The complicated history of how the Earth’s atmosphere became breathable
Biology, geology, and chemistry all worked together to make the present atmosphere. Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) The Great Oxygenation Event, which occurred around 2.4 billion years ago, was one of the.....»»
Happy New Year on Mars
12 November 2024 marks the start of a new year on Mars. At exactly 10:32 CET/09:32 UTC on Earth, the Red Planet begins a new orbit around our sun......»»
AI-enhanced model could improve space weather forecasting
"Killer electrons" that travel at nearly light speed inside Earth's Van Allen belts—the zone that surrounds the planet and traps energetic charged particles—pose a major threat to equipment in space by causing malfunctions in electronics......»»
A trash compactor is going to the space station
Astronauts on the International Space Station generate their share of garbage, filling up cargo ships that then deorbit and burn up in the atmosphere. Now Sierra Space has won a contract to build a trash compactor for the space station. The device wi.....»»
Swirling polar vortices likely exist on the sun, new research finds
Like the Earth, the sun likely has swirling polar vortices, according to new research led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR). But unlike on Earth, the formation and evolution of these vortices.....»»
Was "Snowball Earth" a global event? New study delivers best proof yet
Geologists have uncovered strong evidence from Colorado that massive glaciers covered Earth down to the equator hundreds of millions of years ago, transforming the planet into an icicle floating in space......»»
African voices in ink: Researcher uncovers letters from Igbo people
Who writes history? It depends on who you read. Dr. Bright Alozie of Portland State University considers himself a historian of ordinary voices. His newly published book explores petitions and the trend of petition writing by Igbo individuals to Brit.....»»
Team reveals how current sheets in turbulent plasma form in Earth"s magnetosheath
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in plasmas, through which the magnetic energy is converted into plasma kinetic energy and thermal energy rapidly. Current sheets in turbulent plasma are the key trigger for magnetic reconnection.....»»
White truffles, Italy"s gold, menaced by climate change
Deep in a thick forest in Italy's northwestern Piedmont region, the hunt is on for the white Alba truffle, with excited dogs zigzagging and digging into the wet earth......»»
Tetris Forever is an excellent documentary, but a disjointed game collection
Tetris Forever tells one of the most entertaining stories in video game history quite well, but is disappointing as a collection of Tetris games......»»
Hubble captures barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 1672, a barred spiral galaxy located 49 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Dorado. This galaxy is a multi-talented light show, showing off an impressive array of different celes.....»»
New insights into the Denisovans—the hominin group that interbred with modern day humans
Scientists believe individuals of the most recently discovered hominin group (the Denisovans) that interbred with modern day humans passed on some of their genes via multiple, distinct interbreeding events that helped shape early human history......»»
Powerful new US-Indian satellite will track Earth"s changing surface
Data from NISAR will improve our understanding of such phenomena as earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, as well as damage to infrastructure......»»
Geologists rewrite textbooks with new insights from Cambrian rocks of Grand Canyon
Since soon after our planet formed, Earth's 4.6 billion-year-long history was dominated by single-celled life. Something dramatic happened about 500 million years ago called the Cambrian "explosion," during which an incredible diversity of life forms.....»»
How the Blue Screen of Death became your PC’s grim reaper
The Blue Screen of Death is as iconic as it is infamous, and it has a shockingly complex history......»»
New Mac mini has a slotted & removable SSD -- but don"t expect upgrades
Apple isn't soldering the SSD to the logic board in the M4 Mac mini, but given the company's history with Apple Silicon, don't expect upgrades.A Mac mini and a disassembled Mac mini - Image credit: KianWee Lim/iFixit and AppleOlder Intel-based Mac mi.....»»
Planetary Boundaries framework gains traction in sustainability science
The Planetary Boundaries (PB) framework is a pivotal tool for tackling the climate crisis and safeguarding humanity's future on Earth. For the first time, the full story of the Planetary Boundaries is now being told from its beginning......»»
Cracked earth in Greece"s saffron heartland as drought takes toll
At a field outside Kozani, northern Greece, the strikingly blue-and-purple petals of saffron give off an intoxicating scent that underscores the value of one of the country's most lucrative crops......»»
Astronaut’s photo shows Earth as you’ve never seen it before
NASA's oldest serving astronaut has shared an image taken from the space station that shows Earth in a most unusual way......»»
Advances in plate tectonics research provide a new view of deep Earth"s carbon emissions
From time to time, when Earth's tectonic plates shift, the planet emits a long, slow belch of carbon dioxide. In a new modeling study published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, R. Dietmar Müller and colleagues show how this gas released from.....»»
Airborne microplastics aid in cloud formation
It turns out microplastics have an effect on the weather and climate. Clouds form when water vapor—an invisible gas in the atmosphere—sticks to tiny floating particles, such.....»»