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Earth Sciences - 22.12.2020
Slow start of plate tectonics despite a hot early Earth
Slow start of plate tectonics despite a hot early Earth
Writing in PNAS, scientists from Cologne university present important new constraints showing that plate tectonics started relatively slow, although the early Earth's interior was much hotter than today. In an international collaboration earth scientists at the University of Cologne discovered that during Earth's early history mantle convection on, i.e. the internal mixing of our planet, was surprisingly slow and spatially restricted.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 27.11.2020
How Stable is the Antarctic Ice Sheet?
How Stable is the Antarctic Ice Sheet?
Scientists from Heidelberg University investigate which factors determine the stability of ice masses in East Antarctica As temperatures rise due to climate change, the melting of polar ice sheets is accelerating. An international team of researchers led by geoscientist Dr Kim Jakob from Heidelberg University has now examined the dynamics of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet more closely.

Earth Sciences - Physics - 15.07.2020
Wind farms are to become quieter
Wind farms are to become quieter
Noise from wind turbines is a constant source of annoyance, despite compliance with emission control standards. But while some people feel heavily burdened by the noises, others hardly notice them. The Inter-Wind research project (Interdisciplinary Analysis and Mitigation Approaches - Residents' Experience of Acoustic and Seismic Wind Turbine Emissions), in which the University of Stuttgart is also involved, is investigating which factors interact in the noise pollution caused by wind turbines and which approaches for mitigation can be considered.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 25.06.2020
No Space for Climate Change
No Space for Climate Change
How do rising temperatures and more hot days affect cities, especially the heat stress on public squares? And what needs to be done in response to climate change? A team of Heidelberg University geographers led by Dr Kathrin Foshag investigated these questions using locations in the Heidelberg urban area.

Earth Sciences - 11.06.2020
Forces in the Earth's crust determine the height of mountain ranges
Forces in the Earth’s crust determine the height of mountain ranges
Geoscientists show that it is not erosion but an equilibrium of forces in the Earth's crust that controls the "growth" of mountains / Study in "Nature" Which forces and mechanisms determine the height of mountains? Researchers at the University of Münster and the German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) in Potsdam have now found a surprising answer: It is not erosion and weathering of rocks that determine the upper limit of mountain belts, but rather an equilibrium of forces in the Earth's crust.

Earth Sciences - Environment - 17.04.2020
Asteroid Triggered Mass Extinction at End of Cretaceous Period
Asteroid Triggered Mass Extinction at End of Cretaceous Period
Sixty-six million years ago - at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary - nearly three-quarters of all animal species died out, including the dinosaurs. The cause for this has fuelled controversy among scientists for decades. The latest research from an international research team indicates that an asteroid strike was the sole driver of the mass extinction and that volcanic activity did not play a role, even though it certainly had an impact on the climate and the biosphere.

Earth Sciences - Astronomy / Space - 28.02.2020
An iron-clad asteroid
An iron-clad asteroid
Mineralogists from Jena and Japan make a surprising discovery on soil samples of the asteroid "Itokawa". Mineralogists from Jena and Japan discover a previously unknown phenomenon in soil samples from the asteroid 'Itokawa': the surface of the celestial body is covered with tiny hair-shaped iron crystals.

Earth Sciences - Paleontology - 17.01.2020
Dinosaurs died because of an asteroid impact
Dinosaurs died because of an asteroid impact
Researchers disprove theory of volcanic eruption as reason for mass deaths / Mineralogists and planetologists of the University of Münster participating in worldwide study in "Science' Was it volcanic eruptions in western India or an asteroid impact that caused the death of dinosaurs and many other animal species 66 million years ago? Researchers have been discussing this since the 1980s.