Young Earth May Have Captured Moon from Space, Research Suggests
The Moon may have been captured during a close encounter between a young Earth and a terrestrial binary (a system of the Moon and another rocky object), according to a…
Dinosaur-Killing Chicxulub Asteroid Came from beyond Jupiter: Study
The so-called Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid that had formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter, according to a new paper published in the journal Science. Ankylosaurus magniventris, a large…
Freshwater Appeared on Earth About 4 Billion Years Ago, Study Suggests
Analyzing 4-billion-year-old zircon crystals from the Jack Hills in Western Australia’s Mid West region, geoscientists have pushed back the timeline for the emergence of freshwater to just a few hundred…
Two Fragments of Protoplanet Theia Lie Deep within Earth, Geoscientists Say
A giant collision between the ancient protoplanet Theia and the proto-Earth about 4.5 billion years ago may have formed Earth’s Moon as well as two continent-sized regions — formally known…
Study: Plate Tectonics is not a Requirement for Life to Originate on Earth-Like Planet
Plate tectonics is a fundamental factor in the sustained habitability of Earth, but its time of onset is unknown, with ages ranging from the Hadean to Proterozoic eon. University of…
Iron-Rich Meteoritic and Volcanic Particles May Have Promoted Origin of Life Reactions on Early Earth
Precursors of the molecules needed for the origin of life may have been generated by chemical reactions promoted by meteoritic and volcanic particles approximately 4.4 billion years ago, says a…
Study Offers New Insights into Extraterrestrial Origins of Earth’s Water
In new research, planetary scientists from the University of Maryland and elsewhere analyzed melted meteorites that had been floating around in space since the Solar System’s formation around 4.5 billion…