Headlines

Major earthquakes are just as random as smaller ones

For obvious reasons, it would be useful to predict when an earthquake is going to occur. It has long been suspected that large quakes in the Himalayas follow a fairly predictable cycle, but nature, as it turns out, is not so accommodating. A new study published in the journal

Baring the 'silent violence' of Philippine jails

Conversations about Philippine jail congestion often begin and end with statistics: thousands of case backlogs, cells built for 50 crammed with 200 bodies, and facilities straining at 300% to 400% beyond capacity. Yet these numbers barely capture the everyday human cost of

How redox reactions drive bacteria's Na⁺-NQR sodium pump

The enzyme Na⁺-NQR is a sodium pump that drives the respiration of many marine and pathogenic bacteria. Using redox reactions, the process of exchanging electrons between materials, it powers the transportation of sodium ions across the membrane, supporting the growth of the

Trump to undo legal basis for US climate rules

President Donald Trump is poised Thursday to revoke a landmark scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health by driving climate change—a determination that underpins US regulations aimed at curbing planet-warming pollution.

Climate anxiety: Misconceptions and advice

Many people feel anxious about climate change and other trends in the world around us. However, there are constructive ways to cope with one's emotions. In step with the incorporation of the word "klimatångest" (climate anxiety) in the Swedish vocabulary, more and more

'Gaybourhoods' boost LGB voter turnout

Living near other lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people makes LGB people significantly more likely to vote, according to new research published in The Journal of Politics. When the share of LGB residents in a neighborhood increases by just one percentage point, LGB residents

Rocket science? 3D printing soft matter in zero gravity

What happens to soft matter when gravity disappears? To answer this, UvA physicists launched a fluid dynamics experiment on a sounding rocket. The suborbital rocket reached an altitude of 267 km before falling back to Earth, providing six minutes of weightlessness.