Astronomers Directly Detect Atomic Oxygen on Venus
Atomic oxygen is produced on the dayside of Venus by photolysis of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Atomic oxygen is a key species in the mesosphere and thermosphere of Venus.…
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…
Venus May Have Once Had Earth-Like Plate Tectonics
Venus is the least understood of the terrestrial planets. Despite broad similarities to the Earth in mass and size, Venus has no evidence of plate tectonics recorded on its young…
InSight Finds Evidence for Molten Silicate Layer above Martian Metallic Core
Mars’ liquid iron alloy core is surrounded by a layer of fully molten silicate (magma) about 150 km thick, according to a pair of papers published in the journal Nature.…
Ancient Mars was Planet of Rivers, Planetary Scientists Say
Ancient river deposits exist across Mars and can be identified in satellite data by erosional landforms called fluvial ridges. Fluvial ridges take the shape of ancient river deposits, and are…
Moon is Nearly 40 Million Years Older than Previously Thought
By analyzing tiny lunar zircon crystals gathered by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972, planetary scientists recalculated the age of the Moon. Although previous assessments estimated the Moon as 4.425 billion…
InSight’s Largest Marsquake Was Likely Caused by Geological Processes, Study Says
During its time on Mars, NASA’s InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander recorded over 1,300 seismic events, known as marsquakes. Of these, a number were…
Severe Space Weather Events Disrupt Nocturnal Bird Migrations, Researchers Find
Earth’s magnetic field is occasionally but regularly impacted by bursts of energy from the Sun (space weather), such as coronal mass ejections. Birds and other animals depend on the geomagnetic…
Extreme Solar Storm Hit Our Planet 14,300 Years Ago, Subfossil Tree-Rings Show
In new research, scientists from the University of Leeds and elsewhere measured radiocarbon levels in ancient trees preserved within the eroded banks of the Drouzet River in the Southern French…
Novel AI Technique Reveals Sample’s Biological or Non-Biological Origin with 90% Accuracy
The search for definitive biosignatures — unambiguous markers of past or present life — is a central goal of paleobiology and astrobiology. A team of researchers led by the Carnegie…