June 7, 2017

Oyster Shells Inspire New Method to Make Superstrong, Flexible Polymers

Columbia Engineering researchers have demonstrated a new technique that takes its inspiration from the nacre of oyster shells — a composite material that has extraordinary mechanical properties, including great strength and resilience.
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May 30, 2017

Hotspots Show that Vegetation Alters Climate by Up to 30%

Columbia Engineers find strong feedbacks between the atmosphere and vegetation that explain up to 30% of precipitation and surface radiation variance; study reveals large potential for improving seasonal weather predictions.
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May 22, 2017

Reduced U.S. Air Pollution Will Boost Rainfall in Africa’s Sahel, Says Study

New research led by scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory shows that the health and environmental benefits of U.S. clean air policies extend to global climate.
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May 22, 2017

How the Brain Turns Down the Volume on Your Noisy Body

The brain’s ability to recognize and tune out sensory stimuli produced by the body’s own actions — to distinguish ‘self’ from ‘other’ — is a long recognized, yet poorly understood, biological phenomenon. Nathanial Sawtell, a principal investigator at Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, focuses his research on uncovering how it works.
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May 11, 2017

Columbia Student Brings Data-Driven Focus to Policy Negotiations, Journalism

Amir Imani wrote his first computer program, a family phone book, at age 9. The experience sealed his interest in computing. “Coding gave me a way to explore the enigmatic world of computers,” he said.
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May 4, 2017

Rock Samples Indicate Water is Key Ingredient for Crust Formation

New findings from scientists from The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences and Columbia University add evidence to one side of a long-standing debate on how magma from the Earth’s mantle cools to form the lower layers of crust.
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May 3, 2017

Detailed Images Reveal Interactions that Affect Signaling In The Brain

New findings may help understand the processes that contribute to conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, epilepsy, and schizophrenia — and could lead to the development of drugs to counteract these conditions.
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