Science

AGU: Roly Poly Bugs Threaten Fish Populations

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California’s Big Creek meets the Pacific Ocean on the stretch of coast known as Big Sur. New research finds steelhead trout in Big Creek accumulate mercury when the fish eat roly polies. Courtesy/Dave Rundio

AGU News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Roly poly bugs may be a source of fun for kids and adults but these little bugs that form into balls at the slightest touch are causing problems for some threatened fish.

New research finds steelhead trout in a stream on the California coast accumulate mercury in their bodies when the fish eat roly polies and similar terrestrial bugs that fall into local waterways. Read More

AGU: Area Burned By Severe Fire Increases 8-fold In Western U.S. Forests Over Last Four Decades

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Howe Ridge Fire in Montana’s Glacier National Park, seen Aug. 12, 2018 from across Lake McDonald, roughly 24 hours after the fire was started by a lightning strike. Courtesy/Glacier National Park

AGU News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The number of wildfires and the amount of land they consume in the western U.S. has substantially increased since the 1980s, a trend often attributed to ongoing climate change.

Now, new research finds fires are not only becoming more common in the western U.S. but the area burned at high severity is also increasing, a trend that may lead to long-term forest loss.

The new findings Read More

SHSU Professor Receives National Teacher-Scholar Award

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Christopher Hobbs

SHSU News:

Christopher Hobbs, assistant professor of Chemistry at Sam Houston State University has been named a 2020 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar.

One of only eight recognized from top institutions across the nation, the award honors young faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education with undergraduates.

As a recognized scholar, Hobbs received a $75,000 research grant that will support his work in environmentally friendly chemistry.

“This grant will allow my research group Read More

USDA Seeks Applications For ‘Rural Energy For America’

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Courtesy/USDA

USDA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand invites applications for loan guarantees and grants for renewable energy systems; and to make energy efficiency improvements, conduct energy audits and provide development assistance.

The funding is being provided through USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which was created under the 2008 Farm Bill and reauthorized under the 2018 Farm Bill.

This notice seeks applications for Fiscal Year 2021 funding. The deadlines to apply Read More

Stony Brook University: Rare Cretaceous-Age Fossil Discovery Opens New Chapter In Story Of Bird Evolution

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Illustration depicting Falcatakely amidst nonavian dinosaurs and other creatures during the Late Cretaceous in Madagascar. Courtesy/Mark Witton

STONY BROOK News:

STONY BROOK, NY — A newly discovered, crow-sized bird fossil that would have sliced its way through the air wielding a large, blade-like beak, offers new insight into the evolution of face and beak shape in the Mesozoic forerunners of modern birds.

An international team of researchers led by Alan H. Turner, PhD, of Stony Brook University and Patrick O’Connor, PhD, of Ohio University, detail the findings in a paper published in Read More

Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars Internship Program Accepting Applications Through Jan. 12, 2021

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AFRL News:

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE — The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Scholars program is now accepting applications for its 2021 summer session.

The program provides an opportunity for students ranging from high school to university graduate students interested in STEM careers, to work alongside top scientists and engineers. 

Educators in STEM fields also are accepted into the program, providing an opportunity for professional development.

Since 2001, thousands of students from across the country have taken part in these internships to do more than pad a resume. Through hands-on Read More

NOAA Strategy Targets Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

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A diseased brain coral in Looe Key, Fla. The disease is leaving a white band of recently dead skeleton in contrast to the healthy, yellow/brown tissue. Courtesy/Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

NOAA News:

NOAA unveiled a new strategy Tuesday for the response to stony coral tissue loss disease, a disease that is spreading throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean region and may pose a threat to the Indo-Pacific region.  

The high-level strategy provides a framework and focus for ongoing efforts to slow the spread and to prevent and prepare for potential spread into the Indo-Pacific Read More

Shift In Atmospheric Rivers May Affect Antarctic Sea Ice

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Peterman Island, Graham Land, Antarctica. A new study finds that atmospheric rivers in the Southern Hemisphere have been gradually shifting toward the South Pole for the past 40 years, a trend which could lead to increased rates of ice melt in Antarctica. Courtesy/McKay Savage, CC-BY-2.0

AGU News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Weather systems responsible for transporting moisture from the tropics to temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere have been gradually shifting toward the South Pole for the past 40 years, a trend which could lead to increased rates of ice melt in Antarctica, according to Read More

Tracking COVID-19 In Los Alamos Community Wastewater

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Prisca Tiasse, PhD in her lab Tuesday at Biodidact on DP Road. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Biodidact, a local R&D and environmental testing laboratory recently took part in an effort, with the collaboration of Los Alamos County wastewater treatment facility staff, to track COVID-19 in local community wastewater.

“We are fortunate to have researchers working toward capabilities for wastewater testing of COVID-19 in collaboration with the County,” Los Alamos County Council Chair Sara Scott said. “Continuing Read More

Stratodynamics And University Of Kentucky To Conduct Test Flights At Spaceport America In New Mexico

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The HiDRON at an altitude of 27km. Note the earth’s curvature is exaggerated by the use of a wide-angle lens. Courtesy/Stratodynamics

Spaceport America News:

Stratodynamics Inc. and research collaborators from the University of Kentucky will conduct a multi-flight campaign along with engineers from autopilot developer UAVOS starting early December at Spaceport America.

The two-week campaign is the culmination of an experimental NASA Flight Opportunities project to validate a new method of real time, forward sensing turbulence detection developed by the University and NASA Langley. Read More