|
Academia has the reputation of encouraging super-specialization. Scholars get siloed into very narrow fields and rarely cross the borders of their own hyperfocused discipline. But when researchers with different expertises do collaborate, the results can be thought-provoking.
Take the case of two geophysicists, Agnit Mukhopadhyay and Sanja Panovska, who approached archaeologist Raven Garvey. They were wondering whether oddities in the Earth’s magnetic field 41,000 years ago might have affected the humans – both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals – alive at that time. As they write in their article: “The archaeologist’s answer was absolutely.” All three go on to describe signs of ancient behaviors left in the archaeological record that could have been adaptations to changing space weather, which included more auroras and higher levels of ultraviolet radiation.
“Our unconventional collaboration has shown us how much we can learn, how our perspective changes,” they write, “when we cross disciplinary boundaries.”
Also in this week’s science news:
If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email.
|
Wandering magnetic fields would have had noticeable effects for humans.
Maximilian Schanner (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany)
Raven Garvey, University of Michigan; Agnit Mukhopadhyay, University of Michigan; Sanja Panovska, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences
Two geophysicists and an archaeologist teamed up to connect space weather 41,000 years ago to human behaviors that might have been in response – and show the value in cross-discipline teamwork.
|
Migraines can be debilitating – and frustrating when triggered by weather you can’t control.
fizkes/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Danielle Wilhour, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Storm systems, heat waves, bright sunlight, even lightning – for millions of people, weather changes can bring on painful headaches.
|
This dairy farm in California’s Central Valley has installed solar panels on a portion of its land.
George Rose/Getty Images
Jacob Stid, Michigan State University; Annick Anctil, Michigan State University; Anthony Kendall, Michigan State University
Solar is helping farmers in California save water and secure reliable income in the face of drought and economic pressure.
|
|
|
John C. Quindry, University of Montana
Factors like your health status and how hard you exercise can help gauge the risk of wildfire smoke exposure.
| |
Guillaume Chomicki, Durham University; Susanne S. Renner, Washington University in St. Louis
Squamellaria plants grow special structures to host the ants they symbiotically rely on for nutrients. Distinct compartments help different ant colonies live peacefully side by side.
|
Anurag Srivastava, West Virginia University
Recycling solar panels seems like a smart idea, but it’s complicated. Built to withstand years of wind and weather, solar panels are designed for strength, not easy breakdown.
| |
Joshua Winowiecki, Michigan State University
Peer review is an important step after a researcher has carried out a scientific study but before it gets published by a journal and shared with the world.
|
|
|
