Argon found in air of ancient atmosphere
On the massive sheets of ice that stretch across Greenland and Antarctica, the temperature is so low that not even the summer sun can melt the snow deposited onto them. As the snow accumulates without melting and settles deeper into the ice sheet, it.....»»
Another building block of life can handle Venus" sulfuric acid
Venus is often described as a hellscape. The surface temperature breaches the melting point of lead, and though its atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide, it contains enough sulfuric acid to satisfy the comparison with Hades......»»
New approach reveals details about aerosol properties from hard-to-sample areas in the atmosphere
The spatial distribution of ambient aerosol particles plays a huge role in aerosol–radiation–cloud interactions; however, not enough sampling has been done from the atmospheric boundary layer and lower free troposphere. This leaves large gaps in.....»»
How old is beer?
Humans are no strangers to kicking back with a cool pint of beer. The Ancient Egyptians, for example, had a hankering for beer that was a little bit tart, almost like a modern-day gose, a lemony beer from Germany. Homer, the Ancient Greek poet, spoke.....»»
Frozen in time: Rock fossils hint at Mars"s ancient climate
Long ago, flowing wind and water shaped Mars's malleable sand and sediment into dunes, ripples and other landscape patterns, called bedforms. Over billions of years, some of these landforms hardened into rock—scientists then call them paleo-bedform.....»»
Study shows that ancient reef-building stromatoporoids dodged extinction—at least temporarily
Will modern coral reefs go extinct? The answer is uncertain, but some of their ancient counterparts managed to dodge a bullet—for a while, at least......»»
Study shows Mars" early thick atmosphere could be locked up in the planet"s clay surface
Mars wasn't always the cold desert we see today. There's increasing evidence that water once flowed on the red planet's surface, billions of years ago. And if there was water, there must also have been a thick atmosphere to keep that water from freez.....»»
Ice cores show pollution"s impact on Arctic atmosphere
A Dartmouth-led study on ice cores from Alaska and Greenland found that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels reaches the remote Arctic in amounts large enough to alter its fundamental atmospheric chemistry. The findings illustrate the long.....»»
Medicinal tree successfully grown from 1,000-year-old seed found in cave
An international team of botanists, agriculturists and historians has successfully grown a mature tree from an ancient seed found in a cave in Israel. In their paper, published in the journal Communications Biology, the group describes where the seed.....»»
Afar mantle plume study offers new insight into deep Earth processes
Sophisticated analysis of tiny bubbles of ancient gas trapped in volcanic rocks, combined with new geophysical modeling, has cast new light on long-held assumptions about the deep Earth......»»
Ancient DNA helps uncover the Iberian lynx"s potential secret weapon against extinction
Many large mammals have lost genetic diversity, often thanks to the actions of people shrinking their populations. The implications can be severe because without genetic diversity, a population does not have a "genetic database" to fall back on to ad.....»»
1,000-year-old textiles reveal cultural resilience in the ancient Andes
Archaeologists have analyzed textiles from the ancient city of Huacas de Moche, Peru, showing how the population's cultural traditions survived in the face of external influence......»»
Astronomers catch a glimpse of a uniquely inflated and asymmetric exoplanet
An international group of researchers including University of Arizona astronomers, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, has observed the atmosphere of a hot and uniquely inflated exoplanet. The exoplanet, which is the size of Jupiter but only a t.....»»
Potential indicators of life on other planets can be created in a lab
One way to understand the potential for life on far-off planets—those in other solar systems that orbit different stars—is to study a planet's atmosphere. Telescopic images often capture traces of gases that may indicate life and habitable planet.....»»
Study raises questions about validity of standard model of solar flares
Solar flares are extremely intense events that occur in the sun's atmosphere, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. According to the standard flare model, the energy that triggers these explosions is transported by accelerated electro.....»»
High-resolution images of the sun show how flares impact the solar atmosphere
Solar flares are a fascinating thing and have a profound effect on what astronomers refer to as "space weather." These events vary with the sun's 11-year solar cycle, releasing immense amounts of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum (from ex.....»»
Sea surface micro layer: Researchers study boundary between the ocean and the air
The boundary between the ocean and the atmosphere, where the air and sea interact, is known as the sea surface microlayer. Understanding how nutrients, pollutants and organic matter are exchanged between the air and the sea is also vital for better u.....»»
Ancient sword from the era of Moses, Book of Exodus uncovered in Egypt
Ancient sword from the era of Moses, Book of Exodus uncovered in Egypt.....»»
Silencing in action: How cells "repress" genomic remnants of ancient viruses
Researchers have identified key cellular control sites that regulate gene expression and prevent the activation of "cryptic" genomic regions, including ancient viral sequences......»»
Project 2025 Would Drastically Cut Support for Carbon Removal
The Heritage Foundation’s plan for a potential Trump second term has little time for schemes to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere......»»
Polaris Dawn crew member describes the dramatic ride home
A member of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has described what it was like aboard the Crew Dragon as it entered Earth’s atmosphere at high speed last weekend......»»