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“Dimmer Switch” — The Discovery Files
Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, sent a fleet of unmanned aerial drones through the pollution-filled skies over the Indian Ocean and achieved an important milestone in tracking polluta…
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“Forecast: Extreme” — The Discovery Files
Much of the world could face longer heat waves, more intense precipitation, and other weather extremes by the end of the century, say NCAR scientists and colleagues, based on a new study using the world’s most advanced climate models. The good news is….
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“Traffic Tracker” — The Discovery Files
New technology uses cell phone positioning to identify traffic speed and congestion. Engineers from IntelliOne Technologies have developed a system that converts ordinary cell-phone signaling data to live roadway information for emergency responders an…
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“Moon Ice on the Rocks” — The Discovery Files
No ice at the poles… could it be true? Yes, if you’re talking about the moon. Despite earlier thoughts of plentiful ice at the lunar poles, astronomers from Cornell and the Smithsonian Institution, using high-resolution radar-mapping techniques, foun…
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“Gray Matters” — The Discovery Files
Multi-tasking… we all do it, but is it a good idea? Researchers at UCLA say not if you’re trying to learn something new that you hope to remember. Psychologists report that multi-tasking affects the brain’s learning systems, so we don’t learn as well…
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“Rethinking Extinction” — The Discovery Files
The famed Chicxulub meteor alone could not have caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs and their contemporaries, according to a Princeton University paleontologist and her collaborators. They found evidence that multiple meteor impacts, gigantic volca…
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“Vapor Lock” — The Discovery Files
In the next few years, you might be able to plan those outdoor events with certainty of good weather. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research are testing an observing strategy that has the potential to completely transform the accur…
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“Uranium Subterranean” — The Discovery Files
Can you imagine living on a diet of radiated water? Researchers have found a community of bacteria, nearly two miles below Earth’s surface, doing just that. This discovery fuels optimism that life exists in other deep subsurface environments… perhaps…
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“Unique Beak” — The Discovery Files
Researchers at University of California, San Diego have found the secret to the toucan beak’s lightweight strength and hope it could inspire the design of ultra-light aircraft and vehicle components.
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“Metal Health” — The Discovery Files
Researchers studying supplies of copper, zinc and other metals have determined that these finite resources, even if recycled, may not meet the future demands of the global population.