Still searching for Planet 9
The solar system has eight planets. In 2006, astronomers reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet, the same class that contains Eris, Sedna, Quaoar, Ceres and perhaps many more solar system small bodies. These are defined approximately as bodies that orb.....»»
Can we engineer our way out of the climate crisis? Scientists hope to find out
After decades of trying to stop Earth from heating up, scientists are exploring how to reverse climate change and maybe even cool the planet back down......»»
The skyscraper-sized tsunami that vibrated through the entire planet and no one saw
Earthquake scientists detected an unusual signal on monitoring stations used to detect seismic activity during September 2023. We saw it on sensors everywhere, from the Arctic to Antarctica......»»
The roles played by Indigenous Peoples in biodiversity conservation
Indigenous Peoples play an indisputable and critical role in the conservation of the planet's biodiversity. Their lands and livelihoods sustain life in myriad forms. However, a study by researchers at the ICTA-UAB published in Nature concludes that t.....»»
Astronomers discover new planet in Great Bear constellation
Astronomers from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun have discovered a new planet in the constellation of the Great Bear. It has a mass as much as 11 times that of Jupiter, orbits its star in 14 years and has a temperature of no more than min.....»»
Amazon’s Shipping and Delivery Emissions Just Keep Going Up
A new report attempts to calculate how much damage shipping our Amazon orders is doing to the planet and how badly the company is missing its own targets......»»
New research reveals how El Niño caused the greatest ever mass extinction
Mega ocean warming El Niño events were key in driving the largest extinction of life on planet Earth some 252 million years ago, according to new research......»»
Report outlines a path to prosperity for planet and people if Earth"s critical resources are better shared
Earth will only remain able to provide even a basic standard of living for everyone in the future if economic systems and technologies are dramatically transformed and critical resources are more fairly used, managed and shared, according to an inter.....»»
Check out this incredible cloud atlas of Mars
Researchers recently presented a stunning cloud atlas of Mars: a database containing 20 years' worth of images of clouds and storms observed on the red planet......»»
NASA scientists recreate Mars"s spider-shaped geologic formations in lab for the first time
Tests on Earth appear to confirm how the red planet's spider-shaped geologic formations are carved by carbon dioxide......»»
Cloud atlas of Mars showcases array of atmospheric phenomena
Cloud enthusiasts have a new tool to investigate striking formations in the skies above the red planet. A browsable database of 20-years-worth of images of clouds and storms, created by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Berlin, is helping scientis.....»»
Bringing electricity to the smallest villages is not likely to reduce poverty
Nearly 800 million people in the world lack access to commercial electricity. It is easy to assume that connecting them to the grid will reduce poverty and improve lives. In fact, expanding energy infrastructure to everyone on the planet by 2030 is o.....»»
With AI, extreme microbe reveals how life"s building blocks adapt to high pressure
An assist from a Google Artificial Intelligence tool has helped scientists discover how the proteins of a heat-loving microbe respond to the crushing conditions of the planet's deepest ocean trenches, offering new insights into how these building blo.....»»
Formation of super-Earths proven limited near metal-poor stars
In a new study, astronomers report novel evidence regarding the limits of planet formation, finding that after a certain point, planets larger than Earth have difficulty forming near low-metallicity stars......»»
Could comets have delivered the building blocks of life to ocean worlds like Europa, Enceladus and Titan?
Throughout Earth's history, the planet's surface has been regularly impacted by comets, meteors, and the occasional large asteroid. While these events were often destructive, sometimes to the point of triggering a mass extinction, they may have also.....»»
Did dwarf planet Ceres originate in the asteroid belt?
The dwarf planet Ceres has a diameter of almost 1,000 kilometers and is located in the asteroid belt. In the television series "The Expanse," Ceres gained new fame as the main base of the so-called 'belters': in this series, which is based on real ph.....»»
Uncovering microplastic dynamics and patterns in coastal habitats
Microplastics have raised concerns among scientists and the public in recent years due to their widespread presence and associated health risks. They have been found in every corner of the planet, from mountain peaks to the deep sea, and in the diets.....»»
Hidden, compact galaxies in the distant universe—searching for the secrets behind the little red dots
Astronomers exploring the faraway universe with the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's most powerful telescope, have found a class of galaxies that challenges even the most skillful creatures in mimicry—like the mimic octopus. This creature can imp.....»»
Starfield: Shattered Space’s new planet will include 50 locations
Bethesda hasn't revealed much about Starfield: Shattered Space, but it finally started spilling the beans on the game's first anniversary......»»
Witness 1.8 billion years of tectonic plates dance across Earth"s surface in a new animation
Using information from inside the rocks on Earth's surface, we have reconstructed the plate tectonics of the planet over the last 1.8 billion years......»»
NASA"s Hubble, MAVEN help solve the mystery of Mars"s escaping water
Mars was once a very wet planet, as is evident in its surface geological features. Scientists know that over the last 3 billion years, at least some water went deep underground, but what happened to the rest? Now, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and MA.....»»