Researchers use sediment cores to study the amount and origin of sediment organic carbon in one of the least studied regions of the planet: hadal trenches.
life as we know it
Posted inNews
Taking Stock of Cosmic Rays in the Solar System
Scientists seek to understand the elusive properties of stellar and galactic cosmic rays before searching for life on exoplanets.
Posted inNews
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning May Have Struck a Key Ingredient for Life
On early Earth, rock created by lightning strikes to the ground likely held a form of phosphorus necessary for prebiotic chemistry.
Posted inGeoFIZZ
Communicating Earth’s Deep Past: A Q&A with Andrew Knoll
The Earth historian’s new book illustrates the long and winding road that brought our planet into the current moment of global change.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Is Atmospheric Oxygen a Planetary Signature for Life?
While some Earth-like worlds can generate significant O2 only by biology, “waterworlds” and “desert worlds” can build up O2 even without life because of chemical changes from atmosphere loss to space.
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Esta búsqueda por vida alienígena comienza con la destrucción de bacterias en la Tierra
Algún día, un catálogo de fragmentos moleculares podría ayudar a científicos a identificar vida extraterrestre en las lunas heladas de nuestro sistema solar.
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Ancient, Acidic Lakes May Have Harbored Life
A new analysis of South African sediments hints that acidic lakes may have leached minerals necessary for biotic life.
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Geologists Have a New Tool for Reconstructing the Ancient Climate
A new study of seafloor sediments finds that the temperature record in the early Paleozoic corresponds to significant shifts in the diversity of life on Earth.
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Half of Earth’s Nitrogen May Be Homegrown
A new analysis of iron meteorites reveals a distinct isotopic signature that suggests nitrogen was present around early Earth.
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This Search for Alien Life Starts with Destroying Bacteria on Earth
Someday, a catalog of molecular fragments might help scientists identify extraterrestrial life on our solar system’s icy moons.