MIT researchers have discovered that Earth’s early atmosphere may have been destroyed by thousands of small asteroids, writes Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post. Feltman explains that researchers found, “a real flurry of these small impacts…could have completely ejected the atmosphere.”
Henry Hanks of CNN writes that MIT researchers have found that a protective field around Earth blocks high-energy electrons. “The phenomenon challenges existing theories that these electrons drift into the upper atmosphere and are destroyed by air molecules,” writes Hanks.
Researchers at the MIT Haystack Observatory have discovered that a phenomenon called “plasmaspheric hiss” prevents radiation from reaching Earth, reports Flora Graham for New Scientist. Graham explains that the plasmaspheric hiss is comprised of “very low-frequency electromagnetic waves,” which act like a radiation barrier.
Scientific American reporter Charles Choi writes that MIT researchers have uncovered evidence that magnetic fields played a role in forming the early solar system. "Magnetic fields can introduce viscosity into the disk, essentially making the gas in it more sticky," explains MIT graduate student Roger Fu.
Washington Post reporter Rachel Feltman writes that researchers have found evidence that the moon’s basin was formed by magma flows. "For anyone who's ever looked up at the moon and wondered why it has this pattern on its surface — now we have an answer,” says MIT Vice President for Research Maria Zuber.
MIT researcher Moshe Alamaro writes for Nature about the need for governments to adjust their water conservation policies in the face of climate change. “The reality is that there is simply not enough fresh water for everybody to use as much as they want, whenever they want,” writes Alamaro.
Scientific American reports that 70 MIT students and faculty were among those who attended the People’s Climate Change March in New York. "We have the technologies to begin to tackle the climate crisis,” said Ph.D. candidate Geoffrey Supran. “What we lack is the political will to make it happen."
Professor Kerry Emanuel joined a number of experts encouraging participation in the People’s Climate Change March, held in New York, Sep. 21, reports Eric Holthaus for Slate. “The more ways that people—particularly young people—can make their concerns known to our government, the better,” says Emanuel.
Writing for Scientific American, Tim Radford reports on Professor Paul O’Gorman’s new study, which shows that despite climate change blizzards will still occur. Radford writes that O’Gorman’s research shows that while some areas may receive less overall snowfall, extreme snowfall could become more intense.
Washington Post reporter Angela Fritz writes that MIT Professor Paul O’Gorman has found that extreme snowfall events will continue despite global warming. Fritz reports that O’Gorman’s models show that in some high-latitude cases, “extreme snowstorms could deposit 10 percent more snow.”
Gil Aegerter of NBC News reports on new MIT research examining the impacts of climate change on snowfall. Professor Paul O’Gorman found that “global warming would affect snowfall extremes less than it did average snowfall,” writes Aegerter.
Doyle Rice of USA Today writes about the new MIT study showing that despite warming brought about by climate change, extreme snowfall will still occur in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers found that while “yearly average snowfall declines due to climate change in most regions, it actually increases in regions with very low surface temperatures,” writes Rice.
James Hamblin of The Atlantic reports on the new MIT study that shows implementing a cap on carbon emissions would result in health care savings. An economy-wide cap and trade program "would result in a net benefit of $125 billion in human health costs,” writes Hamblin.
CBC News reports on the MIT study examining how carbon reduction policies impact health care spending. “They discovered that the greatest health savings came from the cap-and-trade program, with savings coming in at 10.5 times the $14.5-billion cost of such a program,” CBC reports.
The Wall Street Journal interviews Professor Sara Seager about her research and her search for extraterrestrial life. "We haven't been able to find the true Earth twin yet because it's so very hard to find. It's like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack," says Seager.