In The News: College of Sciences
Molecules containing inert elements are not supposed to exist . According to the definition of a rare gas, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon, the chemical elements located on the far right of the periodic table, are difficult for other elements to bond and form compounds. In fact, people have never observed any natural existence on the earth. of molecules containing inert elements. But about a decade ago, astronomers stumbled upon these compounds in space.
“There’s just something about the moon blocking the sun that intrigues people, and me too,” a UNLV student commented Thursday morning on campus when asked about the solar eclipse on Monday. But, how much of the moon’s coverage of the sun will depend on where you are.
A push for nuclear power is fueling demand for uranium, spurring the opening of new mines. The industry says new technologies will eliminate pollution from uranium mining, but its toxic legacy, particularly in the U.S. Southwest, leaves many wary of an incipient mining boom.
I first glimpsed the northern lights on a red-eye flight across the Atlantic. Just a few pale wisps in the night sky were enough to get me hooked on the celestial phenomenon, and my aurora chasing has since brought me to Greenland, Iceland, and Churchill, Canada. Now, my sights are set on their even more elusive counterpart: the southern lights, or aurora australis.
Get ready for a noisy summer: Double the normal amount of cicadas are predicted to emerge this year. Melodramatically dubbed by some as a "cicada apocalypse," there is a reason why we're going to see so many of them in 2024. Find out everything to know about why there will be so many cicadas in 2024 (AKA a double-brood!), how many cicadas to expect and which states they'll hit the hardest.
Get ready for a noisy summer: Double the normal amount of cicadas are predicted to emerge this year. Melodramatically dubbed by some as a "cicada apocalypse," there is a reason why we're going to see so many of them in 2024. Find out everything to know about why there will be so many cicadas in 2024 (AKA a double-brood!), how many cicadas to expect and which states they'll hit the hardest.
This week the Environmental Protection Agency announced a ban on the use of chrysotile asbestos, the most common form of asbestos still used in the United States. Such a ban has been a long time coming, according to experts who contend that there are no safe levels of asbestos, a substance that still kills 40,000 people annually in the U.S. In all, over 50 countries have already banned the mineral, known to cause a laundry list of cancers including mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the membranes that line the lungs and abdomen. It’s also been shown to cause lung, larynx, ovarian, stomach, and colon cancer.
Modern humans dispersed from Africa multiple times, but the event that led to global expansion occurred less than 100,000 years ago. Some researchers hypothesize that dispersals were restricted to "green corridors" formed during humid intervals when food was abundant and human populations expanded in lockstep with their environments. But a new study in Nature, including ASU researchers Curtis Marean, Christopher Campisano, and Jayde Hirniak, suggests that humans also may have dispersed during arid intervals along "blue highways" created by seasonal rivers. Researchers also found evidence of cooking and stone tools that represent the oldest evidence of archery.
Modern humans dispersed from Africa on multiple occasions, but the event that led to global expansion occurred less than 100,000 years ago. Some researchers hypothesize that dispersals were limited to "green corridors" formed during wet intervals when food was plentiful and human populations expanded at the same rate as their environment.
Nevadans will not see a total solar eclipse on April 8, but we will see some of it. The eclipse is expected to cross through the middle of America, stretching 13 states from Texas to New York.
Many airports around the world are applying AI, smart gate allocation and changing boarding methods to reduce flight delays. According to airports, in theory, cutting flight time by a few minutes may not seem significant, but this can help airlines save a lot of money. That also means services for tourists will be improved. Arriving a few minutes early can make the difference between catching up or missing your connecting flight, reducing the domino effect of delays and flights arriving more on time. The approaches being implemented by airports could help air travel operate more efficiently in the future.
Yesterday, the feds signaled their approval for a long-awaited agreement between the Colorado River states — collectively, the lower basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada) will reduce our water use by 3 million acre-feet by 2026. The hope is that we’ll be able to replenish our crucial reservoirs, including Lake Mead, the source of 90% of our city’s water. But damming rivers to create reservoirs isn’t without problems. So… was creating Lake Mead in the first place a mistake? Today, we’re bringing back a conversation co-host Dayvid Figler had with UNLV hydrologist Dr. David Kreamer, who explains the history of Lake Mead’s creation and why reservoirs can be so essential for cities — but also controversial.