While none of the interplanetary missions have found traces of life on Mars, both the Viking and China’s Zhurong rovers have discovered astonishing features of the Red Planet that could provide insight into its history and evolution. When Zhurong, China’s first-ever Mars landing mission, orbited the Red Planet for a year, it saw something surreal … Read more
New research suggests that mysterious swirl patterns on the lunar surface may be linked to subsurface magma activity. The “lunar vortices“observed on the moon show a spiral pattern created by magnetized rocks that deflect or redirect the waves solar wind particles that constantly bombard the moon. Moon rocks that fall within the lunar vortices remain … Read more
Geologists exploring the vast West Antarctic ice sheet have discovered the remains of an ancient river system that once stretched nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers). The discovery offers a glimpse into Earth’s history and hints at how extreme climate change could reshape the planet, according to their findings published June 5 in the journal Science … Read more
A beautiful new wonderland has been discovered, hidden deep beneath the ocean waves of the Arctic Circle. Off the coast of Svalbard, Norway, a field of hydrothermal vents unfolds more than 3,000 meters deep along the Knipovich Ridge, an underwater mountain range previously considered fairly inconspicuous. Instead, like underfloor heating, the volcanic activity beneath the … Read more
These giant freshwater crabs could be your new Roman Empire. In 2005, archaeologists studying the Forum of Trajan, a historic Roman ruin site, discovered an ancient species of crab, Potamon fluvial. The only freshwater crab species native to Italy. Researchers suspect that the crab has been in the region since ancient times, long before people … Read more
Geologists digging into West Antarctica’s vast ice sheet have discovered the remains of an ancient river system that once flowed nearly a thousand miles. The discovery offers a glimpse into Earth’s history and indicates how extreme climate change could change the planet, according to their findings, published June 5 in the journal Science Advances. “When … Read more
A team led by glaciologists from UC Irvine used satellite radar data to reconstruct the impact of warm ocean water rising in a grounding zone extending several kilometers beneath the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. The research, the subject of an article published in PNAS, will help climate modelers derive more accurate projections of sea … Read more
Landmarks on Europa’s surface suggest that the ice crust is at the mercy of the waters below. Most importantly, a recent visit from Juno reveals what could be plume activity, which could allow future missions to sample the internal ocean without having to land. It’s been almost two years since Juno made its closest approach … Read more