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- Floods in south Brazil have displaced 600,000 – here’s why this region is likely to see ever more extreme rain in future
Floods in south Brazil have displaced 600,000 – here’s why this region is likely to see ever more extreme rain in future
The Point by Modern Sciences - June 13, 2024
Don Smith
June 13, 2024
By The Modern Sciences Team | June 13, 2024 |
Hello again, Cultivators of Curiosity!
Recent massive floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, have affected almost the entire state, displacing over 600,000 people and impacting more than 2 million residents. Meanwhile, we look back into the most recent developments in studies concerning the origin of life on our planet. Finally, a recent study builds on historical breakthroughs, such as Arthur Compton’s discovery of light’s dual wave-particle nature, which has significant implications for optoelectronics.
The second edition of The Point by Modern Sciences addresses pressing environmental concerns, reveals novel findings, and looks back on research checkpoints.
"Brazil-flood-Rio-2011-01-20" by visionshare is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Floods in south Brazil have displaced 600,000 – here’s why this region is likely to see ever more extreme rain in future
A "flying river" above the Amazon rainforest transports moisture southwards, causing unprecedented floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, exacerbated by a strong jetstream. Read more.
Key takeaways:
Unprecedented Floods: A "flying river" of moisture from the Amazon has caused severe flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The flooding has displaced over 600,000 people and broken records for river water levels, exacerbated by climate change.
Climate Dynamics: The flying river, coupled with an unfortunately positioned jetstream and warm ocean temperatures, has resulted in extreme weather patterns, highlighting the complex interplay between regional and global climatic factors.
Future Risks: Climate models indicate that as the atmosphere warms, extreme rainfall events like those currently devastating southern Brazil will become more frequent and intense, posing significant risks to the region and potentially underestimating future impacts.
NATURE
Unravelling life’s origin: five key breakthroughs from the past five years
Scientists are still unraveling how life began on Earth, debating the fundamental ingredients required for cell emergence. Read more.
Essential points:
Mysteries of Life's Origin: The quest to understand life's beginnings on Earth remains elusive, and there are ongoing debates about the definition of life and the critical components needed for cellular emergence.
Laboratory Insights: Recent advancements involve recreating early Earth conditions in lab experiments, exploring hypotheses ranging from deep-sea hydrothermal vents to terrestrial hot springs as potential cradles for life's chemical origins.
Breakthrough Discoveries: Key findings include self-sustaining chemical reactions in early cells, RNA synthesis facilitated by volcanic glass, and the role of hydrothermal vents in carbon fixation and metabolic pathways, shedding light on how life's fundamental processes might have evolved billions of years ago.
MATH AND THE SCIENCES
Chemists Uncover New Insights into Light-Matter Interaction in Silicon
Chemists have discovered a novel phenomenon in which photons acquire significant momentum when confined to nanoscale spaces in silicon, challenging our understanding of light-matter interaction. Read more.
Important insights:
Photon Momentum in Silicon: Researchers at UC Irvine have uncovered a novel phenomenon where photons confined to nanoscale silicon spaces gain significant momentum, challenging traditional views of light-matter interaction.
Optoelectronic Advancements: The discovery holds promise for revolutionizing technologies like solar power systems, LEDs, and semiconductor lasers by demonstrating that nanoscale silicon can emit detectable light under visible radiation, contrary to previous understanding.
Scientific Breakthrough: Drawing parallels to historical discoveries like Compton scattering, the study introduces electronic Raman scattering in silicon, driven by structural disorder, which opens new avenues in optoelectronics and fundamental physics of light and matter interaction.