* Astronomy

Today, Nebraska’s Sandhills, a region of gently rolling sand dunes blanketed with prairie grasses and wetlands that cover a quarter of the state, provide ideal habitat for wildlife and livestock. During medieval times 800 to 1,000 years ago, however, the region was a swirling desert, far worse than the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists outline their discovery of weather conditions that existed the last time the dunes were on the move about a thousand years ago in the July 21 issue of the journal Science. If those conditions return, the tranquil, verdant Sandhills could once more turn into an unlivable wasteland.

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