SCIENCE
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Heat and Floods Are Increasingly Hitting Coastlines with a One-Two Punch
Heat and Floods Are Increasingly Hitting Coastlines with a One-Two Punch Compound events in which coastal flooding and heat waves occur at the same time are happening more often as the planet warms By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News A high water truck with volunteers help evacuate people from homes after neighborhoods flooded in LaPlace, Louisiana on August 30, 2021…
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Peter Higgs, a Giant of Particle Physics, Dies at 94
Peter Higgs, a Giant of Particle Physics, Dies at 94 The Nobel Prize-winning theorist’s prediction of the Higgs boson sparked a half-century quest of discovery that reshaped physics—and our understanding of the universe By Davide Castelvecchi & Nature magazine Colleagues remember Peter Higgs as an inspirational scientist, who remained humble despite his fame. Colin McPherson/Corbis via Getty Images Few scientists…
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What Causes Earthquakes in the Northeast like the Magnitude 4.8 One in New Jersey?
How Common Are Northeast Earthquakes? Earthquakes in the Northeast are usually too small to feel, but larger temblors like the 4.8 magnitude quake in New Jersey aren’t unheard of By Gary Solar & The Conversation US The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. It’s rare to feel earthquakes in the…
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To Ancient Maya, Solar Eclipses Signified Clashing Gods
This article is part of a special report on the total solar eclipse that will be visible from parts of the U.S., Mexico and Canada on April 8, 2024. The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. We live in a light-polluted world, where streetlamps, electronic ads and even backyard lighting…
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Men Succumb to Anesthesia More Easily than Women
Men May Succumb to Anesthesia More Easily than Women Findings in animals and humans emphasize the perils of not including female participants in research on the effects of anesthesia By Sneha Khedkar Credit: Kupicoo/Getty Images In 1846 William G. Morton, a young Boston-based dentist, showed that inhaling ether in a proper dose can make a person insensible to pain without…
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Baltimore Bridge Collapse Will Teach Engineers to Build Safer Infrastructure
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Will Teach Engineers to Build Safer Infrastructure The loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a cargo ship collision will teach engineers how to design structures better able to withstand disasters By Michael J. Chajes & The Conversation US In this aerial image, the steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of…
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How a Rare Islamic Astrolabe Helped Muslims, Jews and Christians Tell Time and Read Horoscopes
How a Rare Islamic Astrolabe Helped Muslims, Jews and Christians Tell Time and Read Horoscopes A rare Islamic astrolabe discovered in Verona, Italy, reveals how the instrument passed through different countries and cultures By Annie Melchor A close-up of the Verona astrolabe shows Hebrew inscribed (top left) above Arabic inscriptions. The stars that twinkled over medieval Verona have long been…
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The Future of Driving in the U.S. Is Electric—Sort Of
The Future of Driving in the U.S. Is Electric—Sort Of The EPA’s final rule on car emissions will result in far fewer battery-powered electric vehicles than what the agency envisioned last year By Mike Lee, Jean Chemnick & E&E News Credit: Cavan Images/Getty Images CLIMATEWIRE | The Biden administration’s plan to electrify the car industry will get a little help…
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Female Mosquitoes Follow Each Other to Breeding Sites
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, one of the most common species in the U.S., love everything about humans. They love our body heat and odors, which enable them to find us. They love to feed on our blood to make their eggs mature. They even…
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Most Astronauts Get ‘Space Headaches.’ Scientists Want to Know Why
Most Astronauts Get ‘Space Headaches.’ Scientists Want to Know Why Headaches are a common and recurring problem in space, even for astronauts that don’t experience them on Earth By Joanna Thompson Credit: Ignatiev/Getty Images Spaceflight can be a real headache—literally. Since the days of the Apollo program, astronauts have reported experiencing head pain during their stint in microgravity. And many…
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