Recent research suggests that NASA’s next-generation space telescope will be good—but not the best—at finding life-sustaining levels of oxygen in an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
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New Initiative Aims to Help Displaced Scientists
The accord, initiated by 10 Italian science institutions, hopes to provide temporary opportunities for some refugees until they can safely return to their home countries.
Congress Spars over Environmental Permitting
Democrats say that there is bipartisan support to reduce red tape but that environmental regulations shouldn’t be weakened to speed up the permitting process.
How Did Life Learn to Breathe?
Scientists unravel the conditions under which life evolved to breathe oxygen—and the findings have some stellar implications.
Hack Weeks Gaining Ground in the Earth and Space Sciences
Workshops that fuse traditional learning with Silicon Valley–inspired “hack sessions” are giving scientists a new venue to build community and sharpen their skills.
Global Ice Monitoring Satellite to Launch as Early as This Week
The soon-to-launch satellite will measure the height and thickness of sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost around the world to an unprecedentedly high precision.
Republican Congressman Urges Colleagues to Act on Climate Change
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick says that Republican members of Congress need to “acknowledge reality” and do more to raise awareness about climate change.
Webb Telescope May Detect Minerals from Shredded Worlds
The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope should be able to measure the composition of vaporizing exoplanets, giving clues about the makeup of their cores, mantles, and crusts.
Landslides Send Carbon-Rich Soils into Long-Term Storage
Earthquake-triggered landslides move soils down steep slopes and deposit the sediments near rivers, sequestering the carbon contained within them for millions of years.
