On icy ocean worlds, a research framework built around the theory of organic chemical evolution could surface deeper insights than a hunt limited to direct evidence of life.
Research Spotlights
Research spotlights are plain-language summaries of recent articles published in AGU’s suite of 24 journals.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Mantle Movements Shape Earth’s Surface
Two new data sets help researchers tease apart the influences of plate tectonics and mantle movement on surface topography.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
When Extreme Drought Becomes Commonplace
As drought becomes a more regular occurrence, a new study looks at the U.S. Drought Monitor, the nation’s preeminent drought classifier, to see how it has reflected climate change since 2000.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Beneath the Ice: Greenland’s Geology Revealed in New Map
Advances in remote sensing offered an opportunity to redraw Greenland’s geologic map for the first time in 15 years.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Better Way to Predict Arctic Riverbank Erosion
Permafrost thaw might cause Arctic riverbanks to erode more quickly. But a new study shows why these erosion rates aren’t as dramatic as some scientists feared.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mantle Heat May Have Boosted Earth’s Crust 3 Billion Years Ago
Information from igneous zircon molecules gives researchers new insight into the workings of inner Earth.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Lakes Worldwide Need a Checkup
Lakes are facing a slew of health issues that may become chronic. Can human health care strategies help?
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Million Years Without a Megaslide
A new study goes deep into the Gulf of Alaska to examine the sixth-largest underwater landslide and investigate why a similar event hasn’t happened since.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Anthropocene Activities Dramatically Alter Deep Underground Fluid Flux
Scientists call for improved understanding of how our influence on deep subsurface fluids and microbes might affect the larger Earth system.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Animals Deserve to Be Included in Global Carbon Cycle Models, Too
Because they are far less plentiful than plants and microbes, animals have typically been excluded from examinations of carbon exchange in the atmosphere. But new research shows they may have a considerable influence on carbon cycle dynamics.