One of the reasons we study the Moon is to help us understand the history of our own planet Earth. The shifting continents and weather patterns of Earth join forces to erase our world’s history. Occasionally, however, our planet reveals its past through the rocks beneath our feet. Rocks that may once have been beneath dinosaurs’ feet. In one of my favorite stories of the year, paleontologists studying dinosaur tracks in Brazil and Cameroon - on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, have a discovered fossilized game trail created by 3 toed theropods. The footprints on both sides of the ocean...
Invasive Species Boldly Go Where No Plant has Gone Before
Nordenskjöld glacier viewed from where its ice front was located in 2017. Credit: Dr Pierre Tichit Global travel and trade are making it easier and easier for invasive species to make their way to new parts of the world, including places where little to no life was...
Dear Future Self: Let’s Talk Climate Change
Credit: NOAA Recent research published in Science Advances and led by Madalina Vlascenu finds that when it comes to climate change, we can’t scare people straight. Stories of gloom and doom focused on the fate of our world don’t inspire people to change their ways and...
Closer Look: Following the Water Toward Climate Change
Image by Etienne Marais from Pixabay I’ve lived in my home for 17 years, which is the longest I’ve ever lived in one place. I like to garden, I participate in outdoor sports that are year-round, and this long-for-me timeline and familiarity with the outdoors means...
Caught on Camera and Apprehended
Mohutsiwa Gabadirwe (center of photo) and Peter Jenniskens (left, kneeling) at the site of the second find of a piece of asteroid 2018 LA recovered in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in central Botswana. Credit: SETI Institute Our Solar System contains a whole lot...
Closer Look: Earth’s Magnetic Field
Image by PDPics from Pixabay One of the great myths we learn from TV and books is that you can take a compass and follow it to the North Pole.Folks, I am here to tell you that if you take a compass and follow its pointy little needle, it will take you to Northern...
Closer Look: The Requirements for Life
Hydrothermal-vent chimney. In the center of the photo, you can see the vent fluid which appears like dark smoke due to the high levels of minerals and sulfides contained in the fluid. Look closely, and you will also see the chimney is crawling with Chorocaris shrimp...
Closer Look: Solar Max is Coming in 2025
People in more northern and southern latitudes may have noticed that aurorae are getting more common than we’ve seen in recent years. This is thanks to our Sun’s habit of flipping its magnetic poles every eleven years. As the Sun’s magnetic field becomes quite chaotic...
Harsh environments ok for planets… not for life
Artist's impression of the massive star-forming region, with the planet-forming disk XUE-1 in the foreground. The region is drenched in UV light from massive stars, one of which is visible in the top left corner. The structure near the disk represents the molecules...
Closer Look: Planetary Formation Through the Years
Credit: NASA Sometimes, our place in the universe really messes with our ability to understand the universe. From wanting life to be Earth-like, to wanting alien solar systems to look like our solar system, it turns out our wants can bias how we try to science...
Closer Look: It’s Volcano Time
Credit: Berserkur via Wikimedia Commons One of the daily activities that is helping me stay sane is volcano watching. I love volcanoes. I especially enjoy when they erupt in places that have webcams but don’t affect the lives of people. Unfortunately, those are both...