Geological Sciences | Science Communication
via New South American Site Reveals Extraordinary Fossils from the End of the Age of the Dinosaurs También disponible en Español Pittsburgh, Pa., USA: The discovery of a spectacular fossil site in Argentina is helping shed new light on life at the end of the Cretaceous, the time period just before the non-avian dinosaurs went… Continue reading New South American Site Reveals Extraordinary Fossils from the End of the Age of the Dinosaurs
via How an Ancient Society in the Sahara Desert Rose and Fell with Groundwater Pittsburgh, Pa., USA: With its low quantities of rain and soaring high temperatures, the Sahara Desert is often regarded as one of the most extreme and least habitable environments on Earth. While the Sahara was periodically much greener in the distant… Continue reading How an Ancient Society in the Sahara Desert Rose and Fell with Groundwater
In May 2021 I started posting educational geoscience videos on TikTok to test the waters of short-form video for science communication. I quickly found enjoyment both in creating and consuming content on TikTok, and I have continued to use TikTok as my primary platform for science communication. In our research study published in November 2022,… Continue reading TikTok vs YouTube Shorts for science communication
via Incorporating Traditional Management Techniques to Combat Effects of Ocean Acidification Denver, Colo., USA: Ocean acidification is a major concern related to climate change, with the oceans currently absorbing around a quarter of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. The increased CO 2 that is absorbed by the ocean in turn decreases its pH, making… Continue reading Incorporating Traditional Management Techniques to Combat Effects of Ocean Acidification
via Previously Deployed Military Personnel Show Retained Dust in Lungs Denver, Colo., USA: Military personnel who were deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq may have been exposed to significant amounts of dust and other respiratory hazards, leading to persistent respiratory symptoms and diseases like asthma and bronchiolitis. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National… Continue reading Previously Deployed Military Personnel Show Retained Dust in Lungs
Boulder, Colo.: While wildfires over recent years have raged across much of the western United States and pose significant hazards to wildlife and local populations, wildfires have been a long-standing part of Earth’s systems without the influence of humans for hundreds of millions of years. “Wildfire has been an integral component in earth-system processes for… Continue reading Earliest record of wildfires provide insights to Earth’s past vegetation and oxygen levels
Boulder, Colo.: While much of public attention on Yellowstone focuses on its potential to produce large supereruptions, the hazards that are much more likely to occur are smaller, violent hydrothermal explosions. Hydrothermal explosions occur when near-boiling water suddenly flashes into steam, releasing large amounts of energy. The energy release fractures the rock downward, often leaving… Continue reading Yellowstone’s History of Hydrothermal Explosions over the Past 14,000 Years
via Fossil discovery reveals that trilobites had clasper-like limbs used for mating Boulder, Colo., USA: Thanks to their easily fossilized exoskeleton, trilobites largely dominate the fossil record of early complex animal life. However, trilobite appendages and the anatomy of the underside of their body are typically not well preserved, which makes it difficult to infer… Continue reading Fossil discovery reveals that trilobites had clasper-like limbs used for mating
via Rapid glacial advance reconstructed during the time of Norse occupation in Greenland Boulder, Colo., USA: The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second largest ice body in the world, and it has the potential to contribute significantly to global sea-level rise in a warming global climate. Understanding the long-term record of the Greenland Ice Sheet,… Continue reading Rapid glacial advance reconstructed during the time of Norse occupation in Greenland
via Nealtican lava flow field, Popocatépetl volcano: A window to the past and future hazards Boulder, Colo., USA: The Popocatépetl volcano, located southeast of Mexico City, stands as the second highest peak in Mexico and is considered to be one of the potentially most dangerous volcanoes in the world, given its record of highly explosive… Continue reading Nealtican lava flow field, Popocatépetl volcano: A window to the past and future hazards
Emily Zawacki, Ph.D. 