In storms like Hurricane Helene, flooded industrial sites and toxic chemical releases are a silent and growing threat

People living near these industries and emergency responders often have few details about the chemicals inside. New interactive maps pinpoint the risks.

Phylicia Lee Brown, Research Scientist in Urban-Environmental Sociology, Rice University • conversation
Sept. 30, 2024 ~10 min

Helping robots zero in on the objects that matter

A new method called Clio enables robots to quickly map a scene and identify the items they need to complete a given set of tasks.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Sept. 30, 2024 ~9 min


US home insurance rates are rising fast – hurricanes and wildfires play a big role, but there’s more to it

Insurers are raising rates quickly, and it’s not just in California and Florida. They’re often shrinking coverage at the same time.

Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations, Environment & Sustainability, and Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 24, 2024 ~9 min

Why US home insurance rates are rising so fast – hurricanes and wildfires play a big role, but there’s more to it

Insurers are raising rates quickly, and it’s not just in California and Florida. They’re often shrinking coverage at the same time.

Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations, Environment & Sustainability, and Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 24, 2024 ~9 min

Why home insurance rates are rising so fast across the US – climate change plays a big role

Insurers are raising rates quickly, and it’s not just in California and Florida. They’re often shrinking coverage at the same time.

Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations, Environment & Sustainability, and Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 24, 2024 ~9 min

Wind phones help the bereaved deal with death, loss and grief − a clinical social worker explains the vital role of the old-fashioned rotary phone

The first wind phone appeared in Japan in 2010, and the concept has since spread around the world.

Taryn Lindhorst, Professor of Social Work, University of Washington • conversation
Sept. 20, 2024 ~6 min

Coastal cities’ growing hurricane vulnerability is fed by both climate change and unbridled population growth

Fast population growth has left more people in flood-prone areas of Gulf Coast communities, including Houston and New Orleans. Often, those residents at most risk are the most socially vulnerable.

Wanyun Shao, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Alabama • conversation
Sept. 11, 2024 ~7 min

Bayesian yacht disaster: how specialist search and rescue teams work underwater

Underwater search and rescue teams have been working in challenging conditions off the coast of Sicily.

Vivienne Heaton, Lecturer in Forensic Anthropology and Biology, Keele University • conversation
Aug. 22, 2024 ~7 min


Avalanches can grow 100 times larger under the sea than on land – here’s why they’re a risk to the internet

Here’s how our understanding of underwater avalanches is changing.

Christopher Stevenson, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Sedimentology, University of Liverpool • conversation
Aug. 21, 2024 ~7 min

Flying robots could search buildings after disaster

"We designed this system so each robot explores different rooms, maximizing the rooms a set number of drones could explore."

Carnegie Mellon • futurity
Aug. 14, 2024 ~4 min

/

41