Category: Geology

A crater lake on Mars was racked by ancient flash floods Mars images one year into the Perseverance rover’s mission, tell a story of a river-fed lake that ended its quiet existence with a series of sudden flash floods and transition into a new climate.

Posted on March 28, 2022March 28, 2022 by Genesis Berlanga 327 views

One picture from the surface of Mars can tell us an entire story about the history and formation of that place. Often, the similarities and…

Microbes that eat iron are a cause of bedrock erosion Scientists find that iron-eating microbes taken from an iron-rich bedrock site in Puerto Rico have the ability to break down pieces of granite in laboratory cultures, showing that iron-eating organisms are involved in the erosion of bedrock.

Posted on January 6, 2022November 29, 2021 by Madison Payne 369 views

Are microscopic mineral-eating microbes breaking down our mountains? They may be behind bedrock erosion.

The shape of the continents is not a coincidence Biological processes might have led to greater continental crust coverage than would be expected on a planet without life.

Posted on September 13, 2021September 2, 2021 by Dee Cirium 1k views

Biological processes might have led to greater continental crust coverage than would be expected on a planet without life.

Could “Fools’ Gold” have helped build the first proteins? Scientists measured the forces that allow iron pyrite to help amino acids bind to each other at the bottom of the ocean -- to understand how life may have formed a long time ago.

Posted on September 21, 2020November 16, 2021 by Marcos Jusino-Maldonado 369 views

How and why humans exist are questions that have challenged different cultures ever since the dawn of civilization. Many scientists have…

Early Martian life may have used sulfur as an energy source Using an environment on Earth that simulates early Mars conditions, researchers found an abundance of bacteria that get their energy from sulfur-containing molecules, suggesting a new focus in the search for biosignatures on the Red Planet.

Posted on September 7, 2020November 16, 2021 by Brooke Carruthers 387 views

Using an environment on Earth that simulates early Mars conditions, researchers found an abundance of bacteria that get their energy from…

Scientists discover cockroach fossils from the dinosaur age Two new species of cave dwelling cockroaches have been discovered from a cave in Myanmar. They have been dated to be 99 million years old making them the oldest cave animals known to date.

Posted on June 17, 2020November 16, 2021 by Joseph Ulbrich 1k views

Two new species of cave dwelling cockroaches have been discovered from a cave in Myanmar. They have been dated to be 99 million years old…

A new way to look for signs of ancient life on Earth and Mars Scientists have found that high concentrations of rare elements might be evidence of life near ancient hot springs.

Posted on June 5, 2020April 7, 2021 by Andrea Corpolongo 499 views

The Mars 2020 mission involves sending a rover, named Perseverance, to Mars to look for evidence of past life on that planet. Perseverance…

How storms may contribute to groundwater contamination in karst systems Researchers found that sediments washed through karst aquifers during storms come in two waves.

Posted on May 27, 2020November 16, 2021 by Nicholas Harrison 287 views

Researchers found that minerals from rocks deposited in karst aquifers during storms comes in two waves.

What can microbes teach us about life in extreme environments? Microbes living in an extreme environment hosted by a rock called serpentinite use a variety of sulfur compounds to gain energy and survive, which has implications for life that might exist elsewhere in our Universe.

Posted on May 13, 2020April 7, 2021 by Mary Sabuda 192 views

Microbes on Earth have adapted to survive in some pretty extreme locations. The extreme dryness of deserts, high salinity in salt deposits,…

Fungi influence the recovery of pollutants in the environment Researchers found a hidden selenium cycle tied to manganese oxide minerals made by common soil fungi.

Posted on May 11, 2020April 7, 2021 by Mary Sabuda 195 views

Researchers found a hidden selenium cycle tied to manganese oxide minerals made by common soil fungi.

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