Clouds Like Honeycomb

NOAA-led team uses an innovative network approach to explain polygonal patterns in clouds.

New Method for Identifying Carbon Compounds Derived from Fossil Fuels

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laboratory instrument that can measure how much of the carbon in many carbon-containing materials was derived from fossil fuels. This will open the way for new methods in the biofuels and bioplastics industries, in scientific research, and environmental monitoring. Among other things, it will allow scientists to measure how much of the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere came from burning fossil fuels, and to estimate fossil fuel emissions in an area as small as a city or as large as a continent.

Satellite Eyeing Tropical Storm Jose Churning Coastal Waters

Although Tropical Storm Jose was located off the coast of southeastern U.S. it is stirring up the waters along the U.S. East coast, causing dangerous conditions. NOAA’s GOES East satellite saw Jose centered about 360 miles northeast of the southwestern Bahamas on Sept. 15.

Satellite View Reveals Tropical Depression 15E Still Struggling

Satellite imagery showed that Tropical Depression 15E continued to struggle to organize while still being affected by vertical wind shear.

Satellite Sees Atlantic Tropical Depression 14 Forms off Africa's West Coast

NOAA’s GOES East satellite captured a visible image of the latest tropical cyclone to form in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Depression 14E formed, despite battling northerly wind shear.

Virtual reality alleviates pain, anxiety for pediatric patients

As patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford undergo routine medical procedures, they are being whisked away to swim under the sea, zap flying cheeseburgers in outer space, catch basketballs using their heads and fly on paper airplanes through the sky, thanks to virtual-reality technology, which is being implemented throughout the hospital to help ease patients’ feelings of pain and anxiety.

Packard Children’s is one of the first hospitals in the country to begin implementing distraction-based VR therapy within every patient unit.

People of color still exposed to more air pollution

Pollution exposure for minority groups is still a big problem, according to a new nationwide study conducted by a team of researchers led by CEE professor Julian Marshall. 

The study found that during a 10-year period, little progress was made in reducing disparities between whites and people of color when it comes to being exposed to harmful air pollution emitted by vehicles. The study focused specifically on outdoor concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, which is a transportation-related pollutant.

NASA Gets a Dramatic 3-D View of Typhoon Talim's Large Eye

NASA created a dramatic 3-D image of powerful Typhoon Talim using data from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite. Talim’s large eye really made the storm stand out as it moved toward landfall.

IU discovery could reduce nuclear waste with improved method to chemically engineer molecules

A discovery by Indiana University researchers could advance the long-term storage of nuclear waste, an increasingly burdensome and costly task for the public and private agencies that protect people from these harmful chemicals.

Star Formation Influenced by Local Environmental Conditions

Star Formation: Three scientists at Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have carried out extensive computer simulations related to star formation. They conclude that the present idealized models are lacking when it comes to describing details in the star formation process. “Hopefully our results can also help shed more light on planet formation”, says Michael Küffmeier, astrophysicist and head of the research team.