Michael Rawlins is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/contributor/michael-rawlins/rss en Environment Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Rawlins https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2015/12/15/is-the-arctic-becoming-a-carbon-source https://www.newsdeeply.com/arctic/community/2015/12/15/is-the-arctic-becoming-a-carbon-source Vast quantities of carbon are locked up in the Arctic permafrost. But as the soils have warmed, microbes are breaking down this carbon and converting it into carbon dioxide and methane. Arctic soils may switch from being a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide to a source, which could accelerate climate change. Health Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Rawlins https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2015/09/03/death-is-part-of-our-daily-lives-yarmouk-typhoid-outbreak-spreads https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2015/09/03/death-is-part-of-our-daily-lives-yarmouk-typhoid-outbreak-spreads The latest catastrophe to hit the Damascus-area Yarmouk camp is an ongoing outbreak of typhoid. Besieged by the government for years and invaded by ISIS in April, Yarmouk’s Palestinian refugees struggle for a way out.