Tornadoes and overpass bridges
Overhead bridges, commonly called viaducts, are not particularly dangerous places to shelter from tornadoes, contrary to what the American authorities, in particular the National Meteorological Service (NWS), have been claiming in recent years. This is what engineers at the University of Rhode Island have concluded, after having modeled in a wind tunnel a tornado passing over such a bridge. In the review Physics of FluidsAt the beginning of December, researchers from Providence noted that the wind speed was not accelerated by the bridge, which was feared. They note, however, that it is still too early to conclude that a bridge protects against tornadoes.
Quiz
What is a Norwegian company proposing to reduce the severity of coastal hurricanes?
PHOTO FROM OCEANTHERM SITE
Ocean Therm Florida Trial
Responnse
Install bubble emitters at a depth of 150 meters, underwater. OceanTherm uses this technology to prevent certain fjords from freezing in winter, in order to preserve ferry connections (in cold water, turbulence prevents ice from forming). A study by an independent Norwegian research institute, Sintef, has shown that 30 km long bubble emitters can also reduce the surface temperature of water in the tropics by more than 3 ℃, over an area from 2700 km2. However, the strength of hurricanes depends on the temperature of the water. These bubble barriers could be installed off some coastal towns.
The number
Five hours
PHOTO FROM NASA WEBSITE
Probe illustration Parker in front of the sun
It is the duration of the stay in the atmosphere of the Sun of the solar probe Parker from NASA, last April, 13 million kilometers from our star. Launched in 2018, Parker will continue to approach, with each orbit, more and more of the Sun. Its closest passage, at 6 million kilometers, will take place next January. NASA’s results were announced in Physical Review Letters, in mid-December.
The limits of Rome
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ARTAXATA PROJECT
Base of the aqueduct of Armenia visible in a trench
Armenian and German researchers have unearthed evidence of the reversal of fortune experienced by the Roman Empire at the beginning of the IIe century. At the Hellenist site of Artashat-Artaxata, south of Yerevan, archaeologists have discovered the monumental foundations of an aqueduct, which was to supply the planned capital for the province of Armenia. This region was briefly Roman under Emperor Trajan, between 98 and 117. It is the easternmost Roman aqueduct. It could not be finished. The work of researchers from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia was published at the end of November in theArchäologischer Anzeiger.
The smell of a mother
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Maternal pheromones explain a baby’s ability to interact with strangers in the presence of its mother.
Using electroencephalograms, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine have discovered why babies are more capable of interacting with strangers in the presence of their mother. In the presence of maternal pheromones, olfactory molecules that impact neurons, neuroscientists have observed that the baby’s brain waves are synchronized not only with those of their mother, but also with those of strangers. Without these pheromones, babies’ brains are out of sync with neither mother nor strangers. The Montreal researchers, who published their results in mid-December in the journal Science Advances, believe that pheromone sprays could be used to lessen the severity of developmental disabilities.