If Earth were an exoplanet, JWST would know there"s an intelligent civilization here
If we're going to look for life on other worlds, why not start with the one planet we know has life? Earth's atmosphere is rich with oxygen and molecules such as methane, which strongly suggest the presence of life. It also has traces of molecules su.....»»
Predicting solar storms before they leave the sun
When giant solar storms hit Earth, they trigger beautiful auroral displays high in Earth's atmosphere. There's a dark side to this solar activity, though. The "space weather" it sets off also threatens our technology. The potential for damage is why.....»»
A new study shows how the sun could permanently capture rogue planets
Interest in interstellar objects (ISOs) was ignited in 2017 when 'Oumuamua flew through our solar system and made a flyby of Earth. Roughly two years later, another ISO passed through our solar system—the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov......»»
TIC 441725813 is a hybrid pulsating subdwarf star, study finds
Astronomers have employed NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to observe a subdwarf star designated TIC 441725813. In result, they found that TIC 441725813 is a hybrid hot B subdwarf pulsator. The discovery was detailed in a research.....»»
How duplicated genomes helped grasses diversify and thrive
Grasses cover about 40% of the Earth's land surface, thriving in a multitude of environments. The evolutionary success of this plant family, which includes rice, maize, wheat and bamboo, likely results from a history of whole-genome duplications, acc.....»»
Tipping risks from overshooting 1.5°C can be minimized if warming is swiftly reversed, says research
Current climate policies imply a high risk for tipping of critical Earth system elements, even if temperatures return to below 1.5°C of global warming after a period of overshoot. A new study indicates that these risks can be minimized if warming is.....»»
Mass extinction 66 million years ago triggered rapid evolution of bird genomes, study finds
Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began......»»
Spacecraft travels to metal object orbiting Earth, snaps stunning views
Spacecraft travels to metal object orbiting Earth, snaps stunning views.....»»
Space hurricanes swirl in the Southern Hemisphere, mostly in summer
Space hurricanes are a recently discovered geomagnetic phenomenon in which plasma interacts with Earth's magnetosphere, the area of space dominated by Earth's magnetic field. Spiral arms of plasma, hundreds of kilometers long, stretch across the sky.....»»
Can geoengineering protect Earth"s icesheets?
It's time to take a thorough, more serious look at using geoengineering to protect the planet's icesheets, according to a group of scientists who have released a new report examining the issue. Glacial geoengineering is an emerging field of study tha.....»»
The climate is changing so fast, we haven"t seen how bad extreme weather could get
Extreme weather is by definition rare on our planet. Ferocious storms, searing heat waves and biting cold snaps illustrate what the climate is capable of at its worst. However, since Earth's climate is rapidly warming, predominantly due to fossil fue.....»»
Giant waves, monster winds and Earth"s strongest current: Why the Southern Ocean is a global engine room
The Southern Ocean is wild and dynamic. It experiences Earth's strongest winds and largest waves. It is home to city-sized icebergs and the biggest ocean current on the globe, as well as tiny turbulent flows that fit inside a teacup......»»
The discovery of a new Earth-like planet could shed further light on what makes a planet habitable
In an exciting breakthrough for astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial life, a team of international scientists has announced the discovery of Gliese 12 b, a temperate, Earth-sized exoplanet just 40 light-years away—a relatively neighborly 3.....»»
Study suggests cloud-to-ground lightning strikes may have generated building blocks for life on Earth
A large team of chemists at Harvard University has found evidence suggesting that cloud-to-ground lightning strikes may have helped generate some of the building blocks needed for life on Earth to arise......»»
Study uncovers key to delayed climate recovery following mass extinction event
A study led by a University of Waikato Ph.D. student has shed light on the cause of delayed climate recovery following Earth's most severe extinction event 251 million years ago—a discovery that will contribute to our understanding of the global cl.....»»
NASA data shows July 22 was Earth"s hottest day on record
July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record, according to a NASA analysis of global daily temperature data. July 21 and 23 of this year also exceeded the previous daily record, set in July 2023. These record-breaking temperatures are part of a long-.....»»
Scientists untangle interactions between the Earth"s early life forms and the environment over 500 million years
The atmosphere, the ocean and life on Earth have interacted over the past 500-plus million years in ways that improved conditions for early organisms to thrive. Now, an interdisciplinary team of scientists has produced a perspective article on this c.....»»
NASA returns to Arctic to study summer sea ice melt
What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic, and a new NASA mission is helping improve data modeling and increasing our understanding of Earth's rapidly changing climate. Changing ice, ocean, and atmospheric conditions in the northernmost p.....»»
Complex life on Earth began around 1.5 billion years earlier than previously thought, new study claims
Environmental evidence of the very first experiments in the evolution of complex life on Earth, has been uncovered by an international team of scientists......»»
What could a future sovereign Mars economy look like?
What would the economy of a future Mars society look like, and how could it be self-sustaining while being completely sovereign from Earth and its own economy? This is what a recent study submitted to Space Policy hopes to address as a sole researche.....»»
Hubble images NGC 3430, a classic spiral galaxy
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image treats viewers to a wonderfully detailed snapshot of the spiral galaxy NGC 3430 that lies 100 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor......»»