Published on: 2025-04-19 09:35:05
Credits Karen G. Lloyd is the Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies and professor of Earth science at the University of Southern California. This essay is adapted from her forthcoming book “Intraterrestrials: Discovering the Strangest Life on Earth” (Princeton University Press, 2025). The way to spot a cold methane seep on the ocean floor is to look for the life that gathers around it, like antelopes at a savanna watering hole: clams, mussels, crabs, shrimp, fish, sea anemones and creepy, othe
Keywords: deep earth intraterrestrials life microbes
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-20 07:16:21
Humans have found it hard to quit fossil fuels, which is why some argue that we’ll soon need to start geoengineering — that is, modifying the atmosphere to prevent catastrophic warming of the planet. The practice is controversial. Some argue it’s the only solution given that we’ve waited too long to reduce carbon emissions. Others say we shouldn’t be running two uncontrolled experiments on the Earth’s climate (the first being the global burning of fossil fuels). That hasn’t stopped people from
Keywords: dioxide earth make sulfur sunsets
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-18 02:19:31
Ocean Tides and the Earth's Rotation An Introductory Discussion Courtesy of the Tides affect the earth's rotation in two sharply contrasting ways. One way, caused by tidal friction, produces an extremely slow secular change in rotation. The other way, caused by the continual movements of the tides about the planet, produces very small but very rapid changes in rotation. These rapid changes occur at exactly the same periods as the tides themselves -- half-daily, daily, etc. (The IERS Special Bu
Keywords: earth rotation tidal tides variations
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-22 14:01:55
Astronomers say they've spotted a possible sign of life in the atmosphere of K2-18b, an exoplanet 124 light-years away, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters, the international team of researchers led by University of Cambridge astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan says they've detected the molecule dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the planet's atmosphere, which here on Earth — at least as far as we know — is only produced
Keywords: 18b earth habitable k2 life
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-22 15:03:53
A team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge say they're closer to a statistically significant scientific finding that would show that signs of life they're detecting from the distant exoplanet dubbed "K2-18b" are no accident. The astronomers used data from the James Webb Space Telescope, which has only been in use since the end of 2021, to detect chemical traces of dimethyl sulfide and/or dimethyl disulfide, which they say can only be produced by life such as phytoplankton in the s
Keywords: earth life like planet team
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-22 19:12:11
Look alive: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may have picked up signs of a potential biosignature on a steamy, ocean-covered exoplanet called K2-18b—a biosignature that, on Earth, is produced by marine life. The main character here is dimethyl sulfide, a molecule produced by many ocean denizens, but especially plankton. If the molecule is really floating around in the atmosphere of K2-18b, it raises the tantalizing possibility that something on the world might be alive. Or at least emittin
Keywords: 18b earth k2 life team
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-22 23:13:00
What just happened? It's one of humanity's oldest questions: are we alone in the universe? A team of researchers has found new evidence that there may be life on a planet two and a half times the size of Earth in another solar system. But don't get too excited just yet. A team of Cambridge researchers studying the atmosphere of a planet called K2-18b discovered chemical signatures of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS). The molecules are tied to biological life, produced by m
Keywords: earth life planet sigma team
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-22 23:10:13
Satellite imagery collected for Google Earth has revealed some strange things in the past—from phantom islands to mysterious shipwrecks—but zooming in on a rural area in northern Texas recently showed a satellite in orbit and exhibiting a colorful apparition. Reddit users pointed out an image of a satellite flying over the Hagerman Wildlife Refuge near Gainesville, Texas, in the GoogleEarthFinds subreddit. We rarely get to see satellites in action, so this glimpse of the orbital flight is a rar
Keywords: earth image images orbit satellite
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-23 15:20:31
The search for life beyond Earth has led scientists to explore many suggestive mysteries, from plumes of methane on Mars to clouds of phosphine gas on Venus. But as far as we can tell, Earth’s inhabitants remain alone in the cosmos. Now a team of researchers is offering what it contends is the strongest indication yet of extraterrestrial life, not in our solar system but on a massive planet, known as K2-18b, that orbits a star 120 light-years from Earth. A repeated analysis of the exoplanet’s
Keywords: 18b earth k2 life said
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-23 23:25:00
Skygazers in the northern region of the US and Canada might catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights Wednesday night and into Thursday. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch for April 16, when plasma ejected from the sun is expected to reach Earth's magnetic field. Minor geomagnetic storm conditions are likely to carry on until April 17, the agency reported. The colorful lights splashed across the night sky are caused by geomagnetic storms in our at
Keywords: earth field geomagnetic lights magnetic
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-25 18:00:00
It’s often the case that the more that planets are studied and understood, the more remote the possibility of inhabiting them seems. Mars, for example, is the closest celestial body to Earth in terms of distance, but data shows its conditions are extremely hostile for life. Despite this, NASA has plans to send astronauts to the Red Planet, and Elon Musk is a vocal proponent of establishing a human presence there. In the short term, the solution to colonizing Mars is the construction of special
Keywords: asteroid atmosphere earth mars planet
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-25 21:33:00
Skygazers in the northern region of the US and Canada might catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights as soon as tonight and into tomorrow. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center just issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch for April 16, when plasma ejected from the sun is expected to reach Earth's magnetic field. Minor geomagnetic storm conditions are likely to carry on until April 17, the agency reported. The colorful lights splashed across the night sky are caused by geomagnetic storms i
Keywords: april atmosphere earth geomagnetic lights
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-26 19:00:54
Scholars generally agree that fire was crucial to human survival during the most recent Ice Age—yet in Europe, there is surprisingly little evidence of hearths from its coldest years, between 26,500 and 19,000 years ago. By studying three prehistoric hearths in Ukraine, a team of researchers has gained new insight into how fire was used during the Ice Age’s harshest period. As detailed in a study published earlier this month in the journal Geoarchaeology, the bygone fires reveal hints of sophis
Keywords: age fires hearths ice used
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-26 23:24:40
Dig deep on Google Earth and you'll inevitably find a surprise or two. Maybe you're looking at far-flung islands in the middle of an ocean or checking in on something closer to home. A few years ago, online sleuths found an image of a B-2 stealth bomber in flight over Missouri. The aircraft is smeared in the image because it was in motion, while the farm fields below appear as crisp as any other view on Google Earth. There's something else that now appears on Google Earth. Zoom in over rural N
Keywords: earth google orbit satellite starlink
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-27 19:30:39
Workers transporting soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, Oct. 31, 2010. Stringer | Reuters As China imposes export controls on rare earth elements, the U.S. would be unable to fill a potential shortfall, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies — and this could threaten Washington's military capabilities. Amid U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating tariffs on China, Beijing earlier this month imposed export r
Keywords: china defense earth export rare
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-28 23:20:37
According to the experts at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are en route to Earth, and they could be bringing a glowing gift: a potential auroral display reaching farther south than usual—possibly lighting up skies over parts of the northern U.S., like New York and Idaho. This space weather alert is tied to a rare solar double feature: two magnetic filament eruptions that launched CMEs from the Sun over the weekend. If both CMEs arrive on Earth close to
Keywords: cmes cycle earth sun year
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-29 18:24:00
The big picture: China has halted exports of critical rare earth metals and magnets essential to industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to aerospace and defense. The move, which has sent shockwaves through global supply chains, began earlier this month when China placed new export restrictions on these minerals. The suspension comes as Beijing drafts a new regulatory framework for issuing export licenses, a process expected to restrict access to these vital materials for specific comp
Keywords: china earth earths metals rare
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-29 19:25:06
Earth’s meteorite collection just got called out for being a little biased—and what’s more, a team of astronomers pinpointed exactly why that bias occurs. Carbonaceous asteroids are all over our solar system, both in the main belt and closer to Earth. But very few of the carbon-rich rocks are actually found on Earth, comprising just 4% of the meteorites recovered on our planet’s surface. The astronomical team wanted to understand what causes the discrepancy. Their findings, published today in
Keywords: asteroids carbon earth material rich
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-29 23:24:00
The big picture: China has halted exports of critical rare earth metals and magnets essential to industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to aerospace and defense. The move, which has sent shockwaves through global supply chains, began earlier this month when China placed new export restrictions on these minerals. The suspension comes as Beijing drafts a new regulatory framework for issuing export licenses, a process expected to restrict access to these vital materials for specific comp
Keywords: china earth earths metals rare
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-30 10:00:00
Rather, it’s asteroids a size range down—those upwards of 460 feet (140 meters) long—that are of paramount concern. About 25,000 of those are thought to exist close to our planet, and just under half have been found. The day-to-day odds of an impact are extremely low, but even one of the smaller ones in that size range could do significant damage if it found Earth and hit a populated area—a capacity that has led astronomers to dub such midsize asteroids “city killers.” If we find a city killer
Keywords: asteroid earth impact nuclear planet
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-27 18:57:17
What Is Microgravity? Microgravity is the condition where the force of gravity is not zero, but extremely small. Microgravity is typically between 1 thousandth and 1 millionth of Earth’s gravity. Despite what people say, the International Space Station isn’t in “zero-G”. It’s actually in microgravity. The astronauts feel weightless not because there’s no gravity, but because they’re in continuous freefall, orbiting the Earth at high speed. It’s like being on a roller coaster…forever. Why Doe
Keywords: earth gravity microgravity space zero
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-04-29 22:00:19
We're inching ever closer towards unearthing the secrets behind one of the most enduring marine mysteries: the fabled "milky seas" — glowing stretches of water that cast the ocean in an otherworldly haze of green and white, spanning to the horizon and beyond. The nocturnal phenomenon has haunted and mystified sailors for centuries. But they're incredibly rare, and scientists have struggled to determine what causes them. The milky seas are believed to be produced by some form of bioluminescence,
Keywords: earth hudson milky ocean seas
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-01 23:15:03
A few months ago, an asteroid created quite a buzz. At one point, asteroid 2024 YR4 had a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth, creating plenty of headlines about its potential impact. The threat is all but gone, but we now have pictures of the once-worrisome asteroid. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured images of the asteroid with two cameras, including the Near-Infrared Camera and the Mid-Infrared Instrument. The former measures reflected light, while the latter shows thermal energy. The image
Keywords: agency asteroid earth moon nasa
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-03 03:21:27
There are some stunning views out there, like hotels that let you see the New York City skyline and resorts with gorgeous mountain or ocean views. But there are few places with a view as absurdly cool as the International Space Station. On Wednesday, astronaut Don Pettit -- who is also a noted photographer and inventor of the zero-G coffee cup -- took a gorgeous time-lapse video of the ISS as it flew over an aurora. The video, viewable on X, is about 50 seconds long. It shows the ISS orbiting a
Keywords: aurora earth iss like space
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-04 07:15:54
An awkward-looking, spherical satellite the size of a grapefruit launched in March 1958, and was boosted into a high elliptical orbit. The satellite, named Vanguard-1, was a test of launch capabilities during the early days of the historic space age. Other satellites of its time have reentered through Earth’s atmosphere, burning up in a fiery death, but Vanguard-1 is still in orbit, silently zooming through the void of space. A team of researchers and engineers want to retrieve the satellite for
Keywords: earth orbit satellite space vanguard
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-06 11:45:08
A newly discovered asteroid is on track for a close brush with Earth—and it might even slam into the Moon. Recently, astronomers got a closer look at the giant space rock, revealing its violent origin story. Using the Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, a team of astronomers was able to identify the physical properties of asteroid 2024 YR4 and uncover its potential origin. The menacing asteroid may have broken off from a larger space rock following a collision. It also likely originat
Keywords: 2024 asteroid earth rock yr4
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-06 18:00:05
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' space outfit Blue Origin is planning to make history in less than a week by sending an all-female crew on a spaceflight. The American spacecraft company's 11th human mission, NS-31, is made up of NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, CBS host Gayle King, Bezos' fiancé and former journalist Lauren Sánchez, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyễn and pop singer Katy Perry. The company is eyeing a liftoff date of April 14, with the launch w
Keywords: blue crew earth origin space
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-05 21:56:59
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Scientists are now hoping that the asteroid will smash into the Moon. A huge asteroid that was briefly feared to strike Earth now has a nearly 4% chance of smashing into the moon, according to new data from the James Webb Space Telescope. The asteroid, thought to be capable of leveling a city, set a new record in F
Keywords: asteroid chance earth moon space
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-09 12:49:00
China has tightened control over the global rare earth supply by introducing new export restrictions that could disrupt industries dependent on these materials. The latest measures, announced late last week, target seven elements – including scandium and dysprosium – used in smartphones, electric vehicles, and military tech. Rather than a blanket ban, the rules require exporters to obtain licenses and specify how buyers intend to use the materials, creating bureaucratic friction that could delay
Keywords: china earth materials rare supply
Find related items on AmazonPublished on: 2025-05-10 03:49:00
China has tightened control over the global rare earth supply by introducing new export restrictions that could disrupt industries dependent on these materials. The latest measures, announced late last week, target seven elements – including scandium and dysprosium – used in smartphones, electric vehicles, and military tech. Rather than a blanket ban, the rules require exporters to obtain licenses and specify how buyers intend to use the materials, creating bureaucratic friction that could delay
Keywords: china earth materials rare supply
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