Ancient navigators once relied on the seasonal monsoon winds to make long distance voyages across the northern Indian Ocean, linking Arabia and Egypt to India and China. There was also a lesser known southern monsoon trade route linking Asia directly to sub-Saharan Africa, but no one is sure exactly when or from where it […]
Continue reading "Rats From a Distant Archipelago are Rewriting Our Understanding of Human History"Category: Momentum
Momentum is the University of Rhode Island’s research and innovation magazine.
Global Warming and Rising Seas Threaten the Barrier Islands of Belize
I am writing this article while having the absolute pleasure of co-teaching one of the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) January-Term (J-Term) field schools along with two of our most talented educators, Professor Rod Mather, marine historical archaeologist, College of Arts & Sciences, and Diving Safety Officer Anya Hanson, director of URI’s diving research […]
Continue reading "Global Warming and Rising Seas Threaten the Barrier Islands of Belize"Lasers and Iron
Lasers and iron may help the world treat contaminated water, University of Rhode Island (URI) researchers say.
Continue reading "Lasers and Iron"From Trash to Textiles
There’s a real need for the work being done by researcher Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel and businessman Robert Torgerson. Their joint effort to find answers to the complex challenge of turning trash into treasure is showing promise.
Continue reading "From Trash to Textiles"Cell phone app helps battle cholera
For people in rural parts of the world, receiving vital information about water sources contaminated with cholera was nearly impossible — until now.
Continue reading "Cell phone app helps battle cholera"Making Waves
Since the 1800s, the Ocean State has spawned hundreds of companies contributing to our nation’s naval and military superiority. However, it’s not always easy for small businesses to break into the industry and manufacture products at scale and with the proper security.
Continue reading "Making Waves"Kelp Farming
The ocean is expected to be 150 percent more acidic by the end of the century. Every day, about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and pollution runoff, are absorbed by the ocean with more acute effects felt near the coasts, according to the Global […]
Continue reading "Kelp Farming"Using robots to track icebergs
The infamous sinking of the Titanic was an international disaster that heightened global awareness to the threat of icebergs. But despite better engineered vessels with detection and positioning technologies over the last hundred years later, icebergs remain a serious marine hazard. “We still struggle to predict the behaviors of these massive blocks of ice […]
Continue reading "Using robots to track icebergs"The Layers of Place
At the top of the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Kingston campus sits what may be one of the area’s best-kept secrets: 300 acres of forest, wetlands, and streams called the North Woods. The forest just north of Flagg Road is home to pine stands, vernal pools, historic ruins, and a myriad of native […]
Continue reading "The Layers of Place"What is the Life Cycle of Microplastics in the Body?
Researchers have been looking more at the impact of microplastics on marine life and oceans, but what is the impact on human health?
Continue reading "What is the Life Cycle of Microplastics in the Body?"