 |
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 world. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago tags earth borderline planet life habitability plate tectonics |
| quote edit #1 |
|
 |
Geologists estimate that plate tectonics began during the Archean period, between 2.5 and 3.8 billion years ago - but they don't know what triggered it. Ancient Earth was too hot for the crust to solidify completely, and the lightest minerals would have floated to the surface over the entire planet, making the subduction of denser plate material unlikely. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago 3 comments edit related share science |
 |
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 5 months ago 3 comments edit related share science |
 |
As planetary mass increases, more heat is trapped and convection increases. As a result the shear stress within the crust increases too and plate thickness decreases. That means the plates are weaker and plate tectonics becomes "inevitable". picked by DrNothing 11 months ago 0 comments edit related share plime.com |
 |
Plate tectonics, the geologic process responsible for creating the Earth’s continents, mountain ranges, and ocean basins, may be an on-again, off-again affair. Scientists have assumed that the shifting of crustal plates has been slow but continuous over most of the Earth’s history, but a new study suggests that plate tectonics may have ground to a halt at least once in our planet’... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago 2 comments edit related share plime.com |
 |
Our planet faces a fiery doom inside the sun unless future generations work out how to change its orbit. 26 comments edit related share scienceNew 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 7 months ago |
About Plime
Plime is an editable wiki community where users can add and edit weird and interesting links. Users earn karma when other users vote on their actions. The more karma you have, the more power you have at Plime.
 | syndication |
 |
Astronomers have discovered the first known planet to survive its "red-giant" phase, a period when an aging star expands and engulfs bodies orbiting it. The discovery of the gas-giant planet three times the size of Jupiter offers a look at the future of our own solar system and what will happen to the Earth when the sun grows old and collapses. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago 3 comments edit related share plime.com |
 |
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 1 comments edit related share science |
 |
Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth can cause catastrophic extinction events. They can also bring life back, new research shows. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago 1 comments edit related share science |
 |
The UK’s national computing grid, along with their counterparts in the US (TeraGrid) and Europe have helped UCL (University College London) scientists shed light on how life on earth may have originated. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago 0 comments edit related share science |
 |
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 9 months ago 0 comments edit related share plime.com |
 |
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 1 month ago 0 comments edit related share science |
 |
The new definition, proposed this week by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), basically says every round object orbiting the sun is a planet, unless it orbits another planet. Asteroid Ceres will become a planet. Pluto's moon Charon will become a planet, things could get really strange. picked by Jaxomlotus 2 years ago 0 comments edit related share science |
 |
The first direct evidence of how and when tectonic plates move into the deepest reaches of the Earth is published in Nature today. Scientists hope their description of how plates collide with one sliding below the other into the rocky mantle could potentially improve their ability to assess earthquake risks. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago 0 comments edit related share science |
 |
An important discovery has been made with respect to the mystery of "handedness" in biomolecules. Researchers found that some of the possible abiotic precursors to the origin of life on Earth have been shown to carry "handedness" in a larger number than previously thought. They studied the organic materials of a special group of meteorites that contain among a variety of compou... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago 1 comments edit related share science |
 |
This video explains that if we would dig a straight line between two points of the surface of the earth, and drop a capsule in it, it would take 42 minutes to reach the other side, no matter where. picked by Frog 3 days ago 7 comments edit related share plime.com |
 |
Desktop Earth is a wallpaper generator for Windows. It runs whenever you're logged on and updates your wallpaper with an accurate representation of the Earth as it would be seen from space at that precise moment. 2 comments edit related share plime.comThis has been my wallpaper for about a year now. (Inspired to post it based on this post. picked by tundramonkey 1 year ago |
 |
Flash back three or four billion years — Earth is a hot, dry and lifeless place. All is still. Without warning, a meteor slams into the desert plains at over ten thousand miles per hour. With it, this violent collision may have planted the chemical seeds of life on Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago 0 comments edit related share science |
 |
The tell-tale signature of the molecule methane in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized extrasolar planet HD 189733b has been found with the Hubble Space Telescope. Under the right circumstances methane can play a key role in prebiotic chemistry – the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life as we know it. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago 3 comments edit related share science |
 |
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 11 months ago 4 comments edit related share science |
 |
Some crucial ingredients for life on Earth may have formed in interstellar space, rather than on the planet's surface. A new computer model indicates clouds of adenine molecules, a basic component of DNA, can form and survive the harsh conditions of space, and possibly sprinkle onto planets as the stars they orbit travel through a galaxy. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago 2 comments edit related share science |