The Curiosity rover, one of NASA's flagship missions, analyzes Martian geology, geochemistry, climatology, and radiation to assess whether Mars could have supported microbial life.
geochemistry
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Model of Solar Cycle's Impact on Climate Gets Upgrade
A new model of how the Sun's 11-year cycle affects climate leads to slight changes in model results on atmospheric chemistry, but temperature and wind results are consistent with the previous model.
Posted inNews
How Bat Breath and Guano Can Change the Shapes of Caves
Researchers working in caves in Borneo and elsewhere are finding evidence that biological processes shape many tropical caves by slowly eating away at surrounding rock.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Curiosity Rover Finds Organic Molecules on Martian Surface
Scientists assess the present and past habitability of Mars from organic compounds detected at Gale Crater.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Humans Greatly Increase Mercury Levels in the Ocean
A study of the natural cycle of mercury reveals that humans are to blame for a five- to sixfold increase in the oceanic concentrations of the potentially toxic element.
Posted inAGU News
Donald J. DePaolo Receives 2014 Harry H. Hess Medal
Donald J. DePaolo was awarded the 2014 Harry H. Hess Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 17 December 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for “outstanding achievements in research on the constitution and evolution of Earth and other planets.”
Posted inScience Updates
Defining Urban Geochemistry
International Association of GeoChemistry: Urban Geochemistry Working Group;
Columbus, Ohio, 5–6 August 2014
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Dearth of Hurricanes Cannot Explain Maya Collapse
Mud layers in a stalagmite from a cave on the Yucatán Peninsula show hurricane activity was steady or elevated throughout the Maya collapse.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Nearshore Internal Bores Increase Hypoxia Risk
Researchers head to the field to investigate the causes of low-oxygen waters in coastal aquatic environments.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Happens to Minerals as They Get Squeezed in the Mantle?
Researchers test how different minerals found in the Earth’s mantle respond to high temperatures and pressures.