Articles tagged with Isotopes
A new study documents the warming of Greenland's large ice sheet at the end of the last ice age, resolving a long-standing paradox over when that warming occurred. The researchers used nitrogen isotope ratios to reconstruct air temperatures and found significant warming in response to increasing atmospheric CO2.
Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute used new analytical techniques to reconstruct past temperatures in Greenland ice cores, contradicting a long-held assumption. By analyzing oxygen isotope O18 and nitrogen content, they found that central Greenland was warmer around 12,000 years ago compared to 15,000 years ago.
Researchers used clumped isotope thermometry to reconstruct the Zhada basin's paleo-elevation history, finding a significant drop of over 1 km in elevation between three and nine million years ago. This suggests that the modern high elevations were not recently developed but rather a continuation of higher elevations prior to the Indo-...
Researchers at Florida State University analyzed an ancient Martian meteorite to determine the Red Planet's climate history. The team found evidence of a dramatic climate shift dating back 4.4 billion years, suggesting Mars has been cold and dry for at least 1.7 billion years.
Researchers have discovered anomalous sulfur signals in Antarctic snow that provide insights into the Earth's atmosphere, past climate patterns, and potential future climate scenarios. The findings reveal a previously overlooked atmospheric chemistry process that should be included in climate models.
A University of Florida study found that trace amounts of lead in human teeth can provide clues about a person's geographic origin. The discovery could help law enforcement solve cold cases by focusing investigations on specific regions based on the type and amount of lead isotopes present.
A UC research study reveals that mammoths and mastodons were likely year-round residents of the Cincinnati region, with distinct diets and habitats. The findings suggest a greater understanding of these prehistoric creatures' behaviors, which could inform modern-day elephant conservation efforts.
Scientists have found that the largest source of iron in the North Atlantic comes from dust blowing in from the Sahara desert, but other sources such as sediments also play a significant role. This discovery has important implications for understanding the carbon cycle and past climate change.
A Caltech-led team has developed a new technique that can determine the temperature at which natural methane samples formed. This method uses clumped isotopes to provide an independent way to say the environment where methane was formed, helping to answer questions about its formation, storage, and chemical pathways.
Researchers find that the Earth's crust formed relatively slowly from 1.7 to 0.75 billion years ago, with little activity and stable environments, before speeding up, potentially inducing evolutionary changes. This discovery has implications for the interpretation of climate models.
A new study has precisely dated the Bentiaba fossil locality to 71.5 million years ago, spanning 30 million years of sediments and shedding light on ancient marine life and environments. The analysis allowed for better understanding of the history of the ancient South Atlantic Ocean.
Researchers from Harvard and colleagues found new evidence for a previously unknown African-derived terrane, named the Moretown terrane, which lies beneath North American-derived rocks in modern-day New England. The discovery suggests that the Iapetus Ocean closed approximately 20 million years earlier than documented elsewhere.
Scientists have found evidence that the Andes mountain range formed through periodic rapid pulses, not continuous gradual uplift. The Altiplano plateau rose by about 2.5 kilometers between 16 million and 9 million years ago, indicating a rapid rate in geologic terms.
A University of Utah-led study reveals that a curvy jet stream pattern, bringing mild temperatures to the US West and harsh cold to the East, became more pronounced 4,000 years ago. This pattern may worsen as Earth's climate warms, contributing to extreme winter weather events.
Researchers found evidence of the U.S. Clean Air Act in Greenland ice cores, showing a link between air acidity and nitrogen preservation. The study suggests that the relationship between emissions and isotopes is less direct than thought, with sulfur and nitrogen emissions contributing to the final signal recorded in the ice cores.
Researchers used crowdsourcing to collect hurricane rainwater samples during Hurricane Sandy, revealing the storm's chemical signature and improving understanding of extra-tropical hurricanes. The study provides new insights into how these storms interact with weather systems, aiding in hurricane forecasting.
Researchers found that immigrants formed a sizable portion of Cahokia's population, contradicting traditional models of Native American groups. The analysis used strontium isotope ratios in teeth to determine the location of origin for individuals buried at the site.
Researchers from Italy, France, Germany, and Russia develop experiment to measure photoelectric effect on excited xenon atoms. They successfully separate isotopes with zero and non-zero nuclear magnetic moments.
A study by University of California, Santa Cruz researchers found a significant shift in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre's food web since 1850, driven by changes in nitrogen sources. The shift may be related to the expansion and warming of open ocean gyres, which limits nutrient delivery to surface waters.
A team of scientists has revealed the details of a microbial process regulating the global nitrogen budget in the oceans. They found that anammox, a process converting fixed nitrogen to N2, affects primary productivity and isocyan signature patterns in oxygen minimum zones.
Researchers replicate formation of first silicate dust and find matching oxygen isotopes in stony meteorites, solving long-standing solar system formation puzzle. The discovery suggests a simple physical chemistry principle governed the early solar system.
Researchers reconstructed a 900-year temperature timeline in the Eastern Mediterranean, revealing a medieval warm period and modern warming trend that may not be regional. The study uses stable carbon isotopes in tree rings to analyze environmental conditions and find correlations between temperature fluctuations and tree growth.
The NASA Mars rover Curiosity has found water in its first sample of Martian soil, with fine materials containing several percent water by weight. The discovery sheds light on the planet's surface composition and implications for future research.
Researchers have developed a new method to reconstruct past temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean using tree rings. The study, which covers over 900 years, reveals that the region experienced a medieval warm period and a little ice age, with modern warming trends not reflected in the data.
A new theoretical model suggests that an outburst event in the Sun's formative years could explain disparate evidence from comets and meteorites. The model also provides a possible explanation for the presence of heat-formed crystalline particles in comets and the ratios of aluminum isotopes found in primitive meteorites.
The Curiosity rover has made high-precision measurements of Mars' atmosphere, revealing it was much thicker in the past. Heavy isotopes of carbon and oxygen were more abundant, indicating a warmer and wetter climate.
Geochemists at Brown University have discovered noble gases can dissolve in amphibole minerals, providing a potential mechanism for their recycling between the atmosphere and Earth's interior. This finding is significant as it sheds light on how other volatiles like water and carbon are cycled.
A series of scientific papers reveals early human species like Australopithecus afarensis and Kenyanthropus platyops began eating grasses, sedges, and succulents around 3.5 million years ago. The findings show that early humans acquired a taste for C4/CAM plants after their environments seemed similar to their ancestors.
A team of scientists analyzed isotopes from the bones and teeth of the first New Zealanders, identifying their likely diet and childhood origins. The study suggests that the first group shared similar diets, while others had highly variable diets reflecting their geographical movements.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have observed pear-shaped atomic nuclei, challenging current understanding and informing experimental searches for electric dipole moments. The discovery aids in refining nuclear theories and directs atomic EDM search programs.
Scientists found that the Moon's water originated from the Earth, suggesting the proto-Earth was already wet at the time of the Giant Impact. The study used hydrogen isotopes to determine the origin of water in the Moon and matched it with carbonaceous chondrites on Earth.
Researchers have found that oceanic volcanic rocks contain samples of recycled crust dating back to the Archean era 2.5 billion years ago. The sulfur isotopes in these rocks indicate a chemical interaction with UV radiation that stopped occurring after the Great Oxidation Event.
A scientist has revealed how an ancient Egyptian marriage certificate played a pivotal role in confirming the veracity of inks used in the Gospel of Judas. The discovery sheds new light on the intensive scientific efforts to validate the controversial text, which suggests that Jesus requested that his friend, Judas Iscariot, betray him...
The new themed issues explore the geological consequences of lithospheric removal in the Sierra Nevada, California, and the ignimbrite province and flareup swarms of subduction-related supervolcanoes. These events are linked to colossal explosive volcanic eruptions that spread ash across western Utah, Nevada, and eastern California.
The article discusses various geology topics, including the use of ancient lava-fed deltas to estimate paleo-water levels and past ice thicknesses. It also explores the formation of bubbles in volcanic conduits and the presence of iron-silicate microgranules in banded iron formations.
Researchers found that urine mercury concentrations may overestimate exposure to dental amalgam fillings, especially in populations with low occupational exposure. The study used mercury isotopes to accurately assess human exposure and provides a novel method for determining health risks.
Researchers successfully directly observed microorganisms feeding on intestinal mucosa using NanoSIMS technology, identifying Akkermansia muciniphilia and Bacteroides acidifaciens as key players. The study provides new insights into the gut microbiota's role in inflammatory bowel disease.
Researchers used the Chemical Dynamics Beamline at Berkeley Lab to examine how photochemistry determines isotope ratios in the solar system. They found that mass-independent processes, such as chemical reactions, could explain differences between Earth and meteorites/solar system elements.
A team of atmosphere chemists has created a method to analyze ancient sulfur isotopes in ice cores, allowing for precise determination of the impact of volcanic eruptions on global climate. This breakthrough resolves debates over historical episodes of cooling and provides new insights into past climate events.
Researchers at MIT found evidence of two separate collisional events: one 50 million years ago and another 10 million years later. The team analyzed rocks from the Himalayas and discovered a new timeline for India's collision with Asia, suggesting that part of ancient India 'Greater India' was smaller than previously thought.
A team of researchers from the University of York analyzed snail shells from Mediterranean caves to study past humidity levels. The findings show that the western Mediterranean was warmer and stickier when first farmers arrived in Italy and Spain thousands of years ago.
A 12,000-year-old fossil record suggests the Antarctic Peninsula's ice sheet was more vulnerable to collapse due to atmospheric warming than oceanic circulation. The study also found cyclic patterns in late Holocene atmospheric warming linked to El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon.
A Wayne State University researcher is part of an international effort to study the movement of chemical compounds through the world's oceans. The project aims to investigate how carbon is exported from the upper 100 meters of ocean water to deeper waters and how hydrothermal waters affect the removal of polonium and lead.
Researchers analyzed 80 Norse skeletons to find that they mainly consumed seals, which made up 50-80% of their diet. This challenges the prevailing view of Norse as farmers and suggests a more adapted and flexible way of life.
A team of researchers has found evidence for a dramatic rise in early oxygen levels around 2.3 billion years ago, followed by an equally impressive fall. This drop in oxygen may have ushered in low-oxygen concentrations that set the stage for the evolution of eukaryotic organisms and eventually animals.
Scientists discover evidence that Moon was born in a catastrophic collision with early Earth, releasing vaporized rock that condensed into the Moon. The discovery provides physical evidence for the Giant Impact Theory and sheds light on the Moon's composition.
A new EU project has developed non-invasive methods for characterizing contaminated sites, reducing the need for costly sampling and monitoring. These methods, including geophysical measurements and vegetation analysis, enable more accurate detection of pollution and efficient rehabilitation of megasites in Europe.
Researchers found that oxygen isotopes in tree rings preserve the isotopic composition of rainwater, providing a valuable historical archive of rainfall in the Amazon. This new method allows for better understanding of long-term hydrological patterns and natural variability of the climate system.
A piece of nettle cloth from Denmark's richest Bronze Age burial mound Lusehøj suggests long-distance trade connections with Austria around 800 BC. The cloth, not made in Denmark, indicates that Bronze Age Danes imported textiles from Central Europe.
A team of MSU researchers will conduct a three-year study on how teams work together, using surveys, interviews, and high-tech devices to monitor interaction. The goal is to measure the effectiveness of both formal and informal structures when multiple teams are involved.
Researchers from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research identified three teams of bacteria working together to degrade benzene, a highly toxic substance. By analyzing proteins, they shed light on the complex process, which could also apply to other bacterial cooperatives.
Researchers have discovered evidence of catastrophic events causing rock pulverization near major faults in California and Japan, while coral reefs at high latitudes and turbid inner bays provide insights into environmental gradients. Continental collisions are also explored through the study of Taiwan's pre-collision zone.
Researchers used tree ring data from the US Pacific Northwest and oxygen isotope analysis of lake sediments to clarify ancient climate regimes. The study suggests that drought patterns in the American West may have varied across different regions, with some areas experiencing wetter winters than expected.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered an unexpected complexity in the patterns of drought during the Middle Ages. The study uses tree rings and oxygen isotopes to reveal that winters were wetter-than-expected during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, contradicting previous tree ring data.
Researchers question Greenland ice core data on Northern Hemisphere temperatures during the Younger Dryas, a period of rapid cooling and warming. The study suggests that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels may have played a role in modulating temperature changes.
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiment aims to detect neutrinoless double-beta decay in germanium-76, a process that could rewrite the Standard Model of Particles and Interactions. The detector will use advanced shielding and materials to minimize background noise and detect even the rarest decays.
A study aims to analyze sediment cores to identify the relative contributions of land, ocean, and buried sediments to phosphorus influx. The researchers hope to provide information useful to resource managers in controlling phosphorus overloads.
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have measured the half-life of samarium-146, revealing it decays in just 68 million years, significantly shorter than previously thought. This new value patches holes in current understanding and matches recent lunar rock dating, providing insight into solar system evolution.
A recent chemical analysis of lunar material and Earth samples suggests that the moon was formed solely from the Earth, contradicting the widely held theory of a giant collision. The research found identical titanium isotopic compositions between the moon and Earth, indicating a single parentage.
Researchers found that carbon dioxide accumulated in deep ocean during Ice Ages, causing atmospheric concentration to drop. Stored CO2 was later transported back to sea surface through changing ocean circulation and emitted into atmosphere.