New study analyzes FEMA-funded home buyout program
An analysis of FEMA's 30-year-old property buyout program offers new insight into the growing debate on managed retreat — moving people and assets out of flood-prone areas.
Read moreCivil Engineering
New science on cracking leads to self-healing materials
Cracks in the desert floor appear random to the untrained eye, even beautifully so, but the mathematics governing patterns of dried clay turn out to be predictable — and useful in designing advanced materials.
Read moreSystem can minimize damage when self-driving vehicles crash
Engineers have developed decision-making and motion-planning technology to limit injuries and damage when self-driving vehicles are involved in unavoidable crashes. After recognizing that a collision of some kind is inevitable, the system works by analyzing all available options and choosing the course of action with the least serious outcome.
Read moreIllegal urban off-road vehicles as risky as motorcycles in cities
People who illegally ride off-road vehicles, such as dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles, on city streets suffer similar crash injuries as motorcyclists, but are less likely to die even though many riders don't wear helmets, according to new research.
Read moreAtomic-level imaging could offer roadmap to metals with new properties
A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new process that could help gain new insights into high-entropy alloys and help characterize their properties.
Read morePredicting the impact of climate change on bridge safety
Climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of natural hazards like flooding. In turn, floodwaters erode a bridge's foundation, creating scour holes that compromise the integrity of the structure. But to date, it's been possible to quantify that scour risk. A new model developed by civil engineering researchers takes a holistic approach combining climatology, hydrology, structural engineering, and risk assessment to determine the effects of climate change on bridges.
Read moreStabilizing multilayer flows may improve transportation of heavy oils
During the past 20 years, the oil industry has begun to transition away from light oils toward heavier oils. But transporting heavy oils cost-effectively is a challenge because heavy oils are viscous — essentially a thick, sticky and semifluid mess. One way to outmaneuver this problem is a viscoplastic lubrication technique. It can complement existing methods to stabilize interfaces within multilayer flows.
Read moreBelieving in climate change doesn't mean you are preparing for climate change
Researchers found that although coastal homeowners may perceive a worsening of climate change-related hazards, these attitudes are largely unrelated to a homeowner's expectations of actual home damage.
Read moreThe science Of Breaking Bad: Would you know if meth was cooked inside your house?
Researchers analysed the contamination levels in household items from a home suspected to have previously been used for cooking methamphetamine, to determine whether surface wipe samples can adequately establish contamination and define the health risks. Results demonstrate methamphetamine has continued to mobilise after manufacture for a period exceeding five years when the property was under new ownership.
Read moreA simple way to control swarming molecular machines
The swarming behavior of about 100 million molecular machines can be controlled by applying simple mechanical stimuli such as extension and contraction. This method could lead to the development of new swarming molecular machines and small energy-saving devices.
Read more