New research finds that Earth had sufficient oxygen 1.4 billion years ago for animals to evolve. Therefore, low oxygen levels probably didn't hold back evolution, as scientists have long thought.
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New Step Toward Finding Earth 2.0
Researchers unveil a way to tease out the wobble of a star caused by unseen planets despite the confounding effects of star spots, which are the sunspots of distant stars.
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Special Delivery: Post Office to Issue Space-Themed Stamps
Letter writers will be able to adorn their envelopes this year with full-disk images of the planets, Pluto, and the full Moon, as well as Star Trek icons.
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Novel Vents Built from Talc Found Far from Mid-Ocean Rift
Researchers discovered the first new variety of hydrothermal vents in a decade—a finding that may give clues to how oceanic crust cools.
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Vanishing Sea Ice Could Trigger More Arctic Precipitation
A promising method for evaluating Arctic precipitation predicts retreating sea ice will increase snow and rainfall in the Arctic and counteract some of global climate change's effects regionally.
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World Without Time
On New Year's Day 2019, a spacecraft known for its historic flyby of Pluto will take an unprecedented look into the distant past by flying right up to a frozen remnant of the original solar system.
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Atmospheres Can Collapse on the Dark Sides of Planets
Planets that orbit close to their stars might lose their atmospheres along with any chance of life, but new models show a way in which these planets may retain their atmospheres and habitability.
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Group Pushes for Using Earth Observations in Decision Making
Earth observation "system of systems" could help with disaster resilience, sustainability, and other objectives beneficial to society, according to one organization.
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Microbes Make a Quick Meal of Methane in a Submarine Canyon
Scientists track the fate of methane released by hydrates in a major canyon off the U.S. East Coast.
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Three–Dimensional Scans Illuminate Wildlife Environments
Detailed laser imaging of vegetation and landforms where animals live and roam offers revealing new perspectives on interactions between those creatures and their surroundings.