Oxygen, nitrogen, and what happens when biology gets involved
When studying Earth’s past, researchers want to understand how nutrients like nitrogen cycled and the impact biology had on them.…
Category: Geology
Can life hiding near Yellowstone National Park’s hot springs tell us about the ancient Earth?
Yellowstone National Park is famous for its hot springs, geysers, wildlife, and incredible geology. While the area is popular among visitors…
Are the building blocks of life at the bottom of the sea?
Scientists recreated a deep-ocean environment where underwater volcanoes spew heat and chemicals to test whether or not biological molecules…
Believe it or not, we can (kind of) measure the air pressure of early Earth!
Blue-green algae's response to different nitrogen pressures may tell us what fossils to look for and what those fossils tell us about…
Using Gas Bubbles in Lava to Predict Ancient Air Pressure
What was the weather like in New York last week? You can look it up on weather.com. What was it like on March 7, 1953, in the pre-internet…
For a Cooler Climate, Just Add Ice
Should we geoengineer larger ice caps to reflect radiation away from the Earth to cool the climate? Is this a good idea? This article…
Lasers and Fool’s Gold Give a Glimpse Into Our Ocean’s Past
The amount of trace elements in ocean pyrite correspond to ocean oxygen concentrations at different points in geologic time.
New Cavity Discovered in the Great Pyramid of Egypt
An international team of scientists recently detected a new cavity in the 4000 year old Great Pyramid of Egypt! The detection method, muon…
The Aitape Skull may be from the oldest known tsunami victim
Tsunami are among the most destructive natural events that happen on our planet. From the Japanese term meaning “harbor wave”, tsunami…
Life May Be Even Older Than We Thought!
How long has life been around on Earth? Is life an inevitable part of planet formation? The second question is tough to answer, but if life…