Articles tagged with Planet Earth
Large moons in stable orbits around their parent planets are thought to be capable of hosting satellite submoons, with four bodies in our Solar System potentially fitting this description. However, the lack of observed submoons may offer insights into planetary formation and evolution.
A study by Rice University suggests that a planetary collision formed the moon and delivered life-essential elements to Earth. The research found that Earth's carbon and nitrogen content is consistent with a moon-forming impact involving a volatile-bearing, Mars-sized planet with a sulfur-rich core.
New research shows aerosols' cooling effect is nearly twice higher than previously thought, necessitating a recalculation of climate change models. This discovery highlights the complexity of global warming and the need for further study.
Researchers calculated lunar crater ages using thermal data and found a rate of large impacts two to three times higher on both bodies over the last 290 million years. This discovery challenges the theory that Earth's craters were worn away through erosion, instead suggesting a lower impact rate prior to 290 million years ago.
A team of scientists analyzed lunar craters and found a drastic change in asteroid impact rates around 290 million years ago. This period saw an increase in asteroid impacts, with the rate being 2.6 times higher than before.
The Antarctic Ice Sheet's growth and decay are linked to changes in obliquity and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Loss of sea ice could amplify the effects of Earth's astronomical motions on the ice sheet's stability.
Researchers identified a giant streak structure among Venus' clouds using Akatsuki spacecraft data, which was replicated by high-resolution climate simulations. The study suggests that the streak structure is formed from baroclinic instability and jet streams in the planet's atmosphere.
A new global carbon isotope negative excursion defines the Cambrian base at 539 Ma, 2 million years younger than current charts. The authors propose a revised Cambrian chronostratigraphy for China, including a new Xiaotanian Stage.
Scientists have discovered a new planet, HD 21749b, with the longest orbital period of three planets so far identified by TESS. The planet, about three times the size of Earth and 23 times as massive, is likely a dense, gaseous 'sub-Neptune' world.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen's unique orbit allowed astronomers to study its nucleus, coma, and chemical makeup. The telescope observations shed light on the origins and history of Earth's oceans.
The Japanese infrared satellite AKARI has detected hydrated minerals containing water in a number of asteroids, providing insight into the distribution of water in our solar system. The study reveals that C-type asteroids were formed by the agglomeration of rocks and water ice, followed by aqueous alteration and dehydration.
Researchers created both organic compounds and oxygen in the lab without life. The simulations, published by Johns Hopkins University, suggest that oxygen and organics can be produced abiotically, leading to false positives for life.
Researchers from HZDR found that Bose-Einstein condensates, which can be thought of as heavily diluted vapor from individual atoms cooled to extreme temperatures, are not sensitive enough to detect gravitational waves. The team discovered that the power of these gravitational waves is too weak to be measured using current methods.
Researchers have discovered that large planets form quickly and in the outer reaches of their solar systems, which could explain the formation of rocky Earth-size worlds. High-resolution images of 20 nearby protoplanetary disks show common substructures, including concentric gaps and narrow rings.
Researchers are working to understand subseafloor microbial communities and their potential impact on Earth's biosphere. They've discovered that microbes living in deep ocean sediments may represent as much as one-third of Earth's total biomass, with the habitable part of the ocean crust potentially being 10 times greater.
A team suggests that a supernova or series of supernovae may have caused mass extinctions of large ocean animals, including the massive shark species Megalodon. The energy from these cosmic events would have triggered climate change and increased cancer rates in larger animals due to penetrating particles called muons.
A team led by SwRI has concluded that Ceres' surface is rich in organic matter, containing several times more carbon than primitive meteorites found on Earth. The surface's unique mineralogy and rock-water interactions suggest a cold environment formation process.
The Deep Carbon Observatory has revealed that the deep biosphere, a subsurface ecosystem, hosts an immense amount of life with 15-23 billion tons of carbon, far exceeding human carbon mass. This discovery expands our understanding of the tree of life and the potential for life in extreme environments.
A recent study suggests that humans are accelerating a long-term cooling trend, tracing back at least 50 million years, with projected warming expected by 2030 and potentially reaching Eocene-like conditions by 2150. The research implies that the planet's climate may resemble that of the mid-Pliocene epoch within two centuries.
Researchers found that mice exposed to weightlessness during a 30-day spaceflight displayed altered immune systems, with impaired B lymphocyte production and persistent effects after return to Earth. The study suggests potential concerns for astronauts' health and highlights the need for countermeasures.
Researchers used neon isotopes to study Earth's mantle formation, finding evidence of rapid early planet formation and delivery of vital compounds. The findings support the idea that a planet must reach a certain size before absorbing these ingredients, which is consistent with observations of other solar systems.
Researchers at Harvard University suggest that inosine could have served as a surrogate for guanosine in the early emergence of life. Inosine enabled RNA to replicate with high speed and few errors, supporting its potential role as a backbone of the first cells.
The VISIONS-2 mission aims to map oxygen outflow from aurora using a unique imaging technique, providing detailed insights into the process. Scientists suspect that oxygen is being energized by auroras, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear, with the day and night sides displaying distinct differences.
A team of scientists has found a new way to explain the formation of Saturn's radiation belts, which challenges current theories on electron acceleration. They suggest that Z-mode waves are responsible for energizing electrons in the belt, rather than radial diffusion.
Researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology found that sodium chloride can assist in making RNA building blocks. This process could have occurred on early Earth, bringing us closer to understanding how life began.
A new study by JRC scientists reveals that global warming can underestimate extinctions by up to 10 times if co-extinction cascades are not accounted for. The researchers constructed virtual Earths with thousands of plants and animals, simulating extreme environmental changes.
Researchers discover Chinese pyramids exhibit surprising orientation patterns, defying expectations of traditional funerary practices. The study suggests that ancient Chinese emperors intentionally aligned their pyramids to the star Polaris, reflecting a deeper understanding of celestial movements and astronomy.
Researchers have created updated climate models for the seven planets around TRAPPIST-1, revealing unexpected similarities and differences with our solar system. The study suggests that some planets may have evolved like Venus due to an extremely hot early stellar phase, while others could be habitable ocean worlds.
Researchers create amino acid chains with specific sequences, hinting at first glimmers of information storage on early Earth. The study aims to unlock new capabilities for modern medicine by designing drugs and synthesizing compounds more efficiently.
Researchers propose that changes in Earth's spin axis, known as true polar wander, triggered the latest ice age about 12 million years ago. By analyzing fossil signatures and magnetic data from ocean sediments, they found evidence of a 3-degree shift in the planet's rotation axis, which may have led to the formation of thick ice sheets.
Researchers have found that the regions in the Earth's magnetosphere that energize the polar aurora are remarkably calm and nonturbulent. The study revealed intense electron jets associated with magnetic reconnection, which dump energy into Earth's atmosphere, exciting auroras.
Magnetic reconnection occurs daily near Earth due to twisting field lines and can create auroras or disrupt power grids. NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission revealed the process flings particles symmetrically in Earth's magnetotail, unlike on the sunward side.
Researchers from UCL and University of Reading studied rapidly evolving aurora to understand energy release physics. They mapped back to where instabilities occur in space, gaining valuable physical clues.
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have captured a rare event involving magnetic reconnection, a process that produces a quick but mighty explosion in the Earth's magnetotail. This is the first time scientists have been able to track the details of this energy conversion process using unprecedented speed and resolution.
Astronomers have discovered a cold Super-Earth orbiting around the Barnard's star, which is about six light-years away from Earth. The planet candidate has a minimum of 3.2 Earth masses and orbits its red star every 233 days near the snow-line.
Astronomers have found a candidate planet, named Barnard's star b, orbiting the red dwarf star every 233 days. The cold super-Earth is estimated to be around 3.2 times the size of Earth and has a temperature of -150°C.
A new seismic study reveals that subduction zones drag about three times more water down into the deep Earth than previously estimated. The observations from the Mariana Trench have important implications for the global water cycle, suggesting that much of the Earth's water is being recycled through volcanic activity.
Astronomers detect a super-Earth orbiting Barnard's Star, with the planet having a mass at least 3.2 times that of Earth, and orbits its host star in roughly 233 days. The exoplanet lies close to the snow line, making it inhospitable for life as we know it.
A team of Arizona State University geoscientists has found a new source of water on Earth, tracing it back to the formation of our planet. They discovered that the solar nebula, the gases and dust out of which the Sun and planets formed, contained hydrogen and oxygen, which could have supplied the origin of Earth's global ocean.
Invasive Asian jumping earthworms alter US soil composition by creating nutrient-rich aggregates that lock up essential nutrients. Research by Jenelle Wempner reveals the physical effects of worm droppings on soils, with implications for controlling worm populations and understanding land use implications.
Scientists uncover evidence for multiple, older earthquake events in the geologic record, challenging the idea of a sustained tempo of faulting. The study reveals four distinct packages of sediment corresponding to previously identified earthquakes, with no evidence of additional seismic activity in the past 4,300 years.
Researchers from MAGPIE laboratories simulate stellar winds interacting with planetary magnetic fields, reproducing magnetopause formation and low-pressure regions. Laboratory experiments utilize intense electric pulses to create high-speed plasma plumes that interact with targets having magnetic fields.
Research on the International Space Station reveals that electrically charged dust grains line up in straight lines, even without gravity. The study suggests that forces between particles and atoms impose order on the system.
In Bangladesh, villagers have taken matters into their own hands to drill deeper wells to avoid arsenic-contaminated water. Since 2000, the proportion of safe wells has increased from 25% to 70%, thanks to individual efforts and government well drilling at greater depths.
Researchers identified four units with different deposition types, including conglomerates and ridges formed by moving water. The Martian deposits are similar to those found in Earth's Channelized Scablands and suggest large-scale global ice and dramatic outburst floods.
The NASA Astrobiology Program has awarded a $7 million grant to the Oceans Across Space and Time (OAST) alliance to search for life in present and past oceans on Mars, Jupiter's moon Europa, and Saturn's moon Enceladus. The team aims to develop technologies that can detect signs of life in various environments.
Researchers have confirmed the existence of two elusive clouds of dust in semi-stable orbits around the Earth, known as Kordylewski clouds. The observations were made using a linearly polarising filter system attached to a camera lens at Judit Slíz-Balogh's private observatory in Hungary.
A study of Russian cosmonauts reveals that space travel alters the brain's tissue volume, particularly in grey and cerebrospinal fluid areas. Changes persist for at least six months after returning to Earth, with potential implications for cognition and vision.
The Parker Solar Probe captured a breathtaking view of Earth on Sept. 25, 2018, showcasing the Moon just behind our planet. The image also reveals a lens flare effect due to reflections from the bright Earthshine, which is visible in the hemispherical shaped feature.
Researchers found a deep, rupturing subduction zone earthquake that defies existing models, indicating the need for reevaluation of hazard maps and building codes. The study suggests seawater infiltration may have accelerated cooling in the Cocos plate, making it susceptible to tension earthquakes.
Scientists discovered that extremely strong vibrations in the Earth allow rock to flow like a liquid for a crucial few minutes after impact. This 'acoustic fluidization' process enables the formation of mountainous ring structures within the crater's center.
A special journal issue explores the relationship between rising oxygen levels and the emergence of complex life, suggesting that increased oxygen may have driven innovation in animal body plans. However, debate remains among scientists regarding the cause-and-effect relationship between oxygenation and the evolution of complex life.
A team of school students from Eltham Hill School successfully identified ultra-low frequency sounds caused by a solar storm in the Earth's magnetic shield. The study made data audible for exploration, revealing new patterns and commonality among these waves.
A University of Michigan study found that adults with ADHD excel in creative tasks, inventing novel examples and labels, and being less constrained by traditional approaches.
A study published in Annual Review of Environment and Resources projects that global sea levels will likely rise 6-10 inches from 2000 to 2050, but more sensitive projections beyond 2050 depend on greenhouse gas emissions and projection methods. Rising seas pose a significant threat to coastal populations and ecosystems worldwide.
Astrophysicists estimate that Centaurs will have close encounters and impacts with terrestrial planets, potentially producing catastrophic events. The researchers found that half of the Centaurs can enter the terrestrial planet region, and about 7% can interact with them.
Astronomers have discovered the afterglow of a powerful gamma ray burst that produced no detectable gamma rays, offering clues to understanding these highly energetic events. The 'orphan' GRB was found in data from the VLA Sky Survey and is believed to be the result of an explosion that occurred over 280 million light-years away.
Astronomers have found a new type of gamma-ray burst that could not be detected by traditional telescopes. The discovery was made using archived radio data and suggests that these 'orphan' bursts may be related to the collapse of massive stars.
Researchers have detected extremely high-energy gamma rays from the microquasar SS 433, which is located 18,000 light years from Earth. This discovery sheds light on astrophysical processes and may offer insights into star systems in distant galaxies.
Researchers at McMaster University are pioneering a new Origins of Life Laboratory to mimic early-Earth conditions, testing RNA sequence formation and potential self-replication. The lab's Planetary Simulator will simulate years of cycles in days, studying the emergence of life on Earth and potentially elsewhere.