Concrete, used in everything from streets to skyscrapers, needs sand, often mined from active rivers in developing countries with little oversight. Researchers can now use satellites to keep watch.
Alka Tripathy-Lang
Alka Tripathy-Lang is a freelance science writer covering stories about Earth and environmental science. Alka holds a Ph.D. in geology from Arizona State University and conducted postdoctoral research at the Berkeley Geochronology Center.
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Mercury-Based Gold Mining Haunts Peruvian Rain Forests
In Peru, gold mining harms rain forests and human health. Satellite data can now track forest recovery in protected areas and the migration of informal miners to less regulated areas.
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Microplastics Morph Cell Metabolism
Microplastics get into our bodies, potentially altering how certain cells convert sugar into energy, especially in the gut. Continued ingestion could cause chronic problems.
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Diamonds Are a Paleomagnetist’s Best Friend
Typical paleomagnetic measurements average a sample’s signal. The quantum diamond microscope helps scientists make micrometer-scale maps of magnetism, showing where a sample locked in its magnetic signatures.
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Drone Rules Make Tracking Down Faults a Difficult Feat
Regulations differ from country to country, but on one point, they’re relatively uniform: Drones must remain within their operators’ line of sight. How do earthquake scientists collect drone data while working within the rules?
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How Can Wristbands Monitor Pollution, PAHs, and Prenatal Care?
Silicone wristbands can help monitor pregnant women’s exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Tracking these toxic chemicals, produced by combustion, could improve public health outcomes.
Posted inGeoFIZZ
Meet Jane, the Zircon Grain—Geochronology’s New Mascot
In a children’s book written by geochronologist Matthew Fox, he condenses 400 million years of history into 34 playfully poetic pages as he follows the travels of a single grain of sand.
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Lightning Tames Typhoon Intensity Forecasting
Typhoons regularly drench densely populated western Pacific regions, but lightning could forecast intensity more than a day before a storm’s strength peaks.
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SnowSchool Spans the States
The nonprofit, donation-fueled program engages K–12 students by combining the fun of playing in snow with the science of the cryosphere.
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Tiny Kinks Record Ancient Quakes
As Earth ruptures, micas kink. These kink bands hide in rocks millions of years old, preserving evidence of past quakes.