sand

This ammoglyph consists of a circular groove, a central depression and two possible knee impressions. Credit: Charles Helm The urge to draw images in sand, or create sand sculptures, seems to be irresistible, as a walk on many a modern beach or dune surface will show. Sand is a vast canvas—and may have been used as one for far longer than people realize. …

Fraser Island Fire on K’gari in 2020 which burned over 50% of the island. Credit: Queensland Fire and Emergency ServicesA previously unrecognized sedimentary archive in sand dunes has the potential to unlock a repository of fire records, an advancement that could broaden our understanding of fire histories worldwide.Dr. Nicholas Patton, during his Ph.D. at The University of Queensland, conducted a study that solved a persistent problem facing historians investigating changing fire patterns.“Knowing how the frequency and…

The survival-horror subgenre that includes movies like Open Water and 127 Hours has a new entry: Quicksand, about an estranged couple who go hiking in an isolated forest and soon become stuck there... literally. Though the movie can be heavy-handed, the ordeal its characters go through is undeniably agonizing.You Should Really Watch The Last of UsDirected by Andrés Beltrán and written by Matt Pitts (Westworld, Fringe), Quicksand stars Carolina Gaitàn and Allan Hawco as Sophia and Josh, who travel together to her native…

There are some spine-tingling moments in this film of what looks like a beguiling outdoor production staged last summer by the Cornish theatre group Wildworks (best known for working with Michael Sheen on The Passion in Port Talbot in 2011). The extraordinary atmospheric setting here is the beaches of Carlyon Bay near St Austell at dusk – the golden glow of the gloaming over a dark calm sea. Inside a circle of driftwood on the sand, a singing Greek chorus of Fates give us a content warning: they will be telling stories…

Zimbabwean group Mokoomba have made quite an impression since coming to the fore 10 years back, delivering two fine albums, becoming international festival favourites and reclaiming their country’s musical identity. This third album affirms their savvy mix of spirituality and exuberance; more electric than 2017’s semi-acoustic Luyando, more polished than their debut, Rising Tide.While grounded in the traditions of the Luvale people of the Zambezi – the group hail from Victoria Falls – their sound is pan-African. A blend…

By David R. Montgomery, University of Washington June 26, 2023Beach sand results from an age-long journey of eroded mountain sediments transported by rivers, offering clues about their origin and journey based on their color and shape. However, human activities, notably dam construction, have disrupted this cycle, trapping significant amounts of sand and causing worldwide shoreline erosion.Where Does Beach Sand Come From?The seemingly simple beach sand is actually the result of an epic natural process of mountain erosion…

Enter Sand Land Sand Land is an odd situation. Announced during the Summer Game Fest 2023 live show, Sand Land is an interesting pick for an ILCA-developed, Bandai Namco-published action-RPG adaptation. While many in the west are familiar with Akira Toriyama’s work, Sand Land isn’t quite as popular as, say, Dragon Ball. But that relative disparity is what made Sand Land interesting to me. I’ve seen tons of Dragon Ball. I don’t know much about Sand Land. And after playing a little bit of the latter at Summer Game Fest…

Credit: Science of The Total Environment (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163235 Sand boils caused by groundwater discharges affect beach stability, yet knowledge of these damaging underground erosions is largely misunderstood, and therefore hard to curb. Researchers at Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering…

I’m always a little thrilled whenever I hear that a manga series is getting a video game adaptation. As someone who really wants to get deeper into manga, but often feels intimidated by the wealth of options out there, games can serve as an easy entry point for me. For instance, I was recently introduced to the world of One Piece for the first time thanks to One Piece Odyssey. That gave me the primer I always needed on the series, piquing my interest enough to want to know more. Because of that experience, I was…

Bandai Namco knows what to do when it turns anime or manga series into video games. Revealed at Summer Game Fest last week, Sand Land is the latest addition, with a big punchy poster on the show floor in Los Angeles, conveniently right next to an established hitmaker for the publisher, its Naruto (now Boruto) Ultimate Storm fighting series. Sand Land, though? You may never have heard of it, but don’t let that put you off, because it’s a 2000s comic penned by legendary manga artist, Akira Toriyama. Yes, Dragon Ball…