Microplastics may increase riverbed sediment movement, erosion

Microplastics impact how sand travels along riverbeds, suggesting microplastics could increase riverbed erosion, according to an international team of researchers. Roberto Fernández, an assistant professor in the Department ...

Icequakes in Antarctica linked to ocean tides

When the ground rumbles in Antarctica, it may be an icequake—like an earthquake but caused by the movement of ice, not rock. A new study by Penn State researchers found that these seismic events are driven by ocean tides ...

Zentropy and the art of creating new ferroelectric materials

Systems in the universe trend toward disorder, with only applied energy keeping the chaos at bay. The concept is called entropy, and examples can be found everywhere: ice melting, campfire burning, water boiling. Zentropy ...

Microbe-stuffed soil crusts menaced by climate change

Using a novel method to detect microbial activity in biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, after they are wetted, a Penn State–led research team in a new study uncovered clues that will lead to a better understanding of ...

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