Browsing Tag
planetary science
10 posts
Are aliens real? Scientists have been hunting for extraterrestrial life since the time of Aristotle
Robert William Smith, University of Alberta Do aliens exist? Could Earth really be the only planet hosting intelligent…
Are there thunderstorms on Mars? A planetary scientist explains the red planet’s dry, dusty storms
Mars doesn’t get rain like Earth does, but dust storms are common on the red planet. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of…
What actually is fire? A physicist explains
Pixabay/Pexels Emma Brown, CQUniversity Australia Fire is an ancient technology that has helped shape human evolution. Our ancestors…
Space exploration in the backyard, on a budget – how NASA simulates conditions in space without blasting off
Analog missions, like those conducted at NASA’s CHAPEA facility at the Johnson Space Center, help scientists study human…
Mars has a solid core, resolving a longstanding planetary mystery — new study
NASA Kevin Olsen, University of Oxford and Mhairi Reid, University of Oxford Scientists have discovered that Mars has…
UW study: Flaw in rover tests risks future Mars missions
New computer simulations reveal a critical flaw in how space agencies test rovers, leading to overly optimistic predictions for missions on the moon and Mars.
Study: Mars self-regulated as a desert planet
New research suggests a negative feedback loop involving carbon-trapping rocks may have doomed Mars to become a self-regulating desert planet with only fleeting periods of habitability.
Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell scientists
The OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule contained rock from the asteroid Bennu. NASA/Keegan Barber Mary Magnuson, The Conversation China’s…
Scientists claim to have found evidence of alien life. But ‘biosignatures’ might hide more than they reveal
Artist’s impression of the exoplanet K2-18b. A. Smith/N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge) Campbell Rider, University of Sydney Whether…
Why is one half of Mars so different to the other? ‘Marsquakes’ may have just revealed the answer
A map showing the ‘Martian dichotomy’: the southern highlands are in yellows and oranges, the northern lowlands in…