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Published

Scientists report 'benchmarks' for extreme space weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Extreme space weather threatens vital satellites orbiting the Earth, including the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which pass through the heart of the outer radiation belt. New research has now determined a series of benchmarks for the likely severity of extreme space weather events in GPS orbit.

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Earth was created much faster than we thought: This makes the chance of finding other habitable planets in the Universe more likely      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Over the past decades, researchers thought Earth was created over a period of more than 100 million years. However, a new study from suggests that the creation of Earth was much more rapid, and that water and other essential ingredients for life were delivered to Earth very early on.

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A scorching-hot exoplanet scrutinized by astronomers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Through the Gemini-North Telescope in Hawai'i, the chemical composition of WASP-76 b is revealed in unprecedented detail, giving new insights also into the composition of giant planets.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: General Space: The Solar System
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Plate tectonics not required for the emergence of life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New finding contradicts previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth. Moreover, the data suggests that 'when we're looking for exoplanets that harbor life, the planets do not necessarily need to have plate tectonics,' says the lead author of a new paper.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Sun's coldest region stores secret to heating million-degree corona      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unveiled the discovery of intense wave energy from a relatively cool, dark and strongly magnetized plasma region on the Sun, capable of traversing the solar atmosphere and maintaining temperatures of a million degrees Kelvin inside the corona. Researchers say the finding is the latest key to unraveling a host of related mysteries pertaining to Earth's nearest star.

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Published

Key building block for life found at Saturn's moon Enceladus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system just got more exciting. A team of scientists has discovered new evidence that the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus contains a key building block for life. The team directly detected phosphorus in the form of phosphates originating from the moon's ice-covered global ocean using data from NASA's Cassini mission. Cassini explored Saturn and its system of rings and moons for over 13 years.

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Published

Pass the salt: This space rock holds clues as to how Earth got its water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The discovery of tiny salt grains in a sample from an asteroid provides strong evidence that liquid water may be more common in the solar system than previously thought.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Flaring star could be down to young planet's disc inferno      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New simulations offer new explanation for star's 85-year flare. In this scenario, a young giant planet is burning up very close to its star, suggesting solar systems may have hosted many of such planets that have since 'evaporated'.

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Using photosynthesis for Martian occupation -- while making space travel more sustainable      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are working on sustainable technology to harvest solar power in space -- which could supplement life support systems on the Moon and Mars.

Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

'Hot Jupiters' may not be orbiting alone      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers challenge longstanding beliefs about the isolation of 'hot Jupiters' and proposes a new mechanism for understanding the exoplanets' evolution.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Long missions, frequent travel take a toll on astronauts' brains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study looking at how the human brain reacts to traveling outside Earth's gravity suggests frequent flyers should wait three years after longer missions to allow the physiological changes in their brains to reset.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

New study identifies mechanism driving the sun's fast wind      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers used data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe to explain how the solar wind is capable of surpassing speeds of 1 million miles per hour. They discovered that the energy released from the magnetic field near the sun's surface is powerful enough to drive the fast solar wind, which is made up of ionized particles -- called plasma -- that flow outward from the sun.

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Published

Proposed design could double the efficiency of lightweight solar cells for space-based applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When it comes to supplying energy for space exploration and settlements, commonly available solar cells made of silicon or gallium arsenide are still too heavy to be feasibly transported by rocket. To address this challenge, a wide variety of lightweight alternatives are being explored, including solar cells made of a thin layer of molybdenum selenide, which fall into the broader category of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (2D TMDC) solar cells. Researchers propose a device design that can take the efficiencies of 2D TMDC devices from 5%, as has already been demonstrated, to 12%.

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Published

Webb Space Telescope detects universe's most distant complex organic molecules      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have detected complex organic molecules in a galaxy more than 12 billion light-years away from Earth -- the most distant galaxy in which these molecules are now known to exist. Thanks to the capabilities of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope and careful analyses from the research team, a new study lends critical insight into the complex chemical interactions that occur in the first galaxies in the early universe.

Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Supercomputer simulations provide a better picture of the Sun's magnetic field      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The new findings challenge the conventional understanding of solar dynamics and could improve predictions of solar weather in the future.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Towering plume of water escaping from Saturn moon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have observed a towering plume of water vapor more than 6,000 miles long -- roughly the distance from the U.S. to Japan -- spewing from the surface of Saturn's moon, Enceladus.

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Published

One-third of galaxy's most common planets could be in habitable zone      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A third of the exoplanets orbiting common M dwarf stars have gentle enough orbits to potentially be in the habitable zone capable of hosting liquid water.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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The search for habitable planets expands      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers are suggesting a new way to expand the search for habitable planets that takes into account a zone not previously considered: the space between the star and what's called soot-line in planet-forming disks.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
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Astronomers discover a key planetary system to understand the formation mechanism of the mysterious 'super-Earths'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study presents the detection of a system of two planets slightly larger than Earth orbiting a cold star in a synchronized dance. Named TOI-2096, the system is located 150 light-years from Earth. This system, located 150 light-years from Earth, is one of the best candidates for a detailed study of their atmosphere with the JWST space telescope.

Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

New study provides novel insights into the cosmic evolution of amino acids      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

All biological amino acids on Earth appear exclusively in their left-handed form, but the reason underlying this observation is elusive. Recently, scientists uncovered new clues about the cosmic origin of this asymmetry. Based on the optical properties of amino acids found on the Murchison meteorite, they conducted physics-based simulations, revealing that the precursors to the biological amino acids may have determined the amino acid chirality during the early phase of galactic evolution.