Over the last 12,000 or so years, during a period we call the Holocene epoch, human society grew from a small population of hunter-gatherer communities to the global civilization of the modern day. Scientists view the Holocene as an important period for placing today’s human-driven... click to read more

 The world is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. Our actions threaten more plant and animal species with extinction than ever before, driven by habitat loss and overexploitation of the world’s resources.  Over the next 30 years cities are set to become a vital... click to read more

In September 2017 Hurricane Irma passed close to Puerto Rico, and its torrential rainfall and high winds led to widespread power outages, saturated ground, blocked roads, and damaged water systems. Just two weeks later, Hurricane Maria moved directly across the island with sustained winds of... click to read more

Radio astronomy is experiencing a renaissance due to global work toward the Square Kilometer Array, which will be the world’s largest radio telescope. Our team works on a radio telescope that explores new technologies for the SKA: the Murchison Widefield Array. It observes at low... click to read more

Twinkle, twinkle, little star. Why do the stars twinkle? It is because of the turbulence in the atmosphere. You may hear turbulence from the airplane broadcast when the airplane is shaking. The turbulence shakes not only airplanes, but also the light from the stars, by altering... click to read more