New insight into magma chambers could improve volcano models | Science

Researchers have discovered a simple and surprising control over the depth of a volcano’s magma chamber: how much water it contains. The finding is significant because water fuels the most devastating eruptions—from Vesuvius in 79 C.E. to Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The work could also help improve models that predict eruptions, which for years have … Read more

The Most Extreme ‘Rogue Wave’ on Record Was Just Confirmed in The North Pacific

In November of 2020, a freak wave came out of the blue, lifting a lonesome buoy off the coast of British Columbia 17.6 meters high (58 feet). The four-story wall of water has now been confirmed as the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded.   Such an exceptional event is thought to occur only once … Read more

New Models Let Us Dive Into One of The Brightest Star Explosions We’ve Ever Seen

A star that exploded into brightness nearly 200 years ago can now be explored in glorious, multi-wavelength detail. In a new video, a team of scientists modeled the Homunculus Nebula around the star Eta Carinae in three dimensions, enabling insight into this incredible event.   The binary system Eta Carinae started erupting in the late … Read more

The Moon That Resembles The Death Star Has Been Hiding Another Epic Secret

The Solar System may be an even soggier place than we suspected. New analysis of one of Saturn’s moons suggests that it may harbor a liquid ocean. No, not the usual suspects – the new culprit is Mimas, the little moon with a big crater, which gives it more than a passing resemblance to the … Read more

Russia’s new permafrost monitoring system could improve climate models, protect infrastructure | Science

With the Arctic warming up to four times faster than the global average, temperatures in the frozen soil, or permafrost, under northern Siberia have been rising, turning firm ground unstable and weakening foundations. On 29 May 2020, the thaw may have helped lead to a disaster, when a diesel fuel depot near the town of … Read more

Ultrasonic hearing: Models suggest schooling helps fish hear dolphin clicks

Models suggest the arrangement of American shad in a shoal amplifies the ultrasonic clicks that dolphins use to hunt, helping the fish detect and evade these predators Life 30 December 2021 By Bas den Hond American shad are native to the US east coast Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images A school … Read more

How Does Climate Change Affect Deadly Tornadoes? A Scientist Explains

The deadly tornado outbreak that tore through communities from Arkansas to Illinois on the night of 10-11 December 2021, was so unusual in its duration and strength, particularly for December, that a lot of people including the US president are asking what role climate change might have played – and whether tornadoes will become more … Read more