Atmospheric Pressures
June 3, 2026
Illustration: Maria Corte
“What were some of the most popular science stories of 2025? My colleague Mayra I. Oyola, the Ned P. Smith Distinguished Chair of Meteorology, and I discussed some of them during our radio show at Madison’s Community radio station, WORT. Uranus’s new moon, the impact of vaccines on Alzheimer’s onset, 3D images of an embryo, among many others. All these stories have a wow factor that makes you feel like we are turning on the lights in a dark room, only to realize the room we are in is much bigger than we imagined.
I’ve always thought of my research in tropical weather and climate as novel and thought-provoking, but too esoteric to be of interest to the public. And then the MacArthur Foundation called. In the span of a few weeks, I talked to radio shows, podcasts and news reporters. They all wanted to know one thing: What was it about the tropics that drew the attention of the MacArthur Foundation?”
Read the full L&S Magazine article by AOS Professor Ángel F. Adames Corraliza