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NASA’s new GBM telescope has detected beams of antimatter produced above thunderstorms on Earth by energetic processes similar to those found in particle accelerators. Scientists think the antimatter particles are formed in a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), a brief burst produced inside thunderstorms that has a relationship to lighting that is not fully understood. As many as 500 TGFs may occur daily worldwide, but most go undetected.
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A new, detailed record of rainfall fluctuations in ancient Mexico that spans more than 12 centuries will help us understand the role drought played in the rise and fall of pre-Hispanic civilizations. If there’s a drought in OUR future, we’d better learn how to make it rain. The Middle Eastern country of Abu Dhabi is doing just that, causing 50 rain storms in the desert during that past year.
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There are lots of places to get power (including the power to fight a war– NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show), besides greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels: wind turbines, solar panels, ethanol. How about out of the thin air? And a group of researchers thinks that if economists and investors really want to end the recession, they might find it useful to take a cue from meteorologists.

Imagine devices that capture electricity from the air, much like solar cells capture sunlight, and using them to light a house or recharge an electric car. Imagine using similar panels on the rooftops of buildings to prevent lightning before it forms. Strange as it may sound, scientists already are in the early stages of developing such devices.
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We once reported that it rains MORE on weekends. Now scientists say it rains LESS on weekends. But they all agree on the reason: air pollution.

A new NASA study has found that summer storms in the Southeaster US occur more often midweek than on weekends. They think the cause of this is air pollution created by traffic exhaust and other emissions which creates small particles that tend to “seed” clouds.

LiveScience.com quotes researcher Thomas Bell as saying, “?It’s well known that particulate matter has the potential to affect how clouds behave, and this kind of evidence makes the argument stronger for a link between pollution and heavier rainfall.”

Unfortunately, causing it to rain isn’t ALL these particles do!
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