http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A devastating sinkhole occurred in Florida on February 28, 2013, raising questions and concerns about this incredible phenomenon. Around 20% of the U.S. lies in areas susceptible to sinkhole events, highlighting the need for research and to be informed about this hazard. http://phys.org/news281786506.html Space & Earth Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:50:02 EST news281786506 (Phys.org)—Researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory and the French Space Agency have tracked a trail of minerals that point to the prior presence of water at the Curiosity rover site on Mars. http://phys.org/news277552323.html Space & Earth Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:52:09 EST news277552323 Although widespread rebuilding in the hard-hit New York metro region from Super Storm Sandy has not yet begun, NJIT Assistant Professor Mohamed Mahgoub, PhD, PE, says when the hammers start swinging, it's time to look at autoclaved aerated concrete. http://phys.org/news271524267.html Technology Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:24:58 EST news271524267 NASA chose Gale Crater as a landing site for its Mars Science Laboratory rover because the giant crater probably had conditions that may have once hosted life. The bottom layers near the crater floor "have minerals in them that form in water," says Philip Christensen, Regents' Professor of Geological Sciences in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration. http://phys.org/news263119494.html Space & Earth Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:45:01 EST news263119494 Humans get most of the blame for climate change, with little attention paid to the contribution of other natural forces. Now, scientists from the University of Toronto and the University of California Santa Cruz are shedding light on one potential cause of the cooling trend of the past 45 million years that has everything to do with the chemistry of the world's oceans. http://phys.org/news261921377.html Space & Earth Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:00:07 EST news261921377 Gypsum is a naturally occurring mineral which is often used in industrial processes and which in nature, if left alone for thousands of years, can grow into huge translucent, towering and eerie, crystals more than 10 metres tall. These are famed for their beauty in places such as the Cave of Crystals in Mexico. Nevertheless, the formation of gypsum has until now been largely unexplored. http://phys.org/news252845501.html Physics Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:00:05 EST news252845501 (PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found bright veins of a mineral, apparently gypsum, deposited by water. Analysis of the vein will help improve understanding of the history of wet environments on Mars. http://phys.org/news242543413.html Space & Earth Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:10:27 EST news242543413 (PhysOrg.com) -- Deep within a silver and lead mine in Naica, Mexico, scientists discovered what is now known as Cueva de los Cristales, or Cave of Crystals, close to a decade ago. The gypsum crystals found in this cave measure as long as 11 meters (36 feet) and as thick as 1 meter (3 feet). While these crystals are beautiful and reminiscent of a Superman film, they have had scientists stumped since their discovery. The question was just how long these crystals had been growing in order to become this large. http://phys.org/news235103807.html Physics Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:10:01 EST news235103807 (PhysOrg.com) -- Gypsum was used as a building material in antiquity and is still widely used as a binder in plaster, drywall, and spackling paste. Known as dihydrate in construction chemistry, gypsum is a water-containing calcium sulfate (CaSO4• 2 H2O). In various calcination processes, some of the water of crystallization is removed, resulting in calcined gypsum, or hemihydrate (CaSO4• 0.5 H2O). When this material comes into contact with water, it reabsorbs it and sets up. The structure and exact water content of hemihydrate have remained a matter of speculation. http://phys.org/news159012528.html Chemistry Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:09:54 EST news159012528