Paris (ESA) Nov 09, 2016 -
Scattered pockets of magnetism across the surface of Mars have a significant influence on the planet's upper atmosphere, according to observations from ESA's Mars Express. Understanding these effects may be crucial for ensuring safe radio communications between Mars and Earth and, eventually, between explorers on the surface of the planet.
Earth's magnetic field is dominated by a single, s ...
more
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Nov 09, 2016 -
Single-celled microbes are considered a living example of the kind of life that might exist elsewhere in the Universe, as they are able to survive some of the extreme conditions that exist on other worlds. New research on the bacterium Tepidibacillus decaturensis shows that it could be a model organism for what might live on Mars, should any creature inhabit the Red Planet.
This microorgan ...
moreIron-Loving Bacteria A Model For Mars Life
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Nov 09, 2016 -
Single-celled microbes are considered a living example of the kind of life that might exist elsewhere in the Universe, as they are able to survive some of the extreme conditions that exist on other worlds. New research on the bacterium Tepidibacillus decaturensis shows that it could be a model organism for what might live on Mars, should any creature inhabit the Red Planet.
This microorgan ...
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Mars' ionosphere shaped by crustal magnetic fields
Paris (ESA) Nov 09, 2016 -
Scattered pockets of magnetism across the surface of Mars have a significant influence on the planet's upper atmosphere, according to observations from ESA's Mars Express. Understanding these effects may be crucial for ensuring safe radio communications between Mars and Earth and, eventually, between explorers on the surface of the planet.
Earth's magnetic field is dominated by a single, s ...
more | |
Leicester, UK (SPX) Nov 11, 2016 -
Scientists in Leicester have moved one step closer to understanding exactly what happened to the ill-fated Mars Lander Beagle 2, thanks to an innovative research technique. The probe was discovered on the Red Planet in November 2014, but uncertainty surrounded what had caused its failure to communicate with Earth.
Now, a collaboration between De Montfort University and the University of Le ...
more
Austin TX (SPX) Nov 11, 2016 -
A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a University of Texas at Austin-led study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a glacier and could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment well suited for microbial life.
"We were drawn to this site because it looked like it could host some of the key ...
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Stirling UK (SPX) Nov 14, 2016 -
The lack of liquid water on the surface of Mars today has been demonstrated by new evidence in the form of meteorites on the Red Planet examined by an international team of planetary scientists.
In a study led by the University of Stirling, an international team of researchers has found the lack of rust on the meteorites indicates that Mars is incredibly dry, and has been that way for mill ...
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Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 14, 2016 -
Opportunity has moved on from 'Spirit Mound' on the rim of Endeavour Crater.
After several sols of collecting both Navigation Camera (Navcam) and Panoramic Camera (Pancam) panoramas around Spirit Mound, on Sol 4546 (Nov. 6, 2016), the rover drove about 112 feet (34 meters) to the south-southwest, heading for the next science waypoint.
After the drive, Opportunity again collected more ...
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Beijing (XNA) Nov 16, 2016 -
In the Hollywood science fiction movie "The Martian," the astronaut stranded on the Red Planet lives on potatoes he grows there for more than 500 days while awaiting rescue. But will potatoes really grow on Mars one day? Although humans haven't set foot on Mars, astronauts have tasted lettuce grown on the International Space Station.
On Tiangong-2, China's first space lab which was launche ...
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The Hague (AFP) Nov 15, 2016 -
Dutch company Mars One, which aims to send people to the Red Planet within a decade, on Tuesday unveiled its first concept for a space suit to protect humans "under the most difficult conditions."
The pressurised suit will include an impact resistant helmet with a see-through bubble.
It will "make maximum use of local Mars resources to provide a safe and comfortable environment for crew ...
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Moffett Field CA (SPX) Nov 21, 2016 -
Was Mars home to microbial life? Is it today? What can it teach us about life elsewhere in the cosmos or how life began on Earth? What clues will we discover about Earth's past, present and future? NASA and its partners have been traversing the volcanic lava terrains of Hawaii to answer these fundamental questions about life beyond Earth.
Engineers, scientists and software technology exper ...
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Paris (ESA) Nov 21, 2016 -
The ExoMars orbiter is preparing to make its first scientific observations at Mars during two orbits of the planet starting next week. The Trace Gas Orbiter, or TGO, a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos, arrived at Mars on 19 October. It entered orbit, as planned, on a highly elliptical path that takes it from between 230 and 310 km above the surface to around 98 000 km every 4.2 days. ...
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Joensuu, Finland (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
The Arctic is warming rapidly, with projected temperature increases larger than anywhere else in the world. The Arctic regions are particularly important with respect to climate change, as permafrost soils store huge amounts of the Earth's soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N).
Warming of arctic soils and thawing of permafrost thus can have substantial consequences for the global climate, as th ...
more
Sapporo, Japan (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
A team of Hokkaido University scientists has unraveled a 150-year-old mystery surrounding the surface melting of ice crystals in subzero environments by using an advanced optical microscope.
"Ice is wet on its surface": Since this phenomenon, called surface melting, was mentioned by British scientist Michael Faraday more than 150 years ago, the question of why water on the surface of ice d ...
moreAnswering a longstanding question: Why is the surface of ice wet?
Sapporo, Japan (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
A team of Hokkaido University scientists has unraveled a 150-year-old mystery surrounding the surface melting of ice crystals in subzero environments by using an advanced optical microscope.
"Ice is wet on its surface": Since this phenomenon, called surface melting, was mentioned by British scientist Michael Faraday more than 150 years ago, the question of why water on the surface of ice d ...
more | |
Enhanced nitrous oxide emissions found in Arctic
Joensuu, Finland (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
The Arctic is warming rapidly, with projected temperature increases larger than anywhere else in the world. The Arctic regions are particularly important with respect to climate change, as permafrost soils store huge amounts of the Earth's soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N).
Warming of arctic soils and thawing of permafrost thus can have substantial consequences for the global climate, as th ...
more | |
Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
Due to the burning of biomass and fossil fuels and, above all, due to agriculture, excessive quantities of reactive nitrogen are still being released into the atmosphere, soil and water - with negative effects on biodiversity, the climate and human health. However, a differentiated analysis of nitrogen input pathways from the different sources reveals significant differences.
While nitroge ...
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Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
Acidification of the world's oceans could drive a cascading loss of biodiversity in some marine habitats, according to research published in Nature Climate Change. The work by biodiversity researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and colleagues in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan and China, combines dozens of existing studies to paint a more nuanced picture of the impact of oc ...
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Fort Collins CO (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
It turns out bird poop helps cool the Arctic. That's according to new research from Colorado State University atmospheric scientists, who are working to better understand key components of Arctic climate systems.
Publishing in Nature Communications and featured by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science Jeff Pierce and graduate st ...
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Providence RI (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
Around 300 million years ago, the landmass that is now North America collided with Gondwana, a supercontinent comprised of present-day Africa and South America. That clash of continents lifted tons of rock high above the surrounding terrain to form the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains now seen in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. A team of geophysicists has reconstructed the terminal phas ...
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Urbana IL (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
Using computer model simulations, scientists have predicted that modern soybean crops produce more leaves than they need to the detriment of yield-- a problem made worse by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.
They tested their prediction by removing about one third of the emerging leaves on soybeans and found an 8% increase in seed yield in replicated trials. They attribute this boost in yi ...
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Uppsala, Sweden (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
In a new study, an international team of researchers made significant progress in visualizing the process how plants split water to produce oxygen. The results are published in Nature.
For mitigating climate change plants play a crucial role: they use sunlight to remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into biomass. By splitting water, they also produce ...
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Washington DC (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
Where's the best place to start when retracing the life of a person who lived 4,000 years ago? Turns out, it's simple - you start at the beginning. Using a method known for helping forensic scientists solve cold cases, University of Florida doctoral student Ashley Sharpe created a map for determining the birthplace of ancient people and animals in Central America. Archaeologists will use the map ...
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Berkeley CA (SPX) Nov 22, 2016 -
Never mind the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. How exactly do plants split water? An international team of scientists is getting closer to the answer thanks to unprecedented, atomic-scale images of a protein complex found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria captured by ultrafast X-ray lasers.
The experiments, led by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berk ...
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