Geologists have uncovered evidence of when Earth may have first supported an oxygen-rich atmosphere similar to the one we breathe today. The study suggests that upheavals in the earth’s crust initiated a kind of reverse-greenhouse effect 500 million years ago that cooled the world’s oceans, spawned giant plankton blooms, and sent a burst of oxygen into the atmosphere. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Scientists analysing data gathered by the Cassini spacecraft have confirmed the presence of heavy negative ions in the upper regions of Titan’s atmosphere. These particles may act as organic building blocks for even more complicated molecules and their discovery was completely unexpected because of the chemical composition of the atmosphere (which lacks oxygen and mainly consists of nitrogen... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests the Earth's magnetic field is about to disappear (at least for a while). As the magnetic poles shift position, it will have a significant effect on our terrestrial weather as well as all the gadgets we've launched into Earth orbit. picked by BrownTrout 2 years ago

A space storm has been observed exploding from a central point in Earth's upper atmosphere for the first time. The result could one day lead to better predictions of the storms, which can harm satellites and power grids on the ground. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

If compasses were around a million years ago, they would not have pointed toward North. That's because the Earth's magnetic field likely underwent a reversal 800,000 years ago. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A mineral that acts like a sponge beneath Earth's surface stores more oxygen than expected, keeping our planet from becoming dry and inhospitable like Mars. The key to the abundant oxygen storage is the mineral majorite, which exists deep below Earth's surface in the mantle. Without the oxygen stockpile, Earth would probably be a barren planet hostile to life. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

There are many interactions between the Sun and the Earth but one of the most dynamic events is a ‘substorm’ - an explosive reshaping of the Earth’s outer magnetic field.

Video included. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A team of Virginia Commonwealth University scientists has discovered a ‘magnetic superatom’ – a stable cluster of atoms that can mimic different elements of the periodic table – that one day may be used to create molecular electronic devices for the next generation of faster computers with larger memory storage. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

UC Irvine scientists have discovered a cluster of galaxies in a very early stage of formation that is 11.4 billion light years from Earth – the farthest of its kind ever to be detected. These galaxies are so distant that the universe was in its infancy when their light was emitted. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

ESA’s Cluster was in the right place and time to make a shocking discovery. The four spacecraft encountered a shock wave that kept breaking and reforming – predicted only in theory. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A scientist has emerged from an underwater capsule after spending almost two weeks generating his own oxygen and electricity. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

An unusual electrical disturbance has been spotted in space, travelling unchanged through the ionised gas surrounding Earth. A European space mission called Cluster detected a "soliton" wave, a phenomenon similar to the self-contained solitons that can travel along optical fibres and channels of water on Earth. This is the first known soliton in space. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Powerful magnetic waves have been confirmed for the first time as major players in the process that makes the sun's atmosphere strangely hundreds of times hotter than its already superhot surface. The magnetic waves — called Alfven waves — can carry enough energy from the sun's active surface to heat its atmosphere, or corona. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Watching the stars set from the surface of the Earth may be a romantic pastime but when a spacecraft does it from orbit, it can reveal hidden details about a planet’s atmosphere. It works by watching stars from space, while they drop behind the atmosphere of a planet under investigation, before disappearing from view below the planet’s horizon. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

This Chandra X-ray Observatory image shows the debris of a massive star explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy about 160,000 light years from Earth. The supernova remnant (SNR) shown here, N132D, is the brightest in the Magellanic clouds, and belongs to a rare class of oxygen-rich remnants. Most of the oxygen that we breathe on Earth is thought to have come from explosions similar... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Two decades of scrutinizing Saturn are finally paying off, as scientists have discovered a wave pattern, or oscillation, in Saturn's atmosphere only visible from Earth every 15 years. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Hold on to your hats, or in this case, your helmets: Scientists have finally pinpointed the so-called edge of space — the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Billions of years ago cyanobacteria gained photosynthesis to generate their own food from the sun. This released a lot of oxygen in the atmosphere, which should have poisoned the bacteria. Somehow, they gained the ability to resist oxygen damage.

The "Catch-22" problem is how did they evolve the ability before there was a need? Scientist feel they may have discovered the reason. picked by 2manyusernames 3 years ago

Jülich scientists have made an important step on the long road to artificially imitating photosynthesis. They were able to synthesise a stable inorganic metal oxide cluster, which enables the fast and effective oxidation of water to oxygen. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Jupiter's moon, Europa has ocean water twice as much as all of the Earth. New evidence indicates that not only is there enough oxygen to support microorganisms but perhaps even enough to support greater lifeforms. The time it will take to unlock this oxygen is a good sign for eventual life as it gives time for organisms to evolve protection against oxygen's harmful effects. picked by bernardblack 3 weeks ago