A new source of melting at the bottom of ice sheets could mean they thaw more quickly and raise sea levels faster than previously thought.

Ice sheets, glacial features which cover an area greater than 50,000 square kilometres, are difficult to measure at their base because of the ice depth. This makes it hard to model the dynamics by which they move and melt.

Now, at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues have found a way to measure the rate of melting underneath the Greenland ice sheet, the second largest ice sheet in the world, using radar with a wavelength of just a few millimetres and direct borehole measurements.

Christoffersen and his team found that the rate of melting at the bottom of a vertical crack which water flows down was 100 times greater than previous estimates, almost as high as the melting at the sun-exposed surface. They think the enhanced effect comes from the conversion of gravitational energy that the meltwater has at the surface into heat as it trickles downwards, which drives the melting of the ice at the bottom.

鈥淢odels do not include this effect, but it鈥檚 actually quite substantial,鈥� says Christoffersen. 鈥淭he melting that鈥檚 generated through this process is several orders of magnitude higher than [melting from] other heat sources such as friction and geothermal heat flux [meaning the effect of heat from Earth鈥檚 interior].鈥�

The Greenland ice sheet is already thought to be the largest global contributor to sea level change, but this new effect could make it an even larger source. Christoffersen and his team estimate that, as more meltwater is generated at the surface in future, the heat source [at the base] could grow to be seven times as large as it is today by 2100. Because the heating comes from gravity, it could mean that other deep ice sheets also have a higher rate of melting than previously thought.

鈥淭here鈥檚 clearly an energy component missing in the models that we鈥檙e using to try and predict the dynamic contribution to sea level change,鈥� says Christoffersen.

The long-term picture for sea level rise is uncertain, he says. As an ice sheet melts and shrinks in height, this effect could become a greater source of heat as more meltwater trickles down. But if meltwater at the bottom of the ice sheet flows more rapidly into the sea in future, it may have less time to cause further melting.

From the fight against climate change and exploring the deep oceans to growing a supermassive black hole, our relationship with artificial intelligence and the mind鈥檚 power to impact health and longevity, New 女生小视频 Live is back to stimulate, challenge and inspire with some of today鈥檚 biggest scientific discoveries and ideas.

Our award-winning festival will be held in Manchester for the first time from 12th to 14th March, with 14th March being a schools-only day. It will feature more than 40 acclaimed speakers across four stages, as well as over 30 exhibitors covering interactive workshops on flintknapping and immersive fireside Q&As, to name a few.

After the success of our virtual events during the pandemic, this year鈥檚 New 女生小视频 Live Manchester will incorporate a new hybrid format to allow each of its talks, activities and performances to be experienced in-person at the Manchester Central venue or virtually. The Engage Stage is our new hub that will bring together the live and online, featuring a roving camera for behind-the-scenes access. Talks will also be livestreamed and available on demand to attendees for 12 months after the event.

What you can expect

Some of this year鈥檚 talk highlights taking place across the weekend include cutting-edge technologies that are opening new doors in human capability and materials design, the latest experiments that may have found entirely new forces of nature, and a rethink of how life began in the first place.

On the Brain and Body stage, Professor Daniel Davis from the University of Manchester will reveal how the latest advances in our understanding of the human body can lead to future technologies such as cognition-improving drugs and bespoke cancer predictions. If you want to learn how the scientific method could help you in everyday life, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, a science communicator and theoretical physicist at the University of Surrey, will be explaining how we can navigate some of the complexities and unpredictabilities of modern life by thinking more like a scientist.

See planetary scientist Dr Suzie Imber and science TV presenter Dallas Campbell over on The Universe stage as they draw on space technologies, missions and stories to provide a comprehensive guide to space travel. The teachings and mysteries of the solar system鈥檚 ice giants 鈥� Neptune and Uranus 鈥� will be unravelled by Dr Leigh Fletcher from the University of Leicester, who will speak about the planned missions to explore these planets in the near future.

On the Earth stage, archaeologist Professor Penny Spikins from the University of York will explain what the archaeological record reveals about how to survive an ecological catastrophe, and how we can look to millions of years of evolution for clues in preventing one 鈥� today, an ever-pressing necessity. If you have ever wondered about life鈥檚 origins, freelance science writer Michael Marshall will be on hand to unpick old theories and propose a rethink of what we previously thought we knew.

Meanwhile, recent advances in materials engineering, such as one-atom-thin graphene and two-dimensional voids, are the subject of Professor Radha Boya鈥檚 talk on the Technology and Engineering stage. Dr Jess Wade, a research fellow at Imperial College, and structural engineer Roma Agrawal will also be delving into the fascinating world of nano and its applications.

This year鈥檚 hybrid format opens the stimulating atmosphere and energy of New 女生小视频 Live to a more global cohort of attendees to meet some of those shaping the world of science and technology, as well as to relive the festival at home. It is scheduled to return to London at the ExCeL Centre in October 2022.

Buy your ticket鈥檚 for the Manchester show now to avoid missing out:

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These are difficult times 鈥� for individuals, companies and nations. These are听also terrible times for many charities, whose donations may have dried up, and who may no longer be able to operate as they once did. For the people or the wildlife depending on those charities, locally and across the globe, things may be worse still.

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Add some science to your lockdown living routine, as we make some of the incredible talks from our flagship science festival available for free on .

What鈥檚 the plan?

For the past two years at New 女生小视频 Live, we have been filming talks on five stages with different themes: cosmos, Earth, humans, engineering and technology stages 鈥� as well as keynote speakers on our main stage. If you鈥檙e a subscriber you watch them all on our website, but now we鈥檙e releasing a selection of them more widely.

What鈥檚 available?

Starting Monday 6 April, each week, we鈥檒l be making talks by world-leading thinkers available for free. Check out our to see what鈥檚 coming up next.

And check out everything we鈥檝e shared so far:

• Harvard geneticist is DNA testing the bones of ancient humans to discover the truth about us, and where we came from.
• The bacteria in your gut are vital to your physical and mental health. shows how to look after them.
• Astronaut and explorers Nics Wetherill and Will Millard tell stories of life in space and adventures to the wild corners of Earth.
• reveals the full scale of the ocean plastic crisis and explores how science can offer solutions.
• tells the amazing tale of Homo naledi, and explains why stunning fossil finds mean we need to rewrite our family tree.
• Thrill engineer explains how he designs the whitest of white-knuckle rides.
• argues that it鈥檚 just a matter of time before we hear from alien civilisations.
• Astronomer Royal听 makes some predictions on humanity鈥檚 future.
• Director of the UK鈥檚 National Space Academy asks if humans will ever make it to Mars.
• Join as he explains how he made the world鈥檚 most precise thermometer.
• looks at the psychology of video games, and asks: can they really harm us?
• explores the secret lives of parasites
• speaks about how modern lifestyles are disrupting the body鈥檚 light-dark cycle
• discuss whether ancient views about the mind be reconciled with modern neuroscience
• Mathematician explains his love of numbers, and their hidden wonders
• Psychologist demonstrate how our minds are so easily deceived by magic
• Join writer and campaigner as she explores the gender data gap
• See exploring the wonders of the solar system
• Check out on the truth about diets
• Tune in to theoretical physicist as he tells us about the nature of time
• Molecular biologist fills us in on the CRISPR genome editing revolution
• Neuroscientist asks if free will is an illusion, or if we can choose our fate
• Join mathematician to answer the question: 鈥淐an AI be creative?

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Why?

With the stay-at-home measures looking set to continue for many weeks, we couldn鈥檛 think of a better way to keep our readers鈥� minds active and entertained.

Who can I watch?

Some of the greatest minds in science, including Lee Berger, the discoverer of our ancient human relatives Homo naledi; leading psychopharmacologist Val Curran on the science of medicinal cannabis; Nobel prizewinning astronomer Didier Quleoz who discovered the first planet orbiting a star outside the solar system; and award-winning campaigner and bestselling author Caroline Criado Perez on the shocking gender data gap. And many, many more.

Will there be anything I can watch with the kids?

New 女生小视频 Live is hugely popular with families. Watch our most popular family-friendly talks together 鈥� or, if you鈥檙e apart, make a date to view and chat afterwards. Geneticist Giles Yeo will kick off with the truth about diets; discover the secret life of dogs with the RSPCA鈥檚 Samantha Gaines; what happened to the dinosaurs with palaeontologist Steve Brusatte; and hear astronaut Tim Peake share fascinating tales from around the world and beyond with Antarctic and jungle adventurers. Pete Etchells talk about whether video games are bad for us is sure to strike a chord among families at the moment.

Anything educational?

Plenty. Our 2019 show had a dedicated schools鈥� programme for the first time and we鈥檙e releasing all of the talks, kicking off with astronomer Sheila Kanani on the wonders of the solar system. Gain a new appreciation of numbers with mathematician and teacher Bobby Seagull; hear how inspirational designer and engineer Sam Rogers built his own Iron Man-style jetsuit; learn about technology from rapper Jon Chase; how AI will change the future of work from computing prodigy Anne Marie Imafidon and discover how gene editing is transforming biology with Helen O鈥橬eill.

How can I view them?

On our YouTube channel,

Our shiny new podcast brings you the most important, startling or just plain weird happenings in the world of science.

Presented each week by New 女生小视频鈥檚 Rowan Hooper (podcast editor) and Penny Sarchet (news editor), with guests from our expert editorial staff, the Weekly gives you the inside knowledge on three must-know stories from the past week.

Introduced with our unique blend of verve, insight and extraordinary attention to detail, the show is essential listening for anyone interested in how the world works, how life evolved鈥� and whether the creation of a nano-sized wormhole in the fabric of space-time is a cause for concern.

鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to launch this excellent new podcast from New 女生小视频,鈥� says Rowan. 鈥淭here are so many important and entertaining developments in science and technology each week, and we can鈥檛 wait to tell you everything you need to know about them,鈥� says Penny.

New episodes go live each Friday, and are available on all the usual places you get your podcasts: iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn/Alexa. You can find them all at newscientist.com/podcasts. We also have a dedicated Twitter feed for the show, .

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SpaceBit founder Pavlo Tanasyuk announces a mission that鈥檚 out of this world

Question time with Tim Peake

Real life rocket man Sam Rogers explains what it鈥檚 like to fly with a jet pack

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Fat, oil and grease (FOG) in sewers, like in our blood vessels, can accumulate and produce hard deposits which interfere with the sewage flow. will explain at New 女生小视频 live how these deposits grow bigger over time and can become huge underground fatbergs, composed of saponified fats congealed with non-flushable products.

Based at De Montfort University, Villa is an expert on microbial bioengineering and uses her particular expertise in microbial and enzymatic processes in the environmental sectors.

is the world鈥檚 greatest science festival and runs from 10 to 13 October at ExCel London. You can .

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The hunt for dark matter is heating up. will travel to the frontiers of dark matter research in his talk at New 女生小视频 live. He will show the audience how physicists seek dark matter collisions in highly sensitive detectors buried deep under the Earth鈥檚 surface; watch for signatures of dark matter annihilations in space; and even try to produce fresh dark matter in particle colliders. We may even visit the spooky realm of quantum mechanics for clues.

Based at University College London, Ghag researches novel technologies to detect dark matter. He is also the current chair of the dark matter UK consortium and the chair of the STFC鈥檚 particle astrophysics advisory panel.

is the world鈥檚 greatest science festival and runs from 10 to 13 October at ExCel London. You can .