In order to keep ice from forming on surfaces such as airplane wings, toxic chemicals are typically applied. And while there are experimental chemical-free alternatives, they still require a power source or involve coatings that can wear off. A new system, however, gets around those issues.
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Researchers at MIT have come up with a de-icing system that is completely passive and relies only on the power of the sun, or artificial light, which means it can also work at night. The system could be used to prevent ice building up on aircraft wings, wind turbine blades, and powerlines.
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NASA is preparing to launch a new tool into orbit that will bounce lasers off polar ice to finely monitor elevation changes over time, providing new insights into not only the severity of climate change, but how it is directly impacting seal level rise.
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Freezing is one of the simplest methods of preserving food, biological tissue and other perishables, but the formation of ice crystals can damage cells. Now, researchers have developed a new way to “supercool” water in a liquid form well below the usual freezing point.
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A huge lake of liquid water has been found on Mars. The groundbreaking discovery marks the first time a significant amount of the life-giving liquid has been detected. Discovered through satellite radar readings, the lake lies beneath the ice caps at the south pole of Mars.
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The International Chronostratigraphic Chart has officially been revised. That means our current point in Earth’s geological timeline has been updated so that we’re now living in the Meghalayan age, which began 4,200 years ago with a two-century drought that destroyed several civilizations.
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Ötzi the 5,300-year old Iceman has taught us a lot about the Copper Age world he came from. The newest lesson comes from an analysis of his stomach contents, indicating an unexpectedly high-fat diet of meat interspersed with cereals and strangely, toxic bracken.
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To say “Antarctica is cold” will surprise nobody, but just how cold it can get might. Researchers from NSIDC have now identified the coldest places on the planet, where the mercury plummets to almost -100° C (-148° F) under specific conditions.
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News from Antarctica usually paints a grim picture, but now, a new study reports some more uplifting findings: the Earth itself is rising at one of the fastest rates ever seen, and it may help stabilize the ice sheet.
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An international team of scientists has completed the most comprehensive assessment of how Antarctica’s ice mass is changing. The study shows that the rate of ice loss – and the resulting sea level rise – has tripled since 2012, compared to a more steady rate over the last 25 years.
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