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Powerful New US-Indian Satellite will Track Earth’s Changing Surface

Powerful New US-Indian Satellite Will Track Earth’s Changing Surface
The NISAR mission will help researchers get a better understanding of how Earth’s surface changes over time, including in the lead-up to volcanic eruptions like the one pictured, at Mount Redoubt in southern Alaska in April 2009. Credit: R.G. McGimsey/AVO/USGS

Data from NISAR will improve our understanding of such phenomena as earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, as well as damage to infrastructure.

We don’t always notice it, but much of Earth’s surface is in constant motion. Scientists have used satellites and ground-based instruments to track land movement associated with volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, and other phenomena...

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New Study links Liver-Brain Communication to Daily Eating Patterns

eating
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

People who work the nightshift or odd hours and eat at irregular times are more prone to weight gain and diabetes, likely due to eating patterns not timed with natural daylight and when people typically eat. But is it possible to stave off the ill effects of eating at these “unusual” times despite it not being biologically preferable?

A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania says “yes,” and sheds light on how the body knows when to eat. The study, published in Science, explains how researchers discovered a connection between the liver’s internal clock and feeding centers in the brain.

The team’s research shows that the liver sends signals to the brain via the vagus nerve, letting the brain know if eating...

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3D-Printed Solutions Shield Electronics from Electrostatic Discharge

3D-printed solutions for electronics protection
When silicone resins are 3D printed via direct ink writing on top of sensitive electronic components, such as a circuit board, they offer unique mechanical and electrical protections. The printed structure can also act as a cushion, which is illustrated by striking the circuit board with a hammer. Credit: Ryan Goldsberry and Adam Connell/LLNL

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is a significant concern in the chemical and electronics industries. In electronics, ESD often causes integrated circuit failures due to rapid voltage and current discharges from charged objects, such as human fingers or tools.

With the help of 3D printing techniques, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are “packaging” electronics with printable elastomeric silicone foams to prov...

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Astrophysicists use Echoes of Light to Illuminate Black Holes

Astrophysicists Use Echoes of Light to Illuminate Black Holes
Due to gravitational lensing, the photons from a single flash of light near a black hole follow winding paths. Some follow the trajectory of the blue line, where they take a direct path to the observer. Others orbit around the black hole once, following the path of the red dashed line. Others still orbit the black hole twice following the green dashed line. Because the different paths all have different time delays, the photons arrive one after another in sequence, and the original flash of light will appear to echo. Credit: George N. Wong

A team of astrophysicists, led by scholars from the Institute for Advanced Study, has developed an innovative technique to search for black hole light echoes...

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