University of Texas at Dallas researchers are developing a material to protect spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) from harsh environments that can damage vehicles in space, such as satellites, shortening their lifespans.

The research project is supported by a two-year, $1 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered an important phenomenon beneath the Arctic sea ice that was previously thought impossible. This phenomenon could have implications for the food chain and the carbon budget in the cold north.

A global research effort shows that extreme, prolonged drought conditions in grasslands and shrublands would greatly limit the long-term health of crucial ecosystems that cover nearly half the planet. The findings are particularly relevant as climate change increases the possibility of more severe droughts in the future – potentially leading to a situation that echoes the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Air pollution is dramatically reshaping tropical rainfall patterns. In a new study, scientists found that increasing aerosol concentrations over the Maritime Continent strengthens oceanic rainfall while suppressing and delaying land rain peaks to midnight. This newly identified shift, revealed through high-resolution modeling and satellite data, has major implications for forecasting and climate prediction in Southeast Asia.