Thousands of chemicals are released into the environment yearly for agricultural, industrial and health-related needs. Sorting through which may inadvertently lead to risks to human health is a complex task. A joint study between NAU and the University of Idaho investigated whether there were any correlations between specific types… Read more
A flight to the stars
*Editor’s Note: The “Views from NAU” blog series highlights the thoughts of different people affiliated with NAU, including faculty members sharing opinions or research in their areas of expertise. The views expressed reflect the authors’ own personal perspectives.
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NASA awards scientist $848,013 grant for ongoing study of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs)
Characterizing and understanding PHAs critical for planetary defense planning
Asteroid impacts are the only potentially preventable natural disaster on Earth—assuming a threatening asteroid is detected with enough lead time to launch a mission into space to deflect it.
Through its Planetary Defense Coordination Office, NASA sponsors projects to… Read more
How long does a tree or ecosystem remember a drought?
Ecosystems have a long memory. That may not be a good thing.
What scientists have learned is that extreme climate events like drought and heat waves don’t just negatively impact plants, trees and other vegetation while they’re ongoing. The effects of climate extremes, especially droughts,… Read more
What a martian meteorite can teach us about Earth’s origins
What do Mars and Iceland have in common?
These days, not so much. But more than 4.5 billion years ago, it’s possible the Red Planet had a crust comparable to Iceland today. This discovery, hidden in the oldest martian fragments found on Earth, could provide information about our planet that was lost… Read more
Pancakes, flying fish and stunning sunsets: An average day on board an oceanographic research vessel
For most of us landlubbers in Flagstaff, living on a research ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean seems as foreign as living on a spaceship. But for NAU professor Jim Gaherty and his students (like grad student Joey Phillips, pictured below)—who study plate tectonics on the seafloor… Read more