Out of Thin Air

Team in Himalayas Retrieves
Ice Core from Highest-Ever Altitude
An NSF-funded expedition to a glacier atop the world's 14th highest peak, in the Himalayan Mountains, has returned with ice cores containing climate records that could reach back into the last glacial stage, some 12,000 years ago. The international expedition was led by Ohio State University scientist Lonnie Thompson. The 40-member team conducted its research atop the Dasuopu Glacier, a two-kilometer-wide ice field on the flank of Xixabangma, an 8,014-meter (26,293 foot) peak on the Tibetan Plateau. No previous expeditions have ever drilled cores at such a high altitude.    More...

Strange South American Fossil
Mammals Found in Madagascar and India
A strange group of fossil mammals, heretofore only known in South America, has been discovered on the island of Madagascar and in India. The unexpected discoveries were announced in the journal Nature by an international team of researchers. The team was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by paleontologist David Krause of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The discovery of the 65-70 million year old mammals, dating from the Late Cretaceous period, has fundamental implications for plate tectonics, the theory that land masses move slowly over the face of the earth and were in different places in the past than they are today.    More...

Science Board Calls for
Systematic R&D; Priority-Setting
The National Science Board (NSB), concerned about the future state of scientific research in the U.S., is calling for further study on how to set priorities. In a working paper titled Government Funding of Scientific Research, the Board calls for "high-level coordination" of federally financed scientific research, leading toward "systematic ways to reach and prioritize decisions." The release of the working paper follows a resolution in May in which the Board affirmed its support of a balanced, integrated and coordinated Federal budget for science and engineering research and education.    More...

U. Vermont Wires
"Smartest Bridge in the World"
University of Vermont (UVM) engineers are embedding fiber optic sensors into a steel truss bridge spanning the Winooski River in Waterbury, Vt., making the bridge one of "the smartest in the world," according to engineers who pioneered the use of the technology. The sensors on the Winooski River bridge will allow engineers to determine the bridge's structural health -- watching for damage, cracks, strain or road salt corrosion -- and relay that information to a remote computer. The research is being funded by NSF along with the Vermont Agency of Transportation and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.    More...