EARTH: 5 outstanding questions in Earth science
2012-06-28
(Press-News.org) Alexandria, VA – What are today's biggest unanswered questions in earth science? In the July issue of EARTH Magazine, experts from a variety of disciplines weigh in on what they consider to be the biggest unsolved mysteries across the geosciences and how they think we may solve them.
Of course, in science, answering one question typically floods the field with new questions and thus new lines of investigation. For example, the discovery in the mid-19th century that carbon dioxide traps heat in Earth's atmosphere led scientists to engage in lengthy studies – many that continue today – on the mechanics of the greenhouse effect, emission sources and impacts on global climate. How will answering these unsolved questions alter the course of earth science? Read the story online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/five-outstanding-questions-earth-science.
Read this story and more in the July issue of EARTH Magazine, available online now at http://www.earthmagazine.org. Learn whether egg-laying was a factor in dinosaur decline; find out if Venice is still sinking; and discover what abnormalities astronauts see all in this month's issue of EARTH.
###
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2012-06-28
Minneapolis, MN—27 June, 2012—What do Avatar, The Chronicles of Narnia, X-Men, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean have in common?
Simulated physics.
That's right. Making visual effects real for movie audiences—be it Avatar's vast ocean surface or rising water levels in The Deathly Hallows—requires quite a bit of physics and math. Physical equations and scientific computations are generated behind the scenes to ensure that the elements you see on the big screen obey the same laws of physics as their real counterparts.
One mathematician who helps ensure the ...
2012-06-28
The University of Southampton has developed a new hearing screening test which could help the estimated 100 million people suffering from hearing loss in China.
This new Chinese version is based on a hearing screening test developed by the University's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), which has already been taken by more than a million people across Europe.
The tests aim to address the fact that hundreds of millions of people worldwide have hearing loss but only a fraction obtain hearing aids that would help them to overcome hearing difficulties. The ...
2012-06-28
MAYWOOD, Il. -- A new cancer drug with remarkably few side effects is dramatically improving survival in Hodgkin lymphoma patients who fail other treatments and are nearly out of options.
Loyola University Medical Center oncologist Scott E. Smith, MD, PhD presented survival data for the drug, brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris®), at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association. Smith is director of Loyola's Hematological Malignancies Research Program.
The multi-center study included 102 Hodgkin lymphoma patients who had relapsed after stem cell transplants. Tumors ...
2012-06-28
Menopausal women who exercise may experience fewer hot flashes in the 24 hours following physical activity, according to health researchers.
In general, women who are relatively inactive or are overweight or obese tend to have a risk of increased symptoms of perceived hot flashes, noted Steriani Elavsky, assistant professor of kinesiology at Penn State.
Perceived hot flashes do not always correspond to actual hot flashes. Most previous research analyzed only self-reported hot flashes. This is the first study known to the researchers to look at objective versus subjective ...
2012-06-28
Women working in hedge funds struggle to be taken seriously at work, according to a new study from two leading management experts.
The report from the universities of Leicester and Essex looked into the concept of "adulting" which is defined as the attempt by people to be seen as mature and responsible, professionally and socially.
The academics, who looked at men and women at a London hedge fund, found that women faced problems at every stage of adult life – from getting started in the company to keeping credibility among colleagues after giving birth.
By contrast, ...
2012-06-28
A new study shows significant differences in brain development in high-risk infants who develop autism starting as early as age 6 months. The findings published in the American Journal of Psychiatry reveal that this abnormal brain development may be detected before the appearance of autism symptoms in an infant's first year of life. Autism is typically diagnosed around the age of 2 or 3.
The study offers new clues for early diagnosis, which is key, as research suggests that the symptoms of autism - problems with communication, social interaction and behavior - can improve ...
2012-06-28
CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research concludes that a one-two punch of drought and mountain pine beetle attacks are the primary forces that have killed more than 2.5 million acres of pinyon pine and juniper trees in the American Southwest during the past 15 years, setting the stage for further ecological disruption.
The widespread dieback of these tree species is a special concern, scientists say, because they are some of the last trees that can hold together a fragile ecosystem, nourish other plant and animal species, and prevent serious soil erosion.
The major form of soil ...
2012-06-28
Gay parents face many of the same challenges as straight parents when it comes to sex and intimacy after having children, according to a new study of gay fathers published in the journal Couple and Family Psychology. The findings suggest that gay male couples who are raising children may experience lifestyle changes that could reduce their HIV risk.
"When gay couples become parents, they become very focused on the kids, they are tired, there is less time for communication and less desire for sex," said Colleen Hoff, professor of sexuality studies at San Francisco State ...
2012-06-28
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg have gained important insights for stem cell research which are also applicable to human tumours and could lead to the development of new treatments. As Rolf Kemler's research group discovered, a molecular link exists between the telomerase that determines the length of the telomeres and a signalling pathway known as the Wnt/β-signalling pathway.
Telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes that play a very important role in the stability of the genome. Telomeres in stem cells are long ...
2012-06-28
Australopithecus sediba, believed to be an early relative of modern-day humans, enjoyed a diet of leaves, fruits, nuts, and bark, which meant they probably lived in a more wooded environment than is generally thought, a surprising find published in the current issue of Nature magazine by an international team of researchers that includes a Texas A&M University anthropologist.
Darryl de Ruiter, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, says the new findings are in contrast to previously documented diets of other hominin species and suggests that Australopithecus ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] EARTH: 5 outstanding questions in Earth science
