Posts Tagged ‘natural disasters’
Why some coasts are tsunami ‘magnets’
USC (US) — The earthquake zones off certain coasts—like those of Japan and Java—can produce a focus point that makes them especially vulnerable to massive and devastating tsunamis. Continue…
Thursday, March 7, 2013 13:33 - 0 Comments
Society & Culture - Jan 30, 2013 17:37 - 1 Comment
Disasters put kids’ altruism to the test
U. CHICAGO (US) / U. TORONTO (CAN) — Natural disasters prompt older children to be more giving, but have the opposite effect on younger kids, who tend to become more selfish. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 19, 2012 9:23 - 0 Comments
Hurricane Sandy doubled Internet outages
USC (US) — During Hurricane Sandy, almost twice as much of the Internet was down in the US than usual, say scientists who track outages throughout the world. (more…)
Society & Culture - Nov 20, 2012 11:35 - 0 Comments
Is ‘perfect storm’ just a lame excuse?
STANFORD (US) — The terms “black swan” and “perfect storm” have become part of the public vocabulary for describing disasters, but a new study suggests they are used too liberally as an excuse for poor planning. (more…)
Science & Technology - Sep 5, 2012 9:43 - 2 Comments
Why quake forecast maps often fail
U. MISSOURI / NORTHWESTERN (US) — Three of the largest and deadliest earthquakes in recent history occurred where earthquake hazard maps didn’t predict massive quakes, scientists say. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Aug 21, 2012 10:45 - 0 Comments
Study: Shanghai most vulnerable to flooding
U. LEEDS (UK) — Of nine coastal cities around the world, Shanghai appears to be the most vulnerable to serious flooding, reports a new study that finds European cities to be the most resilient. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 15, 2012 12:57 - 0 Comments
Western US is ripe for big fires, study warns
U. OREGON (US) — Wildfire rates are rising, and researchers say conditions in the American West suggest a “perfect storm” for more. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 27, 2012 13:38 - 0 Comments
Years after Katrina, minds slow to recover
PRINCETON (US) — Survivors of Hurricane Katrina have struggled with poor mental health for years, according to a new study of low-income mothers in the New Orleans area. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 24, 2011 9:43 - 0 Comments
Train crops to survive floods
U. NOTTINGHAM (UK) — Discovery of the mechanism by which plants sense low oxygen levels could eventually lead to the production of high-yielding, flood-tolerant crops. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 2, 2011 14:28 - 4 Comments
Be warned: Seismologists on trial in Italy
STANFORD (US) — The manslaughter trial of six Italian seismologists highlights the need for scientists to put more effort into explaining their work to the public, says geophysicist Greg Beroza. (more…)
Society & Culture - Jul 11, 2011 12:52 - 2 Comments
Metros in Northeast, Midwest most ‘resilient’
U. BUFFALO (US) — Using a new online tool, researchers have measured more than 360 U.S. metros for their capacity to handle stresses ranging from economic recession to natural disasters. (more…)
Top Stories - Apr 1, 2011 11:12 - 1 Comment
Finding a ‘new normal’ in Japan
UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Many survivors of Japan’s triple disaster are facing a hard emotional reality: The “old normal” is gone. Now the search for a new normal begins, says a mental trauma expert. (more…)
Top Stories - Jan 28, 2011 17:09 - 0 Comments
Stray storm blamed for Pakistan floods
U. WASHINGTON (US) — A rogue, off-course weather system led to last summer’s devastating floods in Pakistan that left more than 20 million people injured or homeless, new research shows. (more…)
Society & Culture - Apr 16, 2010 11:04 - 3 Comments
Social networks key to New Orleans recovery
RUTGERS (US)—In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a city that had lost so much managed to preserve a critical element to its eventual recovery: social capital. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Mar 12, 2010 18:11 - 1 Comment
Pregnancy problems surface after earthquake
NYU (US)—Expectant mothers who were exposed to the 2005 Tarapaca earthquake in Chile were more likely to give birth prematurely than those women in the nation’s unaffected regions. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 22, 2010 17:40 - 0 Comments
Quake drill points to shaky communication
U. COLORADO (US)—Researchers who devised the largest earthquake preparedness event ever undertaken in the United States say one of the biggest challenges was translating devastation projections from a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 San Andreas Fault temblor into timely, usable information to the more than 5 million California participants in 2008. (more…)
