In the latest episode of its Centennial series, AGU’s Third Pod from the Sun tells the story of two air quality disasters that served as catalysts for clean air regulations in the mid-20th century.
News
Microbes Spotted in “Polyextreme” Hot Springs
Hot springs that are as acidic as battery acid are home to single-celled microorganisms that may indicate that life could have been sustained on ancient Mars.
Ultraprecise Clock Will Facilitate Space Exploration
NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock, slated to launch later this month for a demonstration flight, will help spacecraft more efficiently navigate the solar system.
Planetary Low Tide May Force Regular Sunspot Sync Ups
A regular alignment of the planets—no, it’s not pseudoscience—makes a strong enough tug to regulate the Sun’s 11- and 22-year cycles.
House Science Committee Approves Bill to Stop Sexual Harassment
The bill would expand research into sexual and gender harassment and how to reduce it and coordinate federal science agency efforts.
Senator Urges Ending Dark Money’s Stifling of Climate Action
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says that dark money funding from the fossil fuel industry and others “has polluted our politics.” Dark money and climate denial “are two sides of the same coin,” he says.
Spy Satellite Reveals Accelerated Pace of Himalayan Glacier Melt
Images taken covertly in the 1970s have taken on a new purpose in a recent glaciology study.
Banned CFC Emissions Tracked to Eastern China
A new study indicates that better atmospheric monitoring networks are needed to enforce the Montreal Protocol.
Ancient Water Underlies Arid Egypt
A hidden trove of groundwater is left over from the last ice age.
Ceramics Trace a 14th Century Indonesian Tsunami
Archaeological evidence suggests that communities on the northern coast of Sumatra devastated by a tsunami roughly 600 years ago opted to rebuild in the same area, a process repeated in 2004.