Wet weather helped human culture grow (Update)

We moan about the wet weather all too often but it may have been crucial in the development of human culture from about 70,000 years onwards, according to scientists reporting in Nature Communications today.

Researchers measure cavitation noise in trees

(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from Grenoble University in France has found that under experimental conditions, roughly half of the noise created by drying wood is due to cavitation. The team made this discovery while ...

Superfast model brain to predict flooding during heavy rain

(Phys.org) —Heavy rain has one again resulted in widespread flooding across the country. With climate change likely to cause further severe weather events in the coming years, methods of quickly predicting flooding will ...

Caves point to thawing of Siberia

Evidence from Siberian caves suggests that a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius could see permanently frozen ground thaw over a large area of Siberia, threatening release of carbon from soils, and damage to natural ...

Tree-ring data show history, pattern to droughts

Dendrochronologists have shown that tree-ring data produce a remarkably accurate history of droughts and other climate changes. Combined with reliable drought indices and historical descriptions of climate conditions, dendrochronology ...

Snails signal a humid Mediterranean

An international team of researchers has shown that old wives' tales that snails can tell us about the weather should not be dismissed too hastily.

Competing to create a more energy-efficient air conditioner

A University of California, Davis, challenge to build more energy efficient air conditioning has spurred a major global manufacturer to build a rooftop air conditioner that is 40 percent more energy-efficient than conventional ...

Could viruses be used to treat acne?

Watch out, acne. Doctors soon may have a new weapon against zits: a harmless virus living on our skin that naturally seeks out and kills the bacteria that cause pimples.

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