All posts by Nicholas Gerbis

Shade Parking Offers Little Protection for Kids in Cars

Photo by Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand.

‘Tis the season for 110-degree days, excessive-heat warnings and trolling the parking lot for a shady spot. But new research suggests those in the shade might not have it made after all — especially if they are young children.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
For Children In Cars, Shade Offers Little Protection From Lethal Heat

On Rarefied Pluto, Dunes Arise from Methane Puffs

Photos courtesy NASA/ Johns Hopkins University / Southwest Research Institute

Scientists analyzing Pluto data from the New Horizons spacecraft believe they have, for the first time, found dunes made of frozen methane.

On a planet with atmospheric pressure 100,000 times lower than Earth’s, the phenomenon is as remarkable as its explanation.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Scientists Discover Methane Dunes on Pluto

Behind the Police Tape at a Forensic Science Program

This doll lists all of the symptoms of abrin, the toxin of the rosary pea (Abrus precatorius) seed. The red and black beans are often made into jewelry like the doll’s necklace. Photo by Nicholas Gerbis/KJZZ.

Every great investigator tells a story about the one that got away.

For Kimberly Kobojek, director of the forensic science program at Arizona State University’s West campus, formerly of the Phoenix Police Crime Lab, that white whale was a reddish brown stain.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Forensic Science Education at ASU: a Peek Behind the Police Tape

NASA Funding Flows to Seven Small Businesses in Arizona

NASA has selected its 2018 crop of small businesses to receive funding supporting innovation research and technology transfer, with seven awards going to Arizona.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contracts, which total $43.5 million nationally among 348 awardees, support projects that promise to benefit both NASA’s mission and the U.S. economy.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Seven Arizona Small Businesses Receive NASA Funding

FBI Warns of State-Sponsored Malware Attack

Photo by Synthesis Studios.

The FBI has issued an alert warning users to reboot, update and secure their routers as a precaution against a widespread, foreign state-sponsored malware attack.

Experts estimate the malware, called VPNFilter, has infected hundreds of thousands of routers in more than 50 countries.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
FBI Urges Router Reboot To Guard Against State-Sponsored Malware Attack