While this part of the world is no stranger to extreme heat, scientists say conditions have been worsened because of climate change. “Heat waves happen more frequently now and they are spread around throughout the year,” said Amir AghaKouchak, a professor [of civil and environmental engineering and Earth system science], at University of California, Irvine, in an email. “This is the new normal and most likely it will only get worse in the future unless we take serious actions.” [Subscription required, campus-wide access provided by UCI Libraries.

A strong storm hit the northeastern coast of Libya last Sunday, causing two dams to burst in the port of Derna, causing a torrential flood that has killed more than 5,000 

And scientists have just used a suite of tools to discover the physical and mechanical properties that give the diabolical ironclad beetle its incredible fortitude. "The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it's not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank," said materials scientist David Kisailus of the University of California Irvine.

Toyota has commissioned FuelCell Energy to build a system to make renewable electricity, hydrogen, and water for the car maker’s largest port facility in North America. The project is Toyota’s latest in a series of moves in reach of an ambitious corporate goal: net zero emissions from its operations by 2050. ... FuelCell Energy brought Tri-gen to fruition working with the U.S. Department of Energy, several California agencies, and the University of California at Irvine. Read More

"The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it's not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank," said David Kisailus, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of California, Irvine and co-author on the study, in a release. … To study the tiny tanks, a member of the research team, Jesus Rivera, captured beetles and brought them back to the lab. First, researchers discovered the beetle's exoskeleton could withstand around 150 newtons of force -- 39,000 times its body weight.

“If you see a flood model, how much confidence can you have in the information?” asks Brett Sanders, a civil and environmental engineering professor at [UC] Irvine and a co-author of the study. He and his colleagues sought “to reveal there are significant differences in models trying to characterize the same thing.” Read More