Earth
The Moon is the Perfect Spot for Humanity’s Offsite Backup
In a recent study, a collaborative team of researchers discuss the potential for future lunar settlers to establish a backup…
Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Asteroid That Created the Biggest Known Crater on Earth
Ancient impacts played a powerful role in Earth's complex history. On other Solar System bodies like the Moon or Mercury,…
Mars did Have Moving Glaciers, but They Behaved Differently in the Planet's Lower Gravity
New research shows that glaciers on Mars moved very slowly, which could have allowed ancient life there to survive.
More Rocket Launches Could Damage the Ozone Layer
There are few things in this world that brings feelings of awe and wonder more than a rocket launch. Watching…
The Rapid Changes We’re Seeing With the Earth’s Magnetic Field Don’t Mean the Poles are About to Flip. This is Normal
One of the most interesting discoveries about Earth in the past few decades concerns the Earth's magnetic poles. Paleomagnetic records…
Antarctica Lost an Ice Shelf, but Gained an Island
Collapsing ice shelves on the eastern coast of Antarctica has revealed something never seen before: a landform that might be…
Just a Few Pixels Would let Astronomers Map Surface Features on an Exoplanet Like Oceans and Deserts
Direct images of exoplanets are rare and lack detail. Future observatories might change that, but for now, exoplanet images don't…
Marsquakes are Caused by Shifting Magma
Before the InSight Lander arrived on Mars, scientists could only estimate what the planet's internal structure might be. Its size,…
Primordial Helium, Left Over From the Big Bang, is Leaking Out of the Earth
Something ancient and primordial lurks in Earth's core. Helium 3 (3He) was created in the first minutes after the Big…
The Building Blocks of Earth Could Have Come From Farther out in the Solar System
Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago via accretion. Earth's building blocks were chunks of rock of varying sizes. From…