earth

Raindrops also keep fallin’ on exoplanets

April 9, 2021 by Editor

One day, humankind may step foot on another habitable planet. That planet may look very different from Earth, but one thing will feel familiar – the rain.

In a recent paper, Harvard researchers found that raindrops are remarkably similar across different planetary environments, even planets as drastically different as Earth and Jupiter.

Understanding the behavior of raindrops on other planets is key to not only revealing the ancient climate on planets like Mars but identifying potentially habitable planets outside our solar system. [Read more…] about Raindrops also keep fallin’ on exoplanets

Reflecting sunlight could cool the Earth's ecosystem
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Researchers in the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group – including Jessica Hellmann from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment – explored the effect of solar climate interventions on ecology, and their results were published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. Composed of climate scientists and ecologists from…
Tags: solar, climate, earth, paper, cloud, space, understanding, sciences, university, surface

Reflecting sunlight could cool the Earth’s ecosystem

April 8, 2021 by Zakia

Researchers in the Climate Intervention Biology Working Group – including Jessica Hellmann from the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment – explored the effect of solar climate interventions on ecology, and their results were published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

Composed of climate scientists and ecologists from leading research universities internationally, the team found that more research is needed to understand the ecological impacts of solar radiation modification (SRM) technologies that reflect small amounts of sunlight back into space.

The team focused on a specific proposed SRM strategy – referred to as stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI) – to create a sulfate aerosol cloud in the stratosphere to reduce a portion of incoming sunlight and radiation. In theory, this cloud could be controlled in size and location. [Read more…] about Reflecting sunlight could cool the Earth’s ecosystem

Raindrops also keep fallin’ on exoplanets
32
One day, humankind may step foot on another habitable planet. That planet may look very different from Earth, but one thing will feel familiar – the rain. In a recent paper, Harvard researchers found that raindrops are remarkably similar across different planetary environments, even planets as drastically different as Earth…
Tags: surface, climate, earth, understanding, paper, cloud, sciences, university, solar, news

Was there ever life on Mars?

March 27, 2021 by Editor

The Mars rover exists for one reason: To find out if there was ever life on Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, marking a major step in a mission that has captured the hearts and minds of space enthusiasts around the world – and that will pave the way for human expeditions by the 2030s.

And, as with just about any space mission, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that will determine whether the mission succeeds. Perseverance’s job is to drill into the Martian surface to collect rock and soil samples. Those samples will be stored in sealed tubes and wait to be ferried back to Earth for analysis on a future mission. [Read more…] about Was there ever life on Mars?

Earthlings send three separate missions to Mars
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Earthlings have sent three separate missions to Mars which will all reach the Red Planet within the next few days. One of them was sent by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is scheduled to land on 18th February 2021. NASA’s spacecraft carried the Perseverance Rover…
Tags: space, mars, will, nasa, mission, human, robotic, rover, earth, planet

There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres

March 16, 2021 by Zakia

An atmosphere is what makes life on Earth’s surface possible, regulating our climate and sheltering us from damaging cosmic rays. But although telescopes have counted a growing number of rocky planets, scientists had thought most of their atmospheres long lost.

However, a new study by University of Chicago and Stanford University researchers suggests a mechanism whereby these planets could not only develop atmospheres full of water vapor, but keep them for long stretches.

Published March 15 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the research expands our picture of planetary formation and could help direct the search for habitable worlds in other star systems. [Read more…] about There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres

AI and photonics join forces to make it easier to find 'new Earths'
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Australian scientists have developed a new type of sensor to measure and correct the distortion of starlight caused by viewing through the Earth's atmosphere, which should make it easier to study the possibility of life on distant planets. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, University of Sydney optical scientists have…
Tags: planets, university, earth, telescopes, scientists, atmosphere, planet, telescope, star, planet's
On the quest for other Earths
42
In the search for planets capable of sustaining life, an international research team with members from ETH has taken a significant step forward. As the researchers reported recently in the journal Nature Communications, they found signs of a Neptune-sized planet in the Alpha Centauri star system, a mere 4.4 light years…
Tags: planets, planet, earth, telescope, atmosphere, water, star, planet's, universe
Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it's an astronomer's dream
42
A newly discovered planet could be our best chance yet of studying rocky planet atmospheres outside the solar system, a new international study involving UNSW Sydney shows. The planet, called Gliese 486b (pronounced Glee-seh), is a “super-Earth”: that is, a rocky planet bigger than Earth but smaller than ice giants…
Tags: planet, atmosphere, planets, star, rocky, earth, planet's
First transiting exoplanet's 'chemical fingerprint' reveals its distant birthplace
41
Astronomers have found evidence that the first exoplanet that was identified transiting its star could have migrated to a close orbit with its star from its original birthplace further away. Analysis of the planet's atmosphere by a team including University of Warwick scientists has identified the chemical fingerprint of a…
Tags: atmosphere, star, planet, water, planets, university, hydrogen, atmospheres, planet's, universe
Carbon-rich exoplanets may be made of diamonds
38
As missions like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, TESS and Kepler continue to provide insights into the properties of exoplanets (planets around other stars), scientists are increasingly able to piece together what these planets look like, what they are made of, and if they could be habitable or even inhabited. In…
Tags: planets, earth, water, telescope, university, scientists, planet's

Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it’s an astronomer’s dream

March 8, 2021 by Zakia

A newly discovered planet could be our best chance yet of studying rocky planet atmospheres outside the solar system, a new international study involving UNSW Sydney shows.

The planet, called Gliese 486b (pronounced Glee-seh), is a “super-Earth”: that is, a rocky planet bigger than Earth but smaller than ice giants like Neptune and Uranus. It orbits a red dwarf star around 26 light-years away, making it a close neighbour – galactically speaking.

With a piping-hot surface temperature of 430 degrees Celsius, Gliese 486b is too hot to support human life. But studying its atmosphere could help us learn whether similar planets might be habitable for humans – or if they’re likely to hold other signs of life. [Read more…] about Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it’s an astronomer’s dream

The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositions
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A new international study led by astrophysicist Eric Agol from the University of Washington has measured the densities of the seven planets of the exoplanetary system TRAPPIST-1 with extreme precision, the values obtained indicating very similar compositions for all the planets. This fact makes the system even more remarkable and…
Tags: planets, earth, study, planet, space, planet's, science
Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars
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Some microbes on Earth could temporarily survive on the surface of Mars, finds a new study by NASA and German Aerospace Center scientists. The researchers tested the endurance of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth's stratosphere, as it closely represents key conditions on the Red Planet.…
Tags: space, earth, life, atmosphere, planet, study, red
Young stars ‘destroy Earth-like atmospheres’
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The discoveries of thousands of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system have made questions about the potential for life to form on these planets fundamentally important in modern science. Fundamentally important for the habitability of a planet is whether or not it can hold onto an atmosphere, which requires…
Tags: planets, atmosphere, planet, space, life, star, earth
There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres
42
An atmosphere is what makes life on Earth's surface possible, regulating our climate and sheltering us from damaging cosmic rays. But although telescopes have counted a growing number of rocky planets, scientists had thought most of their atmospheres long lost. However, a new study by University of Chicago and Stanford…
Tags: planets, atmosphere, star, rocky, earth, planet, planet's
On the quest for other Earths
40
In the search for planets capable of sustaining life, an international research team with members from ETH has taken a significant step forward. As the researchers reported recently in the journal Nature Communications, they found signs of a Neptune-sized planet in the Alpha Centauri star system, a mere 4.4 light years…
Tags: planets, life, planet, earth, study, atmosphere, star, planet's

Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars

February 25, 2021 by Zakia

Some microbes on Earth could temporarily survive on the surface of Mars, finds a new study by NASA and German Aerospace Center scientists.

The researchers tested the endurance of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth’s stratosphere, as it closely represents key conditions on the Red Planet.

Published in Frontiers in Microbiology, this work paves the way for understanding not only the threat of microbes to space missions, but also the opportunities for resource independence from Earth. [Read more…] about Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars

Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it's an astronomer's dream
47
A newly discovered planet could be our best chance yet of studying rocky planet atmospheres outside the solar system, a new international study involving UNSW Sydney shows. The planet, called Gliese 486b (pronounced Glee-seh), is a “super-Earth”: that is, a rocky planet bigger than Earth but smaller than ice giants…
Tags: planet, atmosphere, life, red, earth, study, space
Heat and dust help launch Martian water into space, scientists find
40
Scientists using an instrument aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft have discovered that water vapor near the surface of the Red Planet is lofted higher into the atmosphere than anyone expected was possible. There, it is easily destroyed by electrically charged gas particles – or ions…
Tags: atmosphere, mars, martian, space, surface
Young stars ‘destroy Earth-like atmospheres’
39
The discoveries of thousands of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system have made questions about the potential for life to form on these planets fundamentally important in modern science. Fundamentally important for the habitability of a planet is whether or not it can hold onto an atmosphere, which requires…
Tags: atmosphere, planet, space, life, radiation, earth
Earthlings send three separate missions to Mars
36
Earthlings have sent three separate missions to Mars which will all reach the Red Planet within the next few days. One of them was sent by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is scheduled to land on 18th February 2021. NASA’s spacecraft carried the Perseverance Rover…
Tags: space, mars, missions, mission, earth, planet
Preparing for a human mission to Mars
34
Future human missions to Mars depend on field research in an environment similar to that of Mars. It will enable the evaluation of operational concepts and optimization of strategies. The goals and results of the AMADEE-18 Mars analog mission are detailed in a special collection of articles in the peer-reviewed…
Tags: mission, mars, missions, center, space, environment

On the quest for other Earths

February 19, 2021 by Zakia

In the search for planets capable of sustaining life, an international research team with members from ETH has taken a significant step forward.

As the researchers reported recently in the journal Nature Communications, they found signs of a Neptune-sized planet in the Alpha Centauri star system, a mere 4.4 light years away from Earth.

This exoplanet is located in a zone that may offer suitable conditions for life. The team was able to collect data with unprecedented sensitivity, thus registering even very weak signals. [Read more…] about On the quest for other Earths

There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres
42
An atmosphere is what makes life on Earth's surface possible, regulating our climate and sheltering us from damaging cosmic rays. But although telescopes have counted a growing number of rocky planets, scientists had thought most of their atmospheres long lost. However, a new study by University of Chicago and Stanford…
Tags: planets, atmosphere, water, star, earth, telescope, planet, universe, planet's
Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it's an astronomer's dream
40
A newly discovered planet could be our best chance yet of studying rocky planet atmospheres outside the solar system, a new international study involving UNSW Sydney shows. The planet, called Gliese 486b (pronounced Glee-seh), is a “super-Earth”: that is, a rocky planet bigger than Earth but smaller than ice giants…
Tags: planet, atmosphere, planets, star, life, earth, study, planet's
Carbon-rich exoplanets may be made of diamonds
37
As missions like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, TESS and Kepler continue to provide insights into the properties of exoplanets (planets around other stars), scientists are increasingly able to piece together what these planets look like, what they are made of, and if they could be habitable or even inhabited. In…
Tags: planets, exoplanets, earth, water, life, stars, study, telescope, team, planet's
First transiting exoplanet's 'chemical fingerprint' reveals its distant birthplace
33
Astronomers have found evidence that the first exoplanet that was identified transiting its star could have migrated to a close orbit with its star from its original birthplace further away. Analysis of the planet's atmosphere by a team including University of Warwick scientists has identified the chemical fingerprint of a…
Tags: atmosphere, star, planet, water, exoplanet, planets, life, team, planet's, universe
Young stars ‘destroy Earth-like atmospheres’
32
The discoveries of thousands of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system have made questions about the potential for life to form on these planets fundamentally important in modern science. Fundamentally important for the habitability of a planet is whether or not it can hold onto an atmosphere, which requires…
Tags: planets, stars, atmosphere, earth-like, planet, life, star, earth

Earthlings send three separate missions to Mars

February 11, 2021 by Editor

Earthlings have sent three separate missions to Mars which will all reach the Red Planet within the next few days.

One of them was sent by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is scheduled to land on 18th February 2021.

NASA’s spacecraft carried the Perseverance Rover (main illustration), a wheeled robotic vehicle which sports a robotic arm built by Motiv Space Systems, whose CEO Robotics and Automation News interviewed in September last year. (See video below.) [Read more…] about Earthlings send three separate missions to Mars

Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars
36
Some microbes on Earth could temporarily survive on the surface of Mars, finds a new study by NASA and German Aerospace Center scientists. The researchers tested the endurance of microorganisms to Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth's stratosphere, as it closely represents key conditions on the Red Planet.…
Tags: space, earth, mars, missions, planet, mission
Preparing for a human mission to Mars
35
Future human missions to Mars depend on field research in an environment similar to that of Mars. It will enable the evaluation of operational concepts and optimization of strategies. The goals and results of the AMADEE-18 Mars analog mission are detailed in a special collection of articles in the peer-reviewed…
Tags: mission, mars, human, missions, space, news
NASA selects mission to study space weather from ISS
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NASA has selected a new mission that will help scientists understand and, ultimately, forecast the vast space weather system around our planet. Space weather is important because it can have profound impacts – affecting technology and astronauts in space, disrupting radio communications and, at its most severe, overwhelming power grids.…
Tags: space, mission, nasa, earth, will, missions
Was there ever life on Mars?
32
The Mars rover exists for one reason: To find out if there was ever life on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, marking a major step in a mission that has captured the hearts and minds of space enthusiasts around the world…
Tags: mars, space, mission, will, rover, robotic, earth, human, planet, nasa

Ancient structures were part of a giant, global ‘macrocomputer’, says researcher

February 9, 2021 by Editor

Many ancient megalithic structures were “macrocomputers”, and part of a global energy grid which provided free electricity worldwide, according to scientist Michael Tellinger.

The popular alternative historian and archaeologist says one of the most spectacular signs of ancient scientific knowledge and intelligence is the fact that all the megalithic structures still remain standing on Earth thousands of years after they were built.

Moreover, most of them have a precise shape, structure and arrangement similar to what can be found inside modern computers. [Read more…] about Ancient structures were part of a giant, global ‘macrocomputer’, says researcher

Mysterious monolith appears around the world
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A mysterious monolith (main picture) has been appearing in remote locations around the world since November last year, without any explanation as to what they are supposed to signify. Clearly modern in its construction, the metal monolith – which looks vaguely like an obelisk – was first spotted on 18th…
Tags: structures, years, megalithic, stone, earth, scientific, ancient, features, archaeology

Yes, of course we are living in a computer simulation

February 9, 2021 by Editor

A new film – a documentary called A Glitch in the Matrix – is again opening up the debate about whether we all live in a simulated world.

Our conclusion at this website, arrived at through no serious research whatsoever, is that yes, we absolutely live in a computer simulation.

Our caveats are that:

the physical world is not a simulation – it is physically real. It is our everyday lives – where we go, what we do, and so on – that are part of a computer program or simulation, designed by a real-life version of “the Architect” in the original Matrix movies; and
that not all of us live in the simulation – some people are outside or peripheral to the simulation. Our “architect” appears to be interested in anyone and anything that threatens its existence and course of action – everyone else can just go about their business provided they don’t break off from the “strings” – or computer instructions – that tie them to the matrix. [Read more…] about Yes, of course we are living in a computer simulation

The Earth is flat. Everything else is just fake news. Or is it?
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‘Is Western culture balancing on a tightrope between science and humanities?’ asks Carlos Elias, author of new book Science on the Ropes, which explains why science has been dethroned from its prestigious position in Western culture and replaced by pseudoscientific conjecture and fake news Pseudoscience is on the rise and…
Tags: science, earth, will, features, opinion

earth

Was there ever life on Mars?

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There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres

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Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it’s an astronomer’s dream

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Life from Earth could temporarily survive on Mars

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On the quest for other Earths

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Earthlings send three separate missions to Mars

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Ancient structures were part of a giant, global ‘macrocomputer’, says researcher

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Yes, of course we are living in a computer simulation

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