These chemical oddities may explain why Earth seems to be deficient in certain elements—and could prove useful in catalysts and more.
geochemistry
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How the Rise of a Salty Blob Led to the Fall of the Last Ice Age
Scientists have long suspected that high salinity levels in the deep ocean were responsible for keeping carbon dioxide locked away during the last ice age. New research finds the strongest evidence yet.
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Our Ocean’s “Natural Antacids” Act Faster Than We Thought
New evidence from New Zealand suggests that calcium carbonate dissolution occurs not just over millennial timescales, but over annual and decadal ones too.
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Insights for Making Quick Clay Landslides Less Quick
In a quick clay landslide, solid soil liquefies suddenly, sometimes washing over entire towns. New modeling examines what kinds of salts could help stabilize these clays.
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New River Chemistry Insights May Boost Coastal Ocean Modeling
By more realistically accounting for river inputs, researchers reduced overestimation of the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by coastal waters.
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Speedy Flyby Adds New Organics to Enceladus’s “Primordial Soup”
A new analysis of old Cassini data has also verified past detections of complex organics in Saturn’s E ring, strengthening the chemical ties between the ring and its progenitor.
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To Find Critical Minerals, Look to Plate Tectonics
A study of “weird” Australian rocks suggests stores of niobium rose to the surface during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia.
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Space Radiation Can Produce Some Organic Molecules Detected on Icy Moons
As missions prepare to visit ocean worlds like Enceladus and Europa, new findings show scientists must first learn to distinguish between radiation-made organics and those born in a subsurface sea.
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Zircon Crystals Could Reveal Earth’s Path Among the Stars
Researchers found signs of melting in zircon crystals in the crust that correspond to our planet’s journey through the galaxy’s spiral arms.
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Shallow Injection Imperfectly Filters Florida Wastewater
Injection of wastewater into shallow wells is meant to filter nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus out of the wastewater. But a new study suggests that nutrients aren’t entirely eliminated—and may be polluting coastal waters.