New theory on how Earth's crust was created
Conventional theory holds that all of the early Earth's crustal ingredients were formed by volcanic activity. Now, however, earth scientists have published a theory with a novel twist: some of the...
View Article'Tiny clocks' crystallize understanding of meteorite crashes
Scientists are using new imaging techniques to measure the atomic nanostructure of ancient crystal fragments at meteorite impact sites. The end goal? To understand when impacts ended and life began.
View ArticleMassive craters formed by methane blow-outs from the Arctic sea floor
Hundreds of massive, kilometer-wide craters on the ocean floor in the Arctic were formed by substantial methane expulsions, new research explains.
View ArticleHigh-pressure experiments solve meteorite mystery
With high-pressure experiments at DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III and other facilities, a research team has solved a long standing riddle in the analysis of meteorites from Moon and Mars. The study...
View ArticleComets may have delivered significant portions of Earth's xenon
A new study suggests that roughly 22% of the element xenon found in Earth's atmosphere may have come from comets.
View ArticleScientist warns of asteroid danger
An astrophysicists has warned that an asteroid strike is just a matter of time.
View ArticleThe last surviving species on Earth may well be the tardigrade
The world's most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the sun dies, according to a new study.
View ArticleExperiments cast doubt on theory of how Earth was formed
New geochemical research indicates that existing theories of the formation of the Earth may be mistaken.
View ArticleStudies of ‘Crater Capital' in the Baltics show impactful history
Studies of craters in the Baltics (Estonia) are giving insights into the many impacts that have peppered the Earth over its long history. In southeastern Estonia, scientists have dated charcoal from...
View ArticleMoment of impact: A journey into the Chicxulub Crater
When the Chicxulub asteroid slammed into Earth about 66 million years ago, it obliterated 80 percent of Earth's species, blasted out a crater 200 kilometers across, and signaled an abrupt end to the...
View ArticleDinosaur-killing asteroid impact cooled Earth's climate more than previously...
The Chicxulub asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs likely released far more climate-altering sulfur gas into the atmosphere than originally thought, according to new research.
View ArticleTransformation of graphite into hexagonal diamond documented
A team of researchers has for the first time observed and recorded the creation of hexagonal diamond under shock compression, revealing crucial details about how it is formed. The discovery could help...
View ArticleSite of asteroid impact changed the history of life
An asteroid, also known as the Chicxulub Impactor, hit Earth some 66 million years ago, causing a crater 180 km wide. The impact of the asteroid heated organic matter in rocks and ejected it into the...
View ArticleSpace dust may transport life between worlds, research suggests
Life on Earth might have originated from tiny organisms brought to our planet in streams of fast-moving space dust, according to a new study.
View ArticleMeteorite analysis shows reduced salt is key in Earth's new recipe
Scientists have found the halogen levels in the meteorites that formed the Earth billions of years ago are much lower than previously thought.
View ArticleSkye high impact: Geologists in Scotland discover a 60-million-year-old...
Geologists exploring volcanic rocks on Scotland's Isle of Skye found something out-of-this-world instead: ejecta from a previously unknown, 60 million-year-old meteorite impact. The discovery, the...
View ArticleExtra-terrestrial Hypatia stone rattles solar system status quo
Analyses on a small pebble found in south-west Egypt cast significant questions on a widely-held view about the primitive pre-solar dust cloud which our Sun, Earth and other planets were formed from....
View ArticleIngredients for life revealed in meteorites that fell to Earth
A detailed study of blue salt crystals found in two meteorites that crashed to Earth -- which included X-ray experiments found that they contain both liquid water and a mix of complex organic compounds...
View ArticleToward end of Ice Age, human beings witnessed fires larger than dinosaur killers
About 12,800 years ago, thanks to fragments of a comet, humans saw an astonishing 10 percent of the Earth's land surface, or about 10 million square kilometers, consumed by fires.
View ArticleWider coverage of satellite data better detects magma supply to volcanoes
Using satellite imaging, researchers for the first time identified a major magma supply into a reservoir extending almost two miles from the crater of a volcano in Nicaragua.
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