news 2009

Earth Sciences - 15.05
Seafloor volcanoes surprise
Volcanoes on the seafloor can grow or collapse tens of metres in just a few days, a new study has found, suggesting that that the seabed is much more unstable than previously thought. Researchers, led by Professor Tony Watts of Oxford University's Department of Earth Sciences, report how they surveyed the topography of the active Monowai volcano, a submarine volcano on the southwest Pacific Ocean floor near Tonga, in May and June 2011.

Earth Sciences - Physics/Astronomy - 10.05
Researchers Gain Greater Insight into Earthquake Cycles
For those who study earthquakes, one major challenge has been trying to understand all the physics of a fault—both during an earthquake and at times of "rest"—in order to know more about how a particular region may behave in the future.

Physics/Astronomy - Earth Sciences - 9.05
Technology Developed at Caltech Measures Martian Sand Movement
Last year, images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured sand dunes and ripples moving across the surface of Mars—observations that challenged previously held beliefs that there was not a lot of movement on the red planet's surface.

Earth Sciences - Physics/Astronomy - 7.05
Geoscientists watch Sierra Nevada grow in real time
Scientists at the University of Glasgow have been collaborating with colleagues at the University of Nevada, Reno to watch the Sierra Nevada mountain range grow in real time. Using cutting-edge measurement technology, they have concluded that the range, which stretches for 400 miles between California and Nevada, is rising at a relatively fast rate of one to two millimetres each year.

Physics/Astronomy - Earth Sciences - 27.04
Finding a new Earth: holy grail of astronomy
Determining the habitability of rocky, Earth-like planets in the universe will be crucial for us as a species, according to scientists from The Australian National University. But the good news is that these planets are probably more abundant than stars, researchers from the ANU Planetary Science Institute have discovered.

Earth Sciences - 20.04
Looking inside the Earth
Defects found in rocks below the Earth's surface have a major impact on the transmission of seismic waves, such as those caused by earthquakes, researchers at The Australian National University have discovered.

Earth Sciences - Chemistry - 18.04
Evidence for a geologic trigger of the Cambrian explosion
The oceans teemed with life 600 million years ago, but the simple, soft-bodied creatures would have been hardly recognizable as the ancestors of nearly all animals on Earth today. Then something happened.

Chemistry - Earth Sciences - 29.03
Discovery shakes beliefs of Earth to the core
For a century, scientists have assumed that the Earth has same chemical make-up as the sun. But this belief has been challenged by scientists at The Australian National University. Professors Ian Campbell and Hugh O'Neill from the Research School of Earth Sciences at ANU said their research shakes up our understanding of the Earth's chemistry - right to the core.

Earth Sciences - Physics/Astronomy - 27.03
Country Tamworth built on rock ‘n’ roll
Tamworth is famous as the home of Australian country music. But 350 million years ago, some hardcore rock 'n' roll was also happening. Scientists at The Australian National University have discovered that granites in the New England area near Tamworth were produced by a remarkable process, whereby the magmas erupted from volcanoes turned to mud, then back to magma again, in a very rapid cycle.

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 22.03
Plants may absorb more carbon dioxide than previously thought
By Simon Levey Thursday 22 March 2012 The capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide emissions from human activity may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change , which looks at how plants react to environmental change.

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 6.03
Running Hot and Cold in the Deep Sea: Scientists Explore Rare Environment
Among the many intriguing aspects of the deep sea, Earth's largest ecosystem, exist environments known as hydrothermal vent systems where hot water surges out from the seafloor. On the flipside the deep sea also features cold areas where methane rises from "seeps" on the ocean bottom.

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 5.03
Natural levels of nitrogen in tropical forests may increase vulnerability to pollution
Waterways in remote, pristine tropical forests located in the Caribbean and Central America contain levels of nitrogen comparable to amounts found in streams and rivers flowing through polluted forests in the United States and Europe.

Life Sciences - Earth Sciences - 29.02
T. Rex has most powerful bite of any terrestrial animal
Research at the University of Liverpool, using computer models to reconstruct the jaw muscle of Tyrannosaurus rex, has suggested that the dinosaur had the most powerful bite of any living or extinct terrestrial animal.

Physics/Astronomy - Earth Sciences - 21.02
Hubble Reveals a New Type of Planet
Cambridge, MA - Our solar system contains three types of planets: rocky, terrestrial worlds (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), and ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). Planets orbiting distant stars come in an even wider variety, including lava worlds and "hot Jupiters." Observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have added a new type of planet to the mix.

Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 6.02
Researchers Uncover a Mechanism to Explain Dune Field Patterns
In a study of the harsh but beautiful White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, University of Pennsylvania researchers have uncovered a unifying mechanism to explain dune patterns. The new work represents a contribution to basic science, but the findings may also hold implications for identifying when dune landscapes like those in Nebraska's Sand Hills may reach a "tipping point" under climate change, going from valuable grazing land to barren desert.