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 10 months ago

In the first experiments able to mimic the crushing, searing conditions found in Earth’s lower mantle, and simultaneously probe tell-tale properties of iron, scientists have discovered that material there behaves very differently than predicted by models. The research also points to the likelihood of a new zone deep in the Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Researchers studying life in the deep subsurface of our planet have discovered a unique bacterium living 1 mile (1.7 km) below the Earth's surface. The tiny bacteria live in a community of subsurface microbes inhabiting a South African platinum mine. picked by AutumnLotus 4 weeks ago

What would it take to jam a planet's tectonics? It seems that a huge rise in atmospheric temperatures would do the trick, causing continents to grind to a halt, mountains to stop growing and earthquakes to cease. On Earth, the motion of magma in the mantle pushes continental plates around on the surface, but if the magma became too hot and runny it would lose the grip needed to do this. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months 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 5 months ago

Our planet is changing before our eyes, and as a result, many species are living on the edge. Yet Earth has been on the edge of habitability from the beginning. New work shows that if Earth had been slightly smaller and less massive, it would not have plate tectonics-the forces that move continents and build mountains. And without plate tectonics, life might never have gained a foothold on our wor... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Tiny changes to the length of days on Earth may be due to a mineral in the deep Earth that conducts electricity at high rates, a new study says. picked by h2so4hurts 5 months ago

Whether or not you believe in a flat earth or a spherical one, this should still give you a chance to read about flat earth theory and post your views. picked by TheStep 1 year ago

Beetles first appeared on Earth at the same time as the earliest dinosaurs but turned out to be much better survivors, a new evolutionary study has shown. Today, there are an estimated 350,000 known species of beetle on Earth, and probably several million more yet to be discovered, say scientists. The insects account for about a quarter of all life forms on the planet. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

1. Gravity is not the same over the surface of the Earth, 2. Atmosphere 'escapes', 3. The Earth is slowing down... picked by ubikuor 1 year ago

With their high octane colours and incredible detail they look more like canvassed art than landscapes of the earth. Captured by some of NASA's most advanced satellites hundreds of miles above the earth, these unusual and striking images show our planet like never before. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

A startling discovery by scientists at the Carnegie Institution puts a new twist on photosynthesis, arguably the most important biological process on Earth. But two studies suggest that certain marine microorganisms have evolved a way to break the rules--they get a significant proportion of their energy without a net release of oxygen or uptake of carbon dioxide. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

A study of meteorites suggests that Mars, the Earth and the Moon share a common composition from ‘growing up’ in a unique planetary nursery in the inner solar system.

The finding could lead to a rethink of how the inner solar system formed. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Google Earth has some amazing and interesting images to be found. Here are a few, shown in video form (if you can ignore the cheesy music). picked by tundramonkey 1 year ago

Our planet faces a fiery doom inside the sun unless future generations work out how to change its orbit.

New calculations by University of Sussex astronomers predict the Earth will be burnt to a cinder then swallowed up by the sun in about 7.6 billion years. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

Chondritic meteorites have a similar chemical composition to the sun and are therefore reliable witnesses as to what the solar nebula, from which the planets formed, was composed of. This can be used to deduce what the Earth consists of chemically. However, ETH Zurich researchers have now discovered that strictly speaking this fundamental geological assumption is not true. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Dr Chris MacLeod, from Cardiff University, said the Earth's crust appeared to be completely missing in an area thousands of kilometres across. He said it was an "open wound on the surface of the Earth", where the oceanic crust, usually 6-7km thick (3.7-4.3 miles), was simply not there. picked by Browntrout 1 year ago

The Japanese lunar orbiter "Kaguya" saw earth, moon and sun line up on April 6, 2008 and captured another "Earth-rise" and "Earth-set" HDTV video - this time when the Earth was full. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Astronomers have spotted evidence of a second Earth being built around a distant star 424 light-years away. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted a huge belt of warm dust swirling around a young star called HD 113766 that is just slightly larger than our sun. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

In this essay, the father of the SMART-1 lunar mission, Bernard Foing of the European Space Agency, looks at the effect the Moon has had on the Earth, and explores how different our world would be if we had no planetary companion. Would life have evolved differently, or at all without our Luna? picked by DrNothing 10 months ago