Non-classical photosynthesis by earth"s inorganic semiconducting minerals
Photosynthesis, the process by which plants and other organisms convert sunlight into chemical energy, has been a major player during the evolution of life and our planet's atmosphere. Although most of the ins and outs of photosynthesis are understoo.....»»
Algorithm used on Mars rover helps scientists on Earth see data in a new way
A new algorithm tested on NASA's Perseverance Rover on Mars may lead to better forecasting of hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather events that impact millions globally......»»
Plants could still grow well under alien skies
Photosynthesis changed Earth in powerful ways. When photosynthetic organisms appeared, it led to the Great Oxygenation Event. That allowed multicellular life to evolve and resulted in the ozone layer. Life could venture onto land, protected from the.....»»
Life might thrive on the surface of Earth for an extra billion years
The sun is midway through its life of fusion. It's about 5 billion years old, and though its life is far from over, it will undergo some pronounced changes as it ages. Over the next billion years, the sun will continue to brighten......»»
Hubble lights the way with new multiwavelength view of galaxy NGC 1559
The magnificent galaxy featured in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is NGC 1559. It is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Reticulum, approximately 35 million light-years from Earth. The brilliant light captured in the curre.....»»
New study takes the Earth’s temperature over a half-billion years
With one exception, a strong link between carbon dioxide and global temperatures. Enlarge / The cycle of building and breaking up of supercontinents seems to drive long-term climate trends. (credit: Walter Myers/Stocktrek Images).....»»
Scientists scan TRAPPIST-1 for technosignatures
If you are going to look for intelligent life beyond Earth, there are few better candidates than the TRAPPIST-1 star system. It isn't a perfect choice. Red dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1 are notorious for emitting flares and hard X-rays in their youth,.....»»
Don"t overlook microorganisms" role in planet health, scientists warn
The tiniest and oldest creatures on—and in—Earth have a huge role in achieving a sustainable future for the planet, an international team of scientists, including faculty researchers from The Ohio State University, asserts in a new Cell article p.....»»
Oceanic life found to be thriving thanks to Saharan dust blown from thousands of kilometers away
Iron is a micronutrient indispensable for life, enabling processes such as respiration, photosynthesis, and DNA synthesis. Iron availability is often a limiting resource in today's oceans, which means that increasing the flow of iron into them can in.....»»
Visible-light-antenna ligand enhances samarium-catalyzed reactions
Samarium (Sm), a rare earth metal, is important to organic chemists because of the ability of its divalent compounds to efficiently perform single-electron transfer reductions......»»
NASA watches a peanut-shaped asteroid drift past Earth
Peanuts! Get your peanuts here! The solar system has been passing out peanuts lately in the form of two different oddly shaped asteroids that recently passed by Earth, and both look like over-sized peanuts......»»
Explaining dramatic planetwide changes after world"s last "Snowball Earth" event
Some of the most dramatic climatic events in our planet's history are "Snowball Earth" events that happened hundreds of millions of years ago, when almost the entire planet was encased in ice up to 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) thick......»»
Could interstellar quantum communications involve Earth or solve the Fermi paradox?
Thus far, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has used strategies based on classical science—listening for radio waves, telescopes watching for optical signals, telescopes in orbit scouring light from the atmospheres of exoplanets,.....»»
Were Bohr and von Neumann really in conflict over quantum measurements?
Analysis suggests that the two pioneers of quantum mechanics, Niels Bohr and John von Neumann, may have had more similar views than previously thought regarding the nature of quantum systems, and the classical apparatus used to measure them......»»
New research re-envisions Earth"s mantle as a relatively uniform reservoir
Lavas from hotspots—whether erupting in Hawaii, Samoa or Iceland—likely originate from a worldwide, uniform reservoir in Earth's mantle, according to an evaluation of volcanic hotspots published in Nature Geoscience......»»
Geoscientists confirm "dripping" of Earth"s crust beneath Türkiye"s Central Anatolian Plateau
Recent satellite data reveal that the Konya Basin in the Central Anatolian Plateau of Türkiye is continually being reshaped over millions of years, according to a new analysis led by Earth scientists at the University of Toronto......»»
Materials scientist describes new world order for glasses, liquids
In 1543, Copernicus pitched the heliocentric idea that the Earth orbited the sun. His theory took 150 years to catch on and more than 400 years for the Vatican to officially accept it. Likewise, distinguished materials scientist Takeshi Egami has spe.....»»
Reinventing the clock: NASA"s new tech for space timekeeping
Here on Earth, it might not matter if your wristwatch runs a few seconds slow. But crucial spacecraft functions need accuracy down to one billionth of a second or less. Navigating with GPS, for example, relies on precise timing signals from satellite.....»»
Measuring moon dust to fight air pollution
Moon dust, or regolith, isn't like the particles on Earth that collect on bookshelves or tabletops—it's abrasive and it clings to everything. Throughout NASA's Apollo missions to the moon, regolith posed a challenge to astronauts and valuable space.....»»
Work is underway on NASA"s next-generation asteroid hunter
The mirrors for NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope are being installed and aligned, and work on other spacecraft components is accelerating......»»
Understanding the Origins of Life on Earth Could Help Find Life beyond It
We can’t yet tell how life got its start on Earth. That’s one great reason to keep looking for life elsewhere.....»»