Scientists recreate Jupiter’s possible helium rain in the lab

Scientists have recreated in the lab some of the wild weather that might be found on Jupiter and Saturn. Using extremely high pressures and laser shock waves, the researchers produced “helium rain” which has been hypothesized to fall on these planets.C… Continue reading Scientists recreate Jupiter’s possible helium rain in the lab

Western US may be headed for a once-in-500-years “megadrought”

The western United States and parts of northern Mexico have been suffering through drought conditions on and off since the year 2000 – and unfortunately it may not let up any time soon. A new study has examined extreme droughts in the region dating bac… Continue reading Western US may be headed for a once-in-500-years “megadrought”

The 500-million-year-old reason behind the unique scent of rain

New research from an international team of scientists is suggesting that instantly recognizable earthy smell after rain is released by bacteria trying to attract a particular arthropod as a way to spread its spores. The smell is a 500-million-year-old … Continue reading The 500-million-year-old reason behind the unique scent of rain

Scientists may have identified a world where it rains liquid iron

Astronomers may have discovered an alien world where it rains iron, according to a newly published study. The massive exoplanet is exposed to thousands of times the radiation that the Earth receives from the Sun, rendering the surface hot enough to vap… Continue reading Scientists may have identified a world where it rains liquid iron

MIT car-guiding tech sees beneath snow-covered roads

Ordinarily, self-driving cars use cameras and other sensors to “see” where they are on the road. However, what happens if the road markings are covered in snow? Well, MIT has developed a system that lets vehicles look beneath the asphalt instead.Contin… Continue reading MIT car-guiding tech sees beneath snow-covered roads

Weather Station Gets Much-Needed Upgrades

Weather stations are a popular project, partly because it’s helpful (and interesting) to know about the weather at your exact location rather than a forecast that might be vaguely in your zip code. They’re also popular because they’re a good way to get experience with microcontrollers, sensors, I/O, and communications …read more

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Rainy Day Fun by Calculating Pi

If you need a truly random event generator, just wait till your next rainstorm. Whether any given spot on the ground is hit by a drop at a particular time is anyone’s guess, and such randomness is key to this simple rig that estimates the value of pi using raindrop sensors.

You may recall [AlphaPhoenix]’s recent electroshock Settlers of Catan expeditor. The idea with this less shocking build is to estimate the value of pi using the ratio of the area of a square sensor to a circular one. Simple piezo transducers serve as impact sensors that feed an Arduino …read more

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