Topic: Earth Science
Closer Look: The cost of the climate of academia

Closer Look: The cost of the climate of academia

We are recording this episode about a week in advance of our normal recording date. This is because our producer Ally Pelphrey and I will be at the Balticon science fiction and fantasy convention over Memorial Day weekend and I’m then flying to Orlando where I’ll be meeting with a colleague, spending a day at Disney, and helping move.  This kind of travel is a bit selfish - I get to hug old friends, take a selfie with a the Gay street sign in Baltimore, and do things that can only be done face to face, like lifting heavy boxes to load a van. I’m doing this because I want to.  But...

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Geology points to the path most chosen

Geology points to the path most chosen

One of the most common questions faced by those of us who study other worlds is this, “What good is studying planets when we have issues here on Earth?” Well, it turns out Earth happens to be a planet and sometimes geology can tell us really cool things about...

The Dying Sun will Take Out the Earth

The Dying Sun will Take Out the Earth

Clumps of debris from a disrupted planetesimal are irregularly spaced on a long and eccentric orbit around the white dwarf. Individual clouds of rubble intermittently pass in front of the white dwarf, blocking some of its light. Because of the various sizes of the...

Dear Future Self: Let’s Talk Climate Change

Dear Future Self: Let’s Talk Climate Change

Credit: NOAA Recent research published in Science Advances and led by Madalina Vlascenu finds that when it comes to climate change, we can’t scare people straight. Stories of gloom and doom focused on the fate of our world don’t inspire people to change their ways and...

Caught on Camera and Apprehended

Caught on Camera and Apprehended

Mohutsiwa Gabadirwe (center of photo) and Peter Jenniskens (left, kneeling) at the site of the second find of a piece of asteroid 2018 LA recovered in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in central Botswana. Credit: SETI Institute Our Solar System contains a whole lot...

Closer Look: Earth’s Magnetic Field

Closer Look: Earth’s Magnetic Field

Image by PDPics from Pixabay One of the great myths we learn from TV and books is that you can take a compass and follow it to the North Pole.Folks, I am here to tell you that if you take a compass and follow its pointy little needle, it will take you to Northern...

Closer Look: The Requirements for Life

Closer Look: The Requirements for Life

Hydrothermal-vent chimney. In the center of the photo, you can see the vent fluid which appears like dark smoke due to the high levels of minerals and sulfides contained in the fluid. Look closely, and you will also see the chimney is crawling with Chorocaris shrimp...