Uncategorized

  1. Earth

    Newfound fault may explain quakes

    Tsunami simulations suggest that a newly discovered fault zone beneath the Atlantic Ocean could have released most of the seismic energy from three earthquakes that destroyed Lisbon, Portugal, on the morning of Nov. 1, 1755.

    By
  2. Earth

    Alaska shook, mountains spoke

    Small pulses in atmospheric pressure detected in Fairbanks soon after the magnitude 7.9 Denali quake on Nov. 3, 2002, suggest that the temblor literally moved mountains.

    By
  3. Earth

    Earth sometimes shivers beneath thick blankets of ice

    New analyses of old seismic data have distinguished the ground motions spawned by a previously unrecognized type of earthquake—quakes created by brief surges of massive glaciers.

    By
  4. Planetary Science

    Lunar finding doesn’t hold water

    A new radar study of craters at the moon's north and south poles reveals that neither region contains substantial amounts of frozen water.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    Protein found central to ecstasy fever

    Scientists have identified a protein contributing to the high fevers that are sometimes generated by the drug ecstasy.

    By
  6. 19366

    I find the language in this article to be judgmental and unscientific. For example, “desert pavement and their biota are wounded by human activity” is neither artistic nor scientific. Such narrow, biased views of ecology have no place in a scientific journal. Boone MoraGarden Valley, Calif.

    By
  7. Earth

    Thin Skin

    Desert pavement, a delicate veneer of stones that covers the surface of up to 50 percent of the world's arid lands, is susceptible to being damaged by everything from multi-ton tanks to careless footsteps, and the resulting scars can take thousands of years to mend on their own.

    By
  8. Planetary Science

    Next Stop, Interstellar Space

    Data recorded by the venerable Voyager 1 spacecraft suggest the craft has either recently encountered or will soon enter a key region near the edge of the solar system.

    By
  9. Math

    Sculpting with a Twist

    There’s more than one way to slice a bagel. A bagel (or a doughnut) can serve as a physical model for a mathematical surface called a torus. You can slice it horizontally (or longitudinally) so that you end up with two halves, each containing a hole. That’s great for making sandwiches because the cut exposes […]

    By
  10. Humans

    From the December 16 & 23, 1933, issues

    STRENGTH OF CRATES TESTED BY TOSSING An important phase of the work of the timber mechanics department of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., has been to perfect the designing and nailing of these boxes so that their durability is greater. Chemically treated nails and reinforcement by diagonal braces have given more rigidity […]

    By
  11. Humans

    From the December 16 & 23, 1933, issues

    STRENGTH OF CRATES TESTED BY TOSSING An important phase of the work of the timber mechanics department of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., has been to perfect the designing and nailing of these boxes so that their durability is greater. Chemically treated nails and reinforcement by diagonal braces have given more rigidity […]

    By
  12. Ecosystems

    Brazil Nut Loss Looms: Harvest may be too heavy to last

    A study of 23 spots in Amazonian forests has raised the question of whether the collection of Brazil nuts—praised as a model of gentle forest use—has reached such levels that it may not be sustainable.

    By