250 million years ago to an ice age caused by the activity of the first volcanism in the Siberian Traps. The research paves the way for a new vision of the Earth's climate…

Solar storms trigger surprising phenomena close to Earth

Solar storms trigger surprising phenomena close to Earth

A new research shows that eruptions on the Sun’s surface not only send bursts of particles into Earth’s atmosphere, but – contrary to previous belief – also remove electrons across large areas. The new knowledge increases our understanding of solar…

China’s severe weather patterns changing drastically since 1960

China’s severe weather patterns changing drastically since 1960

In one of the most comprehensive studies on trends in local severe weather patterns to date, an international team of researchers found that the frequency of hail storms, thunderstorms and high wind events has decreased by nearly 50 percent on average throughout…

Humans sparked 84% of US wildfires, increased fire season over 2 decades

Humans sparked 84% of US wildfires, increased fire season over 2 decades

A new study found that human-ignited wildfires in the United States accounted for 84% of all wildfires, tripling the length of the average fire season and accounting for nearly half of the total acreage burned. In total, humans have ignited over 840 000 blazes in…

Scientists invent sound-shaping super-material

Scientists invent sound-shaping super-material

A team of researchers from the Universities of Sussex and Bristol has invented a super-material that bends, shapes and focuses sound waves that pass through it. The creation pushes the boundaries of metamaterials – a new class of finely-engineered surfaces…

Evidence of chaotic solar system

Evidence of chaotic solar system

A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University has found evidence confirming a critical theory of how the planets in our solar system behave in their orbits around the Sun. The finding is important because it provides the…