Six of nine planetary boundaries now exceeded
A new study updates the planetary boundary framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet and, thereby, increasing the risk of triggering dramatic changes in overall Earth conditions......»»
Planetary health diet adoption would reduce emissions by 17%, environmental scientists suggest
A report by a multi-institutional team of environmental scientists suggests that if everyone in the world adopted the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet, global dietary greenhouse gas emissions would drop by 17%......»»
NASA just shut down a planetary defense mission that tracks asteroids. Now what?
Launched in 2011, NASA's NEOWISE mission operated in Earth's orbit until late last week. It detected more than 3,000 near-Earth objects or NEOs—asteroids or comets whose orbits can bring them close to Earth, even with the possibility of a collision.....»»
"All of us urgently need to band together to pass a robust and just Earth to future generations," says expert
An article in a special issue on The Planetary Future published in Environmental Policy and Law considers the Planetary Trust as an essential framework underlying today's kaleidoscopic world, reviews important developments in implementing the Trust,.....»»
NASA says goodbye to our planetary protector, the asteroid-spotting NEOWISE mission
Fifteen years after a launch that was intended to begin just a seven month mission, NASA's NEOWISE spacecraft has finally shut down......»»
Optical navigation tech could streamline planetary exploration
In a dim, barren landscape like the surface of the moon, it can be easy to get lost. With few discernable landmarks to navigate with the naked eye, astronauts and rovers must rely on other means to plot a course......»»
Lasers deliver powerful shocking punch in material experiments
Shock experiments are widely used to understand the mechanical and electronic properties of matter under extreme conditions, like planetary impacts by meteorites. However, after the shock occurs, a clear description of the post-shock thermal state an.....»»
NASA smacked a spacecraft into an asteroid—and learned details about its 12-million-year history
NASA's DART mission—Double Asteroid Redirection Test—was humanity's first real-world planetary defense mission......»»
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-.....»»
Tijuana River sewage flows last year broke all records since 2000: It"s on track to do it again
The amount of contaminated water laced with raw sewage that is flowing across the U.S.-Mexico border into San Diego County exceeded 44 billion gallons in 2023, the most on record in the last quarter-century......»»
Introducing Ramses, ESA"s 2029 mission to asteroid Apophis
Thirty years ago, on 16 July 1994, astronomers watched in awe as the first of many pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet slammed into Jupiter with incredible force. The event sparked intense interest in the field of planetary defense as people asked:.....»»
Grain boundaries weaken in planetary interiors, research suggests
Mantle convection and associated plate tectonics of planets like the Earth are governed by the deformation of mantle rocks. This deformation occurs through the motion of defects in the crystal lattices of minerals. Thus, the physical properties of th.....»»
Scientists unravel transition of survival strategies in grape family
In a study published in Nature Plants, scientists have identified the Eocene, Oligocene, and Miocene boundaries as turning points for the transition of survival strategies in the grape family (Vitaceae)......»»
Q&A: What past environmental success can teach us about solving the climate crisis
Susan Solomon, MIT professor of Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences (EAPS) and of chemistry, played a critical role in understanding how a class of chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons were creating a hole in the ozone layer......»»
Insight into one of life"s earliest ancestors revealed in new study
An international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol has shed light on Earth's earliest ecosystem, showing that within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, life on Earth was already flourishing......»»
Scientific definition of a planet says it must orbit our sun: A new proposal would change that
Planetary scientists are proposing a new definition of a planet to replace one that many researchers view as sun-centric and outdated. The current definition—established in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization that o.....»»
NASA"s planetary radar tracks two large asteroid close approaches
The Deep Space Network's Goldstone planetary radar had a busy few days observing asteroids 2024 MK and 2011 UL21 as they safely passed Earth......»»
Cryovolcanism: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has had the privilege of spending the last several months venturing into a multitude of scientific disciplines, including impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, plane.....»»
Virtual flying lessons for Hera asteroid mission
As ESA's Hera spacecraft for planetary defense goes through pre-flight testing, the system that will steer it around its target binary asteroid system is also undergoing its final checks for space......»»
Researchers introduce a planetary inclusion scale to foster broader ethical thinking
Social inclusion and having a sense of belonging with other people are key elements of a good life. However, the fate of humanity is a challenge that extends beyond our social reality. Experiences of belonging and inclusion, understood in a broader s.....»»
Earth"s mysterious D" layer: A relic of ancient oceans and planetary collisions
Deep within Earth, there lies a mysterious layer called the D" layer. Located roughly 3,000 kilometers down, this zone sits just above the boundary between the planet's molten outer core and its solid mantle......»»