New research is finding there’s more to marine debris than just what appears near the ocean surface, including tons of microplastics extending hundreds of meters into the deep.
unsolved mysteries
Posted inNews
Scientists Float a New Theory on the Medusae Fossae Formation
Pumice-like rafts of lightweight material could have carried volcanic debris across an ancient Martian ocean to build one of the most puzzling features on the Red Planet.
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Getting to the Bottom of Slow-Motion Earthquakes
For close to 20 years, slow-motion earthquakes have been an enigma. Core samples provide new clues to their origins.
Posted inAGU News
Edmond Dewan, Citizen Science, and the Mystery of Ball Lightning
In the early 1960s, a physicist enlisted the help of the public to study a rare atmospheric phenomenon.
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Does This Fossil Reveal a Jurassic Tropical Freeze?
On view for over a century, a fossil slab may display evidence of tropical freezing during the Jurassic, but scientists never noticed it—until one finally did. Some colleagues are not convinced.
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Students Launch Balloon-Borne Payloads into Thunderstorms
The High Energy Lightning Emission Network project hopes to detect elusive bursts of light and particles called terrestrial gamma ray flashes.
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Using Garnets to Explore Arc Magma Oxidation
Samples collected from Greece help researchers piece together a scientific puzzle.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Curiosity Rover Reveals Oxygen Mystery in Martian Atmosphere
An air-sampling study has captured long-term trends in the concentrations of five key atmospheric gases for the first time.
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Computers Tease Out Secrets of Jupiter’s Aurorae
Aurorae once classified by human eyes are now being sorted by machines. The change may help astronomers understand how the mysterious features are powered.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Explaining the Missing Energy in Mars’s Electrons
Electrons energized and trapped at Mars were thought to lose energy inside the planet’s magnetosheath, but new research suggests a different explanation of spacecraft data.