Tom Gill

Could dewdrops explain why plants are flowering earlier? Water droplets set off a chemical cascade that tells a plant it’s time to blossom, new study finds

www.science.org/content/arti...

Galileo’s handwritten notes found in ancient astronomy text Discovery sheds new light on how famed astronomer came to lead a scientific revolution

www.science.org/content/arti...

Greenland Dust Delivers Nutrients to Ice-Melting Algae - Eos Researchers scrutinized aerosols above and within the ice sheet, finding phosphorus and other mineral particles.

Greenland Dust Delivers Nutrients to Ice-Melting Algae eos.org/articles/gre...

We now know why shoes squeak, and it involves miniature lightning bolts Harvard engineers think they've found the reason basketball shoes squeak, and it's due to pockets of friction between the rubber and the court.

We now know why shoes squeak, and it involves miniature lightning bolts www.livescience.com/physics-math...

DSLR camera shot of chameleon navigating a sandstorm in Earth's most extreme environment wins top photo honor The Namib Desert is unforgiving, while this reptile slowly makes its way through – now this shot wins at the World Nature Photography Awards

www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/...

Three‐Decade Dust Climatology and Trend (1988–2022) From Ground Monitoring Over the Western United States Dust events have become more frequent, with moderate events increasing faster than severe events The intensity of all dust events (PM10 on dusty days) decreased by −0.24 μg/m3 per year compared t...

Shu and Tong, JGR-Atmospheres: Three-Decade Dust Climatology and Trend (1988–2022) From Ground Monitoring Over the Western United States
doi.org/10.1029/2025...

Global Desert Variations During 1985–2024 Associated With Effective Water Availability Global desert area declined at a rate of −2.27 × 104 km2 yr−1 from 1985 to 2024 The observed global desert contraction over the past 40 years was associated with increased effective water availab...

Global deserts are shrinking? De-desertification?
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Munroe, Earth Critical Zone: Mineral dust and the global critical zone
doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...

Forget flatfooted lumbering T. rex. New research shows it walked on tiptoes Powerful, fierce and the king of the Cretaceous world, Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate apex predator. But it was also surprisingly dainty on its feet, according to new research. Findings published ...

T. rex walked on tiptoes
phys.org/news/2026-02...

New evidence of lava tube on Venus found in old radar data

New evidence of lava tube on Venus found in old radar data- attn @geojackjack.bsky.social earthsky.org/space/lava-t...

Air pollution linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk, large U.S. study finds A large U.S. study reports that long-term air pollution exposure is linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk in older adults

Air pollution linked to higher Alzheimer's risk www.openaccessgovernment.org/air-pollutio...

Wildfires that burn buildings create significantly more air pollution commons.ucar.edu/discussion/w...

Strong Winds, Sandstorms to Hit Several Provinces in Morocco Morocco’s weather office forecasts strong winds, sandstorms and blowing dust in several provinces across Morocco on Thursday and Friday.

www.moroccoworldnews.com/2026/02/2807...

Far fewer people are related to Genghis Khan than previously assumed, new genomic study suggests Some experts have suggested as many as 1 in 200 men in the world are related to Genghis Khan. But a new genomic study reveals the number is significantly lower.

www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

'Birdbrain' benefits: How being an expert birdwatcher may boost cognition New research shows that seasoned birders — including older adults — had denser tissue in parts of the brain tied to attention and perception.

Birdbrain: Birding is good for your brain health. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

The thousand-year story of how the fork crossed Europe, and onto your plate today - Modern Sciences Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Australian Catholic University In today’s world, we barely think about picking up a fork. It is part of a standard cutlery set, as essential as the plate itself. But not...

THE HISTORY OF THE FORK
modernsciences.org/history-tabl...

Seven tips for co-authoring research publications (opinion) Rachel Turney offers guidelines for a successful collaboration.

Co-authoring a dissertation is a thing?
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...

Understanding 'Snowball Earth' extreme climates when the world is covered in ice In the whole history of Earth's climate, few events are as extreme as those that geologists call "Snowball Earth."

phys.org/news/2026-02...

Saudi Arabia braces for major sandstorm as Red and Orange alerts remain in effect until Feb 28 | World News - The Times of India Middle East News: Saudi Arabia is bracing for a multi-day stretch of dust storms, strong winds and unstable weather conditions expected to affect wide swaths of the Kin.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle...

Massive sandstorm sweeps northern China, shrouding 130+ cities A powerful sandstorm swept across northern China between February 20 and 23, engulfing cities in thick dust, grounding flights and forcing tourist sites to close. As the dust begins to settle, attenti...

uk.news.yahoo.com/massive-sand...

#dust can cost big money....

This example of a flight diversion reminded me of a study (see @eos.org article) where they looked at the the frequency of presence airborne dust around some major airports.

eos.org/articles/lot...

@kellyhereid.bsky.social

What makes for smooth, creamy chocolate? Chocolatiers adjust properties of chocolate’s ingredients to confect a treat that feels as good as it tastes.

The physics of chocolate!
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...

Dust storm causes flight diversion in India timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahat...

Trump says he wants to make the Great Salt Lake ‘great again’ Trump said he was working closely with Utah’s "very caring" Gov. Spencer Cox to help the lake.

MAGA meets the playa www.deseret.com/politics/202...

Enhanced Last Glacial Aridity in the Western Pampean Plains Inferred From Southern South American Loess Reconstructed 43,000 years of dust activity in southern South America from a loess record in the Pampean plains During the Last Glacial Maximum, wetter sources and arid Pampean plains sharply red...

Attn @sangasso.bsky.social
Montecino Jara et al., Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology: Enhanced Last Glacial aridity in the western Pampean plains inferred from southern South American loess. doi.org/10.1029/2025...

Correction of PM2.5 underestimation in low-cost sensors under elevated dust loading using only sensor measurements Abstract. The Plantower PMS5003/6003 sensor is widely used for low-cost monitoring of particulate matter (PM), but it substantially underestimates PM2.5 and PM10 during periods of elevated dust loadin...

Kaur et al., AMT: Correction of PM2.5 underestimation in low-cost sensors under elevated dust loading using only sensor measurements doi.org/10.5194/amt-...

A shocking explanation for tape’s distinctive screech Fast-moving cracks in tape’s adhesive layer produce shock waves that make the stuff sing as it unrolls

A shocking explanation for tape’s distinctive screech | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Sorry about this.

Dust emission from the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico for the fourth day this week. Today's plume has stayed mostly south of metro El Paso, so the city had only about an hour of blowing dust today so far. #txwx

The intense #SaharanDust plume over the North Atlantic is predicted to reach western Europe in the coming days in the #CopernicusAtmosphere forecast. These episodes are not uncommon at this time of the year, particularly impacting air quality and visibility in Canary Islands and Madeira.