New observations of the Venusian atmosphere collected from an airborne observatory showed no sign of the potential biosignature gas, casting additional doubt on a previous report of its detection.
Space & Planets
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Europa’s Plate Tectonic Activity Is Unlike Earth’s
The moon of Jupiter has likely experienced intermittent, regional plate tectonic activity in the past, although the plates are currently dormant.
Posted inNews
Martian Meteorites Offer a Tantalizing Glimpse of the Red Planet
By studying these literal chunks of Mars, scientists are learning more about the Red Planet’s deep interior and impact history.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Powerful Impact Provides Insight into Deep Structure of Mars
Seismic signals detected by the InSight lander show that the planet’s lower mantle may be less homogenous than previous models have suggested.
Posted inNews
Could Jupiter’s Heat Waves Help Solve a Planetary Energy Crisis?
Infrared observations reveal that Jupiter’s upper atmosphere is much warmer than models predict. The discovery may be a clue to finding missing heat sources in other giant planets.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Extremeness of Seasons Determined by Planetary Motion Parameters
We’ve long known that a planet’s orbital period and tilt determine length and intensity of seasons. We now see rotation rate matters too: max temperature shifts poleward as rotation slows.
Posted inOpinions
Converging Toward Solutions to Grand Challenges
A hypothetical, space weather–induced power grid catastrophe served as a practice case for building unity and collaborative skills among disparate communities to address a major global hazard.
Posted inNews
Isótopos de criptón proporcionan nuevos indicios sobre el pasado de los planetas
Para determinar cómo los elementos cruciales para el desarrollo de la vida llegaron a la Tierra, los científicos estudian los gases nobles. Actualmente, métodos mejorados traen consigo nuevos indicios a partir del criptón, el gas noble más enigmático.
Posted inNews
Long-Gone Moon Could Explain Birth of Saturn’s Rings
Named Chrysalis, the moon could have disintegrated during a close encounter with the gas giant roughly 100 million years ago.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Zipping Up Data to Zap Them Back from an Icy Moon
NASA wants to send instruments to distant moons like Europa and Enceladus to search for life. But getting vital data back to Earth over limited bandwidth will take some impressive compression software.