Lessons from Sandy: Hurricanes Behaving Oddly

Dr. Miles with glider

New revelations from Rutgers-New Brunswick scientists’ deployment of a submersible, data-collecting robot in advance of Superstorm Sandy Five years ago next month, four days before Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, Rutgers University-New Brunswick marine scientists  launched a data-collecting, submersible robot glider in front of  the massive storm. Their paper on the data gathered by that swimming robot – published recently in the Journal …

Moon’s Magnetic Field Lasted Far Longer Than Once Believed

Rutgers and MIT experts lead lunar rock study with implications for life and habitability on other moons and planetary bodies. The moon’s magnetic field lasted 1 billion to 2.5 billion years longer than once thought – a finding with important implications for habitability on other moons and planets throughout the universe, a Rutgers University-New Brunswick professor says. “The Earth’s magnetic field is …

New Ape Species Named After 13-Million-Year-Old Skull Discovery

Rutgers EOAS’ Craig Feibel helps date fossil in study that boosts understanding of evolution. A 13-million-year-old infant ape skull – the oldest known fossil of its kind – is a new species that enhances knowledge of ape and human evolution, according to a study by an international team of scientists, including Craig S. Feibel at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “We have a beautiful ape …

Remembering Diane Adams

  In Memory of Diane, It is with great sadness that I report the loss of Diane Adams on June 22, 2017 when she joined the legions of talented young who passed well before their time.  Diane came to Rutgers as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in 2013.  She was full of life and …

Sea Cave Preserves 5,000-Year Snapshot of Tsunamis

Record tells us we don’t know much about predicting earthquakes that cause tsunamis. An international team of scientists digging in a sea cave in Indonesia has discovered the world’s most pristine record of tsunamis, a 5,000-year-old sedimentary snapshot that reveals for the first time how little is known about when earthquakes trigger massive waves. “The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami …

Rutgers Atmospheric Science Graduate Program Turns 10 Years Old

    Faculty, students and alumni of the Rutgers Graduate Program in Atmospheric Science (GPAS) marked the 10th anniversary of the program’s establishment with an afternoon symposium held during the Spring semester at the Cook Student Center. The event featured a keynote address by Arlene Fiore, professor and accomplished atmospheric chemist from Columbia University, as well as talks by two …

A Welcome From EOAS’ New Director

Humanity’s role on our small planet is rapidly changing. The scientific and industrial revolutions of the past centuries have brought about the wealthiest and most peaceful time in the history of our species. But, as a byproduct of this great transformation, there is almost nowhere on Earth’s surface today — whether on land, in the oceans or in the air …

Climate Change Damages US Economy, Increases Inequality

Severe costs ahead especially in South and lower Midwest, pioneering analysis projects.  Unmitigated climate change will make the United States poorer and more unequal, according to a new study published today in the journal Science. The poorest third of counties could sustain economic damages costing as much as 20 percent of their income if warming proceeds unabated. States in the …

Reshaping Darwin’s Tree of Life

Rutgers and other scientists propose a new paradigm that paints a more inclusive picture of the evolution of organisms and ecosystems. In 1859, Charles Darwin included a novel tree of life in his trailblazing book on the theory of evolution, On the Origin of Species. Now, scientists from Rutgers University-New Brunswick and their international collaborators want to reshape Darwin’s tree. …

Stony Corals More Resistant to Climate Change Than Thought

Researchers show how corals create rock-hard skeletons Stony corals may be more resilient to ocean acidification than once thought, according to a Rutgers University study that shows they rely on proteins to help create their rock-hard skeletons. “The bottom line is that corals will make rock even under adverse conditions,” said Paul G. Falkowski, EOAS member researcher and a distinguished …