How can we know if we"re looking at habitable exo-Earths or hellish exo-Venuses?
The differences between Earth and Venus are obvious to us. One is radiant with life and adorned with glittering seas, and the other is a scorching, glowering hellhole, its volcanic surface shrouded by thick clouds and visible only with radar. But the.....»»
First direct measurement of the overall impact of ocean eddy killing
Ocean currents, propelled by kinetic energy from the wind, are the great moderators of our climate. By transferring heat from the equator to polar regions, they help make our planet habitable......»»
Enormous cost of relocating US climate refugees from coastal town a stark example for the whole world, researchers warn
The town of Tangier on Tangier Island, Chesapeake Bay, has lost 62% of its original habitable upland area since 1967, a new study has found. It will see further decline within the next 15-30 years, leaving hundreds of people without homes and income......»»
The Guide for the Next Decade of Space Research Just Dropped
The Astro2020 Decadal Survey's top priorities include new telescopes, the search for habitable exoplanets, and far-infrared and x-ray probe missions......»»
James Webb Space Telescope arrives in French Guiana ahead of launch
The James Webb Space Telescope, which will allow astronomers to hunt for habitable exoplanets, has arrived at its launch destination in French Guiana......»»
Spain"s rare earths pit greens against tech security—and profit
Spain's untapped rare earths are stoking tensions between mining companies and environmentalists and farmers who fear the devastating impact from extracting the minerals considered as essential for a high-tech and low-carbon economy......»»
"Bare" super-earths offer clues to evolution of hot atmospheres
A group of astronomers from the Astrobiology Center, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the University of Tokyo, and other institutes, discovered two rocky super-Earth exoplanets lacking thick primordial atmospheres in very close orbits.....»»
How to locate a habitable exoplanet by looking for moons
A new study in The Astronomical Journal suggests finding exomoons could be key to locating a potentially habitable Earth-like world in another solar system......»»
Effect of "eddy killing" in oceans is no longer a matter of guesswork
Ocean currents, propelled by kinetic energy from the wind, are the great moderators of our climate. By transferring heat from the equator to polar regions, they help make our planet habitable......»»
Wildfires Used to Be Helpful. How Did They Get So Hellish?
Fires are supposed to reset ecosystems, paving the way for new growth. But human meddling and climate change have turned them into monsters......»»
Best alternate reality movies of all time
Do you want to see what life is like on other Earths? Check out our picks for the best movies about alternate realities!.....»»
This Is How Aliens Might Search for Human Life
If habitable worlds exist around certain stars, they’d have just the right vantage point to spy on Earth......»»
"Gardened Zones" on Europa Could Be the Key to Finding Life, Study Says
Jupiter's moon Europa contains a voluminous ocean of liquid water under its icy crust that could potentially host extraterrestrial organisms. "But as evidence builds that Europa could be habitable under its crust, a problem remains: the intense radia.....»»
Glauconitic-Like Clay Found On Mars Suggests the Planet Once Had Habitable Conditions
A team of researchers from Spain, France and the U.S. has found evidence of a glauconitic-like clay on Mars that suggests the planet once had habitable conditions. Phys.Org reports: In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group.....»»
Glauconitic-like clay found on Mars suggests the planet once had habitable conditions
A team of researchers from Spain, France and the U.S. has found evidence of a glauconitic-like clay on Mars that suggests the planet once had habitable conditions. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group describes their st.....»»
Earth-like biospheres on other planets may be rare
A new analysis of known exoplanets has revealed that Earth-like conditions on potentially habitable planets may be much rarer than previously thought. The work focuses on the conditions required for oxygen-based photosynthesis to develop on a planet,.....»»
In Mahle"s Contact-Free Electric Motor, Power Reaches the Rotor Wirelessly
There's no wear and tear—and no rare earths, either Automakers outside China are scrambling to develop electric motor designs that use no permanent magnets, partly because the magnets require rare earths, and mining rare earths causes po.....»»
How to spot a habitable exoplanet by investigating its core
New research aims to go beyond the concept of a habitable zone, and to understand the habitability of exoplanets based on the geology of how planets are formed......»»
Volcanoes on Mars could be active, raising possibility of recent habitable conditions
Evidence of recent volcanic activity on Mars shows that eruptions could have taken place within the past 50,000 years, a paper by Planetary Science Institute Research Scientist David Horvath says......»»
Researcher uses geology to help astronomers find habitable planets
Astronomers have identified more than 4,000, and counting, confirmed exoplanets—planets orbiting stars other than the sun—but only a fraction have the potential to sustain life......»»
These five binary star systems could potentially host habitable planets
If you've dreamed of living on an alien world with two suns, researchers identified five double star systems which could potentially host habitable worlds......»»