Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Paleontology: Climate, Space: Astrophysics
Published Extraterrestrial chemistry with earthbound possibilities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Who are we? Why are we here? We are stardust, the result of chemistry occurring throughout vast clouds of interstellar gas and dust. To better understand how that chemistry could create prebiotic molecules, researchers investigated the role of low-energy electrons created as cosmic radiation traverses through ice particles. Their findings may also inform medical and environmental applications on our home planet.
Published New heaviest exotic antimatter nucleus
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists studying the tracks of particles streaming from six billion collisions of atomic nuclei at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) -- an 'atom smasher' that recreates the conditions of the early universe -- have discovered a new kind of antimatter nucleus, the heaviest ever detected. Composed of four antimatter particles -- an antiproton, two antineutrons, and one antihyperon -- these exotic antinuclei are known as antihyperhydrogen-4.
Published New view of North Star reveals spotted surface
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source High-resolution images show large spots on the surface of Polaris.
Published Explanation found for X-ray radiation from black holes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have succeeded in something that has been pursued since the 1970s: explaining the X-ray radiation from the black hole surroundings. The radiation originates from the combined effect of the chaotic movements of magnetic fields and turbulent plasma gas.
Published Right on schedule: Physicists use modeling to forecast a black hole's feeding patterns with precision
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The dramatic dimming of a light source ~ 870 million light years away from Earth confirms the accuracy of a detailed model.
Published Scottish and Irish rocks confirmed as rare record of 'snowball Earth'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study found that the Port Askaig Formation, composed of layers of rock up to 1.1 km thick, was likely laid down between 662 to 720 million years ago during the Sturtian glaciation -- the first of two global freezes thought to have triggered the development of complex, multicellular life.
Published Galaxies in dense environments tend to be larger, settling one cosmic question and raising others
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has found galaxies with more neighbors tend to be larger than their counterparts that have a similar shape and mass, but reside in less dense environments. The team, which used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze millions of galaxies, reports that galaxies found in denser regions of the universe are as much as 25% larger than isolated galaxies. The findings resolve a long-standing debate among astrophysicists over the relationship between a galaxy's size and its environment, but also raise new questions about how galaxies form and evolve over billions of years.
Published New study unveils 16,000 years of climate history in the tropical Andes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers highlight the roles of carbon dioxide and ocean currents as key drivers of temperature fluctuations in the tropical Andes over a 16,000 year period.
Published Millions of years for plants to recover from global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Catastrophic volcanic eruptions that warmed the planet millions of years ago shed new light on how plants evolve and regulate climate. Researchers reveal the long-term effects of disturbed natural ecosystems on climate in geological history and its implications for today.
Published Record-breaking recovery of rocks that originated in Earth's mantle could reveal secrets of planet's history
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have recovered the first long section of rocks that originated in the Earth's mantle, the layer below the crust and the planet's largest component. The rocks will help unravel the mantle's role in the origins of life on Earth, the volcanic activity generated when it melts, and how it drives the global cycles of important elements such as carbon and hydrogen.
Published Carvings at ancient monument may be world's oldest calendars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Markings on a stone pillar at a 12,000 year-old archaeological site in Turkey likely represent the world's oldest solar calendar, created as a memorial to a devastating comet strike, experts suggest.
Published Antarctic-wide survey of plant life to aid conservation efforts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The first continent-wide mapping study of plant life across Antarctica reveals growth in previously uncharted areas and is set to inform conservation measures across the region. The satellite survey of mosses, lichens and algae across the continent will form a baseline for monitoring how Antarctica's vegetation responds to climate change.
Published Astronomers uncover risks to planets that could host life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A groundbreaking study has revealed that red dwarf stars can produce stellar flares that carry far-ultraviolet (far-UV) radiation levels much higher than previously believed.
Published Greenland fossil discovery reveals increased risk of sea-level catastrophe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Seeds, twigs, and insect parts found under two miles of ice confirm Greenland's ice sheet melted in the recent past, the first direct evidence that the center -- not just the edges -- of the two-mile-deep ice melted away in the recent geological past. The new research indicates that the giant ice sheet is more fragile than scientists had realized until the last few years -- and reveals increased risk of sea-level catastrophe in a warmer future.
Published How the rising earth in Antarctica will impact future sea level rise
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The rising earth beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet will likely become a major factor in future sea level rise, a new study suggests.
Published Cold antimatter for quantum state-resolved precision measurements
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Why does the universe contain matter and (virtually) no antimatter? Scientists have achieved an experimental breakthrough in this context. It can contribute to measuring the mass and magnetic moment of antiprotons more precisely than ever before -- and thus identify possible matter-antimatter asymmetries. They have developed a trap, which can cool individual antiprotons much more rapidly than in the past.
Published Underwater mapping reveals new insights into melting of Antarctica's ice shelves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Clues to future sea level rise have been revealed by the first detailed maps of the underside of a floating ice shelf in Antarctica. An international research team deployed an unmanned submersible beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica.
Published The rotation of a nearby star stuns astronomers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have found that the rotational profile of a nearby star, V889 Herculis, differs considerably from that of the Sun. The observation provides insights into the fundamental stellar astrophysics and helps us understand the activity of the Sun, its spot structures and eruptions.
Published What no one has seen before -- simulation of gravitational waves from failing warp drive
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Physicists have been exploring the theoretical possibility of spaceships driven by compressing the four-dimensional spacetime for decades. Although this so-called 'warp drive' originates from the realm of science fiction, it is based on concrete descriptions in general relativity. A new study takes things a step further -- simulating the gravitational waves such a drive might emit if it broke down.
Published The corona is weirdly hot: Parker Solar Probe rules out one explanation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By diving into the sun's corona, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has ruled out S-shaped bends in the sun's magnetic field as a cause of the corona's searing temperatures.