Beyond Bennu: How OSIRIS-REx is helping scientists study the sonic signature of meteoroids

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Beyond Bennu: How OSIRIS-REx is helping scientists study the sonic signature of meteoroids

  A Sandia National Laboratories solar-powered hot air balloon in flight carries sensors including a GPS tracker and reusable infrasound sensor. This flight supported previous infrasound research at Sandia. Credit: Sandia National Laboratories In the high desert of Nevada, Elizabeth Silber watched NASA’s Sample Return Capsule from OSIRIS-REx descend into Earth’s atmosphere Sunday, but unlike … Read more

Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what past energy transitions tell us about renewable energy

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Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what past energy transitions tell us about renewable energy

  By 2022, the burning of fossil fuels provided 82% of the world’s energy. In 2000, it was 87%. Although renewable energies have undergone tremendous growth, they have been offset by increased energy demand. That’s why earlier this month the UN released a global status report, an assessment of how the world is progressing in … Read more

Loud and clear: The neurological secrets of hearing in noisy environments

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Man Listening Science Hearing Art Concept

  Researchers have found that the brain processes speech differently depending on how different it is and whether it focused on it. The study combines neural recordings and computer modeling, showing that phonetic information is encoded differently when a speech is overwhelmed by louder voices compared to when it is not.   Columbia University scientists … Read more

The best Halley’s Comet Meteor Shower has begun. Here’s when to watch it

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The best Halley's Comet Meteor Shower has begun. Here's when to watch it

  The Orionids meteor shower is seen over the Songhua River in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, … [+] China, October 22, 2020. (Photo credit should read Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images)   Future release via Getty Images The Orionids, the most prolific annual meteor shower caused by Halley’s Comet, have begun just as the giant … Read more

Techno-fixes for climate change do not live up to the hype

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Techno-fixes for climate change do not live up to the hype

  An updated road map for combating climate change pours cold water on the idea that unproven technologies can play an important role in averting disaster. Today, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has updated its roadmap for the energy sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This doubles down on the need to … Read more