Chemistry
The Raw Materials for Life Form Early on in Stellar Nurseries
Life doesn't appear from nothing. Its origins are wrapped up in the same long, arduous process that creates the elements,…
Minerals Could Form on Mars Without an Oxygen-Rich Atmosphere
Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere does more than provide the foundation for complex life. The oxygen in the atmosphere is so reactive…
Comet Impacts Could Have Brought the Raw Ingredients for Life to Europa’s Ocean
Jupiter is the most-visited planet in the Solar System, thanks largely to NASA. It all started with Pioneer 10 and…
Meteorites Bathed in Gamma Rays Produce More Amino Acids and Could Have Helped Life get Going on Earth
Our modern telescopes are more powerful than their predecessors, and our research is more focused than ever. We keep discovering…
The Most Devastating Solar Storms in History are Scoured Into Tree Rings
Trees are like sentinels that preserve a record of shifting climates. Their growth rings hold that history and dendrochronology studies…
Early Life on Mars Might Have Wiped Out Life on Mars
Life might have wiped itself out on early Mars. That's not as absurd as it sounds; that's sort of what…
The Heaviest Element Ever Seen in an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere: Barium
Astronomers have spotted barium in the atmosphere of a distant exoplanet. With its 56 protons, you have to run your…
Scientists Discover a New Way Exoplanets Could Make Oxygen; Unfortunately, it Doesn’t Require Life
Finding oxygen in an exoplanet's atmosphere is a clue that life may be at work. On Earth, photosynthetic organisms absorb…
Water Worlds Could Have Plumes of Nutrients Carried up From Down Below
Earth's oceans are one huge, uniform electrolyte solution. They contain salt (sodium chloride) and other nutrients like magnesium, sulphate, and…
Carbon-12 is an Essential Building Block for Life and Scientists Have Finally Figured Out How it Forms in Stars
Artist's impression of a red giant star. Their cores are cauldrons where carbon-12 is produced. Credit:NASA/ Walt Feimer Each of…