Earth Sciences

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) in Tokyo launches a new integrated graduate course exploring the origin and evolution of life and planets.

A team at Japan’s Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) is conducting evidence-based outreach to demonstrate why science communication training is so important, with an aim of encouraging other higher education and research institutions to follow its lead.

Low volcanic temperature ushered in global cooling and thriving dinosaurs, Broccoli compound induces cell death in yeast, A single molecule makes big splash in quantum mechanics, Dengue virus makes mosquitos bite more often, and Asia Research News: How it all began, all in the February's Editor's Choice

The Sanriku Coast - which includes present day Iwate and parts of Aomori and Miyagi - has been prone to tsunamis throughout its history. Analyses of tsunami deposits along the coast, however, haven’t always provided conclusive findings. Now, a research team has utilized a new radiocarbon dating method to clarify the region’s tsunami history and better understand the frequency at which these disasters occur.

Dinosaurs came to flourish during the Jurassic period after a volcanic eruption roughly 201 millions years ago wiped out many marine and land animals, leaving them able to evolve and grow. Now, further details about this eruption and the mass extinction have been revealed. A group of researchers demonstrated how low temperature magma slowly heated sedimentary rocks, causing high sulfur dioxide and low carbon dioxide emissions, a process which cooled the earth.

Scientists predict that continued global warming under current trends could lead to an elevation of the sea level by as much as five meters by the year 3000 CE.

The diversity of threatened fish in estuaries increases when surrounded by forest cover, whereas estuaries surrounded by farmland show the opposite effect.

An ambitious project using cutting edge environmental DNA, known as eDNA, to understand the richness of biodiversity of UNESCO’s marine World Heritage sites launches today.

Climate change may lead to a modest net reduction in global annual energy expenditures by the end of the 21st century, according to a study published in Nature.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) could impact child nutrition in many countries in the tropics, a new study in Nature Communications suggests.

Võ Quý (31 December 1929 – 10 January 2017) was a Vietnamese ornithologist who studied the destruction of tropical forests and agricultural lands in Vietnam by Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

The Kisakata Earthquake devastated Akita and Yamagata Prefectures. More details about this Edo period disaster have been revealed thanks to a collaborative project between researchers and locals.

Anna Mani (23 August 1918 – 16 August 2001) was an Indian meteorologist who contributed significantly to the understanding of solar radiation, ozone and wind energy by developing a wide range of measurement tools. One of India’s pioneering female scientists, Mani excelled in the male-dominated area of meteorology and became the Deputy Director-General of the India Meteorological Department.

Researchers from The University of Tokyo assimilated satellite observations of water vapor isotopes into a weather forecasting model and found that forecast accuracy was improved by several percentage points

A recent study conducted by the Science Unit of Lingnan University in Hong Kong (LU) shows that concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from incense burning both inside and outside temples could be 6 times and 4 times of the recommended levels respectively. In addition, the more temples there are in the same district, the higher the respiratory mortality rate. The research team suggests that alternative measures, such as installation of automatic mist sprayers to reduce smoke dispersion, as well as using incense made with non-toxic substances to minimise health risks to worshippers and neighbours, should be considered.

Around 650 million years ago, the Earth entered into the Marinoan glaciation that saw the entire planet freeze. The “Snowball Earth” impeded the evolution of life. But as it warmed, biotic life began to flourish. A research team from Tohoku University has analyzed rock samples from China to tell us more about this transition.

Speakers announced for the 10th edition of IPI’s premier technology matching event

Researchers at Ehime University have reported the sound velocity of MgSiO3 Majorite garnet up to the pressure of 18 Gigapascals and temperature up to 2,000 Kelvins. Their results lead to understanding of the mineral composition of the Earth’s mantle transition zone (MTZ), which has not been fully elucidated yet. This study suggests that a mechanical mixture of slab and mantle rocks, rather than equilibrated rocks, is more likely to explain seismological observations throughout the MTZ.

A collaboration between Osaka City University and Setsunan University sheds light on the effect urbanization has on the flesh fly species Sarcophaga similis. Through a series of laboratory and in-field experiments, scientists show that an increase in nighttime illumination and temperature, two of the major characteristics of urbanization, can postpone S. similis hibernation anywhere from 3 weeks to a month.

Using a CeO2 catalyst, researchers develop an effective catalytic process for the direct synthesis of polycarbonate diols without the need for dehydrating agents. The high yield, high selective process has CO2 blown at atmospheric pressure to evaporate excess water by-product allowing for a catalytic process that can be used with any substrate with a boiling point higher than water.

An international team of scientists say that tigers could come roaring back in an unlikely place: northeastern China.

Scientists in Singapore are calling for revisions in planned hydropower expansions in light of the rapidly decreasing cost of solar photovoltaic systems

A new study monitored satellite images to obtain sea discoloration data as a novel indicator in detecting if an underwater volcano’s eruption is imminent.

Scientists show that an ocean-bottom seismometer deployed close to the calving front of a glacier in Greenland can detect continuous seismic radiation from a glacier sliding, reminiscent of a slow earthquake.

Japan recorded a whopping 3459 #landslides in 2018. To reduce the risks of landslides, researchers have developed a new #mapping system that accurately predicts their damage.

Researchers from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science develop a flood forecasting system that could help protect people and property during typhoons

Coral insights into 1,000 years of seasonal changes in the Arabian Sea warn of significant impacts caused by global warming.

Scientists have uncovered a summertime climate pattern in and around the Arctic that could drive co-occurrences of European heatwaves and large-scale wildfires with air pollution over Siberia and subpolar North America.

Carbon degassed from planetary mantles by volcanic activity plays an important role in the planetary surface environment. However, how the carbon content in the Earth’s mantle was established is still poorly understood. Here we show that the mantle of planetary embryos may have been nearly saturated with carbon by new high-pressure experiments and pointed out that the carbon solubility of magma is very consistent with the estimated carbon contents in terrestrial and lunar mantles.

Landslide tsunamis are difficult to simulate because of the complex interaction between soil and water. But now, researchers from Tohoku University have come up with a hybrid numerical method that allows for relatively accurate simulations.