Physics Buzz

Why does a change in the seasons always seem to creep up on us? Winter has a way of seeming like it'll never end, like every day closer to springtime brings only another minute of sunlight—and then, nearly all at once, you're enjoying a sunset at 7 PM in nothing more than a light jacket.

“ For most of human history we have searched for our place in the cosmos. Who are we? What are we? We find that we inhabit an insignificant planet of a hum-drum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people. We make our world significant by the courage of our questions, and by the depth of our answers.”—Carl Sagan in Cosmos .

Runners using aluminum blankets to keep warm. Credit: Adapted from Ian Hunter | flickr If you've ever stood exposed and shivering at the end of a run, you'll know just how quickly the body loses heat without protective clothing. To prevent this, aluminized plastic blankets are a common sight at the end of races; they insulate from cold air and reflect back the body's heat. But these blankets are impractical and uncomfortable for daily use, trapping in moisture as well as heat.  Using some basic principles of radiation reflection and a coating of silver nanowires, physicists have now developed a new type fabric which can keep you toasty warm and comfortable. So warm in fact that the authors think their insulating fabric could be a solution to the large amounts greenhouse gases created by wintertime indoor heating.

Stratocumulus clouds over the Pacific Ocean on January 4, 2013 / Image Credit: NASA NASA scientists and engineers are devising new ways to study how low-lying clouds and aerosols influence the climate. For climatologists, the role of clouds on the climate remains one of the highest remaining  uncertainties . Aerosols affect the climate by altering reflectivity of the earth's atmosphere and nucleating clouds. For the next three weeks, scientists will test fly new sensor devices that NASA mission leader David Starr says "will dramatically change what we can do from space to learn about clouds and aerosols."

It's wildfire season in the western U.S., and one fire in particular has taken the spotlight this week. Burning thousands of acres, the High Park Fire has already killed one woman and destroyed over 100 structures near Fort Collins, CO. Two summers ago, the Fourmile Canyon Fire became the most devastating wildfire in my home state of Colorado's history, generating $217 million in insurance claims. Shortly thereafter, I wrote an article for my school magazine about groups of physicists, IT specialists, and climate scientists who use computer models to predict and track wildfires. Although wildfire modeling has developed significantly over time, its roots still exert great influence thanks to the field's "father": Dick Rothermel. A view of the High Park Fire from space. Image Credit: NASA