Why studying asteroids could save our planet
Asteroids are rocky objects left over from the early days of our solar system, orbiting the Sun much like planets. While most asteroids are...
It’s official, 2024 was the hottest year on record
Climate scientists must fear sounding like a broken record when discussing new record temperatures yearly.
But once again, last year was the hottest one ever...
Planets can form in even the harshest conditions
According to the most widely held astronomical model (the Nebular Hypothesis), new stars are born from massive clouds of dust and gas (aka. a...
Planets without plate tectonics could still be habitable
It has been thought that the existence of plate tectonics has been a significant factor in the shaping of our planet and the evolution...
Solving a 200-year-old volcanic mystery: The hidden eruption of 1831
Researchers have finally solved a centuries-old mystery about a massive volcanic eruption in 1831 that caused global chaos.
Until now, no one knew which volcano...
Humans will soon be able to mine on the moon—but should we
By the end of this decade, nations and private companies may well be mining the surface of the moon.
But as space becomes accessible to...
Scientists uncover ancient dinosaur highway in Britain
A remarkable new discovery has uncovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints in an ancient "dinosaur highway" in Oxfordshire, dating back 166 million years to the...
Discovery of rare new fossil sheds light on New Zealand’s extinct dolphin-like reptiles
Ichthyosaurs were reptiles that swam in the seas during the time of the dinosaurs.
They evolved separately around 250 million years ago, possibly from a...
How gold is brought to Earth’s surface
A team of researchers, including a scientist from the University of Michigan, has uncovered a new gold-sulfur complex that helps explain how gold deposits...
What’s the future of the war in Ukraine
When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” on Feb. 24, 2022, University of Chicago Prof. Konstantin Sonin called the full-scale invasion...