Earth firsters

By Julia Rosen Feb. 25, 2021 , 2:00 PM East Africa has been called the cradle of humanity. But the geologically active region has also given birth to dozens of volcanoes. Few have been monitored for warnings of a potential eruption, and until recently, most were believed to be dormant. Then, Juliet Biggs decided to take a closer look—or rather, a farther look. Biggs, a geophysicist at the University of Bristol, uses a technique called interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to detect tiny movements of Earth’s surface from space. In a series of studies, she and her co-authors analyzed satellite data on the East African volcanoes. According to their latest results, which were published last month, 14 have been imperceptibly growing or shrinking in the past 5 years—a clue that magma or water is moving underground and that the volcanoes are not completely asleep. “It’s really changed the way these volcanoes are viewed, from something that’s kind of dormant to really very … [Read more...] about Fleets of radar satellites are measuring movements on Earth like never before

Some microbes found on Earth may temporarily survive on the surface of Mars, according to a study that could be vital for the success of future missions to the Red Planet. The researchers from NASA and German Aerospace Center tested the endurance of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into stratosphere, the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere which closely represents key conditions on Mars. The study , published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology , paves the way for understanding not only the threat of microbes to space missions, but also the opportunities for resource independence from Earth. "We successfully tested a new way of exposing bacteria and fungi to Mars-like conditions by using a scientific balloon to fly our experimental equipment up to Earth's stratosphere," said Marta Filipa Cortesao, joint first author of the study from the German Aerospace Center. "Some microbes, in particular spores from the black mold fungus, were able to … [Read more...] about Microbes from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars: study

Video Player Close GENEVA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Earth Hour, a flagship global environmental movement of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), is going to be marked digitally this year on March 27 at 8:30 p.m. local time around the globe, WWF announced on Thursday. WWF said in a media statement that as COVID-19 restrictions continue in most parts of the world, the virtual event will bring together millions of people from around the world to shine a spotlight on the urgent need to address nature loss and climate change. "With evidence pointing towards a close link between nature's destruction and rising incidences of infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19, Earth Hour 2021 will unite people online to speak up for nature," the statement read. The statement added that the occurrence of several catastrophic incidents last year -- including extreme weather events, devastating wildfires and the COVID-19 outbreak -- highlighted that preventing nature loss is crucial for … [Read more...] about Earth Hour 2021 to be marked digitally: WWF

On March 5, the Apophis asteroid is going to be the nearest to the Earth at a distance of 16.85 million km Astronomers across the world cannot wait for March 5. The Apophis asteroid is going to have a close encounter with the Earth on that day. Apophis is a 300-metre sized asteroid discovered on June 19, 2004 which astronomers around the globe have long been concerned about. They have apprehensions that it might be on a collision course with the Earth in the future, in its close encounters in 2029, 2036 and 2068. Indian Institute of Astrophysics told Bangalore Mirror. He added that as the asteroid will pass by, there is likely to be a small change in its spin-state due to the tidal effects of the Earth's gravitational field. “All this will lead to slightly altered values of the orbital parameters from which, more exact predictions of future close encounters will be possible. This (March 5th fly-by) is preparatory to the 2029 fly-by when Apophis shall pass … [Read more...] about Not covid-19. Watch out for Armageddon

In a recent speech, delivered virtually before the Munich Security Conference, President Biden adamantly declared , “We have to push back against the Chinese government’s abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system.” “Everyone must play by the same rules,” he added. Earlier in February, the White House issued a similarly strong statement following the first phone call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the White House , Biden raised “fundamental concerns” about various problems in China, including “coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan.” ADVERTISEMENT Although Biden’s statements are undoubtedly important and should be welcomed by Americans of every political persuasion, it is hard to imagine Beijing is shaking in its boots over Biden’s tough talk. For starters, Biden … [Read more...] about Despite tough talk, Biden would make Beijing more powerful than ever