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Apollo's lunar dust data being restored

Scientists with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have restored the fully calibrated digital dust data from the Apollo 14 and 15 missions, allowing for long-term analysis of the lunar dust readings. This achievement is part of the Lunar Data Project, which aims to make scientific data from Apollo available in modern formats.

New software forecasts noise levels in the street

Researchers at the University of Granada developed a new software solution to predict urban noise levels using a dataset of street type, road conditions, and vehicle speed. The system has shown higher accuracy than traditional mathematical models, with a reliability of 95%, and will help perform urban noise mapping projects.

SourceUniversity of Granada·JournalThe Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·DateJun 13, 2012

Relatively speaking: Researchers identify principles that shape kinship categories across languages

A new study reveals that kinship categories across languages reflect general principles of communication, including a trade-off between simplicity and informativeness. The study found that languages use only a handful of the vast number of logically possible kinship categories, with English and Mandarin Chinese using two and four terms...

SourceCarnegie Mellon University·JournalScience·DateMay 24, 2012

Keeping an eye on the Universe

The CalTech-led Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey has released a massive dataset of 200 million celestial objects, including stars, supernovae, and asteroids. This unprecedented data set will enable scientists to study the evolution of stars, massive black holes, and the structure of the Milky Way.

Global warming 'not slowing down,' say researchers

Researchers analyzed five global temperature data sets and found that after removing short-term fluctuations, all five data sets showed excellent agreement, indicating that global warming is not slowing down. The study suggests that temperatures will continue to rise, emphasizing the urgency of addressing human influence on climate.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalEnvironmental Research Letters·DateDec 5, 2011

No more tasty surprises

Researchers at Ruhr-University Bochum developed a new method to calculate the probability of extreme events in finance. The traditional approach ignores the bulk of the relevant data, which can lead to important information being lost. By using this new method, scientists can better predict such events and improve financial models.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalThe Annals of Statistics·DateSep 26, 2011

June 2011 Geosphere highlights

A new themed issue of Geosphere delves into the geology and tectonic history of northern San Francisco Bay region, featuring studies on sedimentary and volcanic deposits cut by active strike-slip faults. The papers provide insights into groundwater hydrology, seismic hazard, and plate margin evolution.

SourceGeological Society of America·JournalGeosphere·DateJun 24, 2011

Buzz kills

A study published in Addiction journal finds that even low levels of blood-alcohol content are associated with severe injuries and death. The research suggests that buzzed drivers are more likely to speed, be improperly seat-belted, and drive at greater speeds, leading to increased accident severity.

The 20th Century Reanalysis Project: A time machine for climate scientists

The 20th Century Reanalysis Project has created a comprehensive reanalysis of global weather events from 1871 to the present day. The dataset provides key historical comparisons for our own changing climate, allowing researchers to understand the impact of extreme weather and climate events over time.

SourceWiley·JournalQuarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society·DateJan 24, 2011

UK public health research center given grant

The University of Kentucky Center for Public Health Systems and Services Research has received a $600,000 grant to create an integrated dataset that will provide researchers with access to critical information to inform translational practice decisions. The dataset will combine survey data from various organizations, enabling users to ...

Team led by Livermore scientists helps to resolve long-standing puzzle in climate science

A team led by Livermore scientists has reconciled the differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics. They applied a modified statistical test to account for uncertainty in observational data and found no fundamental discrepancy between modeled and observed trends. This reconciliation is thanks to the use ...

SourceDOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory·JournalInternational Journal of Climatology·DateOct 10, 2008