News

Researchers Claim Rainfall Triggered Kilauea Eruption, but Others Remain Skeptical

On April 30, 2018, the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater on Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano suddenly collapsed—marking the starting point for its largest eruption in at least 200 years. The lava lake inside another crater drained into the ground. Roughly 60,000 earthquakes struck the region. New fissures ripped open along the volcano’s slopes and poured approximately one billion […]

News

Birds on Rhinos’ Backs Help Them Avoid Poachers

Black rhinos have terrible eyesight. Even so, these giant African herbivores easily fend off hungry lions and hyenas. “Their basic body plan has proved to be good enough to survive on a savanna full of large predators, being very large, thick skinned, big rapier-like horns.” Victoria University of Melbourne behavioral ecologist Roan Plotz. But those […]

News

Food Dumped During Pandemic Comes with an Emissions Price Tag

Videos showing floods of milk rushing down the drain circulated on social media this month, vividly illustrating the agriculture industry’s losses during the novel coronavirus pandemic. After businesses and schools closed in response to social distancing measures, large-scale farms lost their normal customers and many had to throw out food. The breakdown of those dumped […]

News

Hundreds of People Volunteer to Be Infected with Coronavirus

Momentum is building to speed the development of coronavirus vaccines by intentionally infecting healthy, young volunteers with the virus. A grass-roots effort has attracted nearly 1,500 potential volunteers for the controversial approach, known as a human-challenge trial. The effort, called 1Day Sooner, is not affiliated with groups or companies developing or funding coronavirus vaccines. But co-founder […]

News

Countdown to Commercial Crew – Scientific American

NASA nears the end of a winding path to commercial astronaut launches This artist’s concept shows Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, currently under development for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, docking to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Advertisement Editor’s Note (4/22/20): On April 17 an official launch date of May 27 was announced for the historic […]

News

Snorkeling Mask Apparatus Might Help COVID-19 Patients Avoid Intubation

Last month Spanish authorities put out an urgent call for donations of snorkeling masks to build improvised devices to help COVID-19 patients breathe. Shortages of ventilators, which push air into failing lung, have inspired members of maker culture worldwide. Innovation has continued as the shape of the pandemic has shifted. In addition to addressing the demand […]