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New Research Reveals Mars’ Red Colour Linked to Ancient Water Presence
A recent study suggests that Mars’ red hue originates from ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms in water-rich environments. Scientists recreated Martian dust in labs and found that the mineral remained stable despite the planet’s dry conditions. Data from orbiting spacecraft and rovers confirm this discovery, reshaping theories about Mars’ ...
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Perseverance Rover Examines Serpentine Lake on Mars, Seeking Clues on Past Water Presence
NASA’s Perseverance rover has closely studied the rock formation known as Serpentine Lake on Mars, which reveals serpentine minerals that typically form in water-rich environments. The analysis aims to uncover clues about Mars' geological history and potential past habitability. Despite challenges in extracting samples from other sites, such as C...
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Romania’s ‘Living’ Rocks Expand and Multiply in a Strange Natural Process
Trovants, mysterious geological formations found in Romania’s Costești region, are known for their unique ability to grow and multiply. These rocks, formed millions of years ago due to seismic activity, consist of a hard stone core surrounded by a porous sandstone shell. When rainwater rich in minerals like calcium carbonate seeps into the rock,...
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Bennu Asteroid Sample Reveals Organic Compounds That May Hint at Life Beyond Earth
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu, revealing amino acids, nucleobases, ammonia, and minerals formed in saltwater. These organic compounds, vital to life, suggest that the building blocks for life might have existed in other regions of the early solar system. The discovery of evaporite minerals, including halite ...
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Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
An international team of scientists, led by Adam Simon, has uncovered the role of a gold-trisulfur complex in gold deposit formation. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how this complex forms in the Earth's mantle under specific pressure and temperature conditions, especially in subduction zones ...
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Astrobiologists Create Framework to Study Extraterrestrial Life Evolution
Astrobiologists are redefining the search for extraterrestrial life, focusing on evolution and complexity in physical systems. Methods include spectroscopy for detecting chemical signatures and frameworks exploring non-Earth biochemistry. Researchers are also investigating technosignatures and minerals linked to biological processes. A universal un...
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Rare Cave Pearls with Ancient Pottery Discovered in Jerusalem’s Joweizeh Tunnel
A remarkable discovery in Jerusalem's Joweizeh Spring Tunnel has revealed 50 cave pearls, including 14 embedded with ancient pottery fragments and plaster. The artefacts span historical periods, from the Iron Age to the Byzantine era. This unique find showcases the interplay of human activity and natural mineral formation, shedding light on ancient...
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NASA’s Curiosity Rover Set to Target Spiderweb-Like 'Boxworks Deposits' on Mars' Surface
NASA’s Curiosity rover is set to explore Martian "spiderweb" formations, known as boxwork, which may reveal secrets about the planet’s ancient watery past. These unique structures, first observed decades ago, could help scientists understand Mars' history of water and the potential for past life. The rover’s investigation aims to study minera...
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Geodynamic Mantle-Flow Model Reveals Erosion Process of North China Craton
New research from China University of Geosciences unveils how tectonic shifts eroded the once-stable North China Craton. Led by Professor Shaofeng Liu, this study explores flat-slab subduction processes, revealing three stages of deformation due to the ancient Izanagi plate’s horizontal movement beneath the Eurasian plate. This breakthrough redef...
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6,000-Year-Old Wheel Origin Discovered in Carpathian Mountains; Study Suggests Copper Miners Created World's 1st Wheel
A recent study proposes that copper miners in the Carpathian Mountains may have developed the wheel 6,000 years ago. Using advanced modelling techniques, researchers explored how miners likely invented crucial wheel innovations to transport heavy loads in narrow mine shafts, suggesting a possible origin of one of history’s most transformative inv...
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NASA's Curiosity Rover Provides Insights into Mars' Uninhabitable Climate
NASA's Curiosity rover is providing new insights into how Mars transformed from a potentially habitable planet, abundant in liquid water, to the inhospitable landscape seen today. Researchers discovered that carbon-rich minerals found in Gale Crater indicate extreme evaporation and suggest the planet's climate could support only transient liquid wa...
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India Advances Deep-Sea Mining With Varaha-3, Collecting Vital Polymetallic Nodules
The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has successfully conducted trials with the Varaha-3 seabed mining machine in the Andaman Sea, reaching depths of 1,193 metres. This innovative machine collected polymetallic nodules, rich in crucial metals such as nickel, cobalt, and copper, essential for renewable energy and electric vehicle indust...
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Supercooling of Earth's Inner Core May Finally Reveal its True Age, Highlights New Report
New research into Earth’s inner core suggests that supercooling, a process where a liquid cools below its freezing point without solidifying, may reveal that the core is much younger than previously thought. Composed of iron and nickel, the core plays a critical role in maintaining Earth’s magnetic field, which protects the planet from harmful ...
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Frozen In Terror: Extremely Well-Preserved Ancient Mummies Found In Iran
An ancient salt mine in Iran naturally preserved dead miners for thousands of years in a grisly state - some of them frozen with their arms still raised before being buried alive.
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60% Of People Are Missing These Four Key Nutrients In Their Diets
The study is the first to provide global estimates of inadequate micronutrient intake across 185 countries. Researchers found widespread deficiencies, with iodine, vitamin E, calcium, and iron being particularly low in diets worldwide.
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New Research Reveals Mars’ Red Colour Linked to Ancient Water Presence
A recent study suggests that Mars’ red hue originates from ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms in water-rich environments. Scientists recreated Martian dust in labs and found that the mineral remained stable despite the planet’s dry conditions. Data from orbiting spacecraft and rovers confirm this discovery, reshaping theories about Mars’ ...
-
Perseverance Rover Examines Serpentine Lake on Mars, Seeking Clues on Past Water Presence
NASA’s Perseverance rover has closely studied the rock formation known as Serpentine Lake on Mars, which reveals serpentine minerals that typically form in water-rich environments. The analysis aims to uncover clues about Mars' geological history and potential past habitability. Despite challenges in extracting samples from other sites, such as C...
-
Romania’s ‘Living’ Rocks Expand and Multiply in a Strange Natural Process
Trovants, mysterious geological formations found in Romania’s Costești region, are known for their unique ability to grow and multiply. These rocks, formed millions of years ago due to seismic activity, consist of a hard stone core surrounded by a porous sandstone shell. When rainwater rich in minerals like calcium carbonate seeps into the rock,...
-
Bennu Asteroid Sample Reveals Organic Compounds That May Hint at Life Beyond Earth
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu, revealing amino acids, nucleobases, ammonia, and minerals formed in saltwater. These organic compounds, vital to life, suggest that the building blocks for life might have existed in other regions of the early solar system. The discovery of evaporite minerals, including halite ...
-
Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
An international team of scientists, led by Adam Simon, has uncovered the role of a gold-trisulfur complex in gold deposit formation. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how this complex forms in the Earth's mantle under specific pressure and temperature conditions, especially in subduction zones ...
-
Astrobiologists Create Framework to Study Extraterrestrial Life Evolution
Astrobiologists are redefining the search for extraterrestrial life, focusing on evolution and complexity in physical systems. Methods include spectroscopy for detecting chemical signatures and frameworks exploring non-Earth biochemistry. Researchers are also investigating technosignatures and minerals linked to biological processes. A universal un...
-
Rare Cave Pearls with Ancient Pottery Discovered in Jerusalem’s Joweizeh Tunnel
A remarkable discovery in Jerusalem's Joweizeh Spring Tunnel has revealed 50 cave pearls, including 14 embedded with ancient pottery fragments and plaster. The artefacts span historical periods, from the Iron Age to the Byzantine era. This unique find showcases the interplay of human activity and natural mineral formation, shedding light on ancient...
-
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Set to Target Spiderweb-Like 'Boxworks Deposits' on Mars' Surface
NASA’s Curiosity rover is set to explore Martian "spiderweb" formations, known as boxwork, which may reveal secrets about the planet’s ancient watery past. These unique structures, first observed decades ago, could help scientists understand Mars' history of water and the potential for past life. The rover’s investigation aims to study minera...
-
Geodynamic Mantle-Flow Model Reveals Erosion Process of North China Craton
New research from China University of Geosciences unveils how tectonic shifts eroded the once-stable North China Craton. Led by Professor Shaofeng Liu, this study explores flat-slab subduction processes, revealing three stages of deformation due to the ancient Izanagi plate’s horizontal movement beneath the Eurasian plate. This breakthrough redef...
-
6,000-Year-Old Wheel Origin Discovered in Carpathian Mountains; Study Suggests Copper Miners Created World's 1st Wheel
A recent study proposes that copper miners in the Carpathian Mountains may have developed the wheel 6,000 years ago. Using advanced modelling techniques, researchers explored how miners likely invented crucial wheel innovations to transport heavy loads in narrow mine shafts, suggesting a possible origin of one of history’s most transformative inv...
-
NASA's Curiosity Rover Provides Insights into Mars' Uninhabitable Climate
NASA's Curiosity rover is providing new insights into how Mars transformed from a potentially habitable planet, abundant in liquid water, to the inhospitable landscape seen today. Researchers discovered that carbon-rich minerals found in Gale Crater indicate extreme evaporation and suggest the planet's climate could support only transient liquid wa...
-
India Advances Deep-Sea Mining With Varaha-3, Collecting Vital Polymetallic Nodules
The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has successfully conducted trials with the Varaha-3 seabed mining machine in the Andaman Sea, reaching depths of 1,193 metres. This innovative machine collected polymetallic nodules, rich in crucial metals such as nickel, cobalt, and copper, essential for renewable energy and electric vehicle indust...
-
Supercooling of Earth's Inner Core May Finally Reveal its True Age, Highlights New Report
New research into Earth’s inner core suggests that supercooling, a process where a liquid cools below its freezing point without solidifying, may reveal that the core is much younger than previously thought. Composed of iron and nickel, the core plays a critical role in maintaining Earth’s magnetic field, which protects the planet from harmful ...
-
Frozen In Terror: Extremely Well-Preserved Ancient Mummies Found In Iran
An ancient salt mine in Iran naturally preserved dead miners for thousands of years in a grisly state - some of them frozen with their arms still raised before being buried alive.
-
60% Of People Are Missing These Four Key Nutrients In Their Diets
The study is the first to provide global estimates of inadequate micronutrient intake across 185 countries. Researchers found widespread deficiencies, with iodine, vitamin E, calcium, and iron being particularly low in diets worldwide.
