A new study of geologically young lava flows in Elysium Planitia suggests that Mars might still have residual volcanic activity below its surface. The finding could also correlate with seismic activity detected by the InSight lander in the same region and may have implications for possible martian life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-cerberus-fossae-young-lava-flows-volcanic-activity…
Tag: continents
Physicists propose using atomic clocks of GPS network to detect exotic ultralight fields
A team of physicists from the U.S., Poland and Germany proposes to use quantum sensor networks such as atomic clocks of the GPS network or sensors from the Gnome collaboration (a network of shielded atomic magnetometers made up of 13 stations placed strategically on four continents—each of which is equipped with a magnetometer that has sub-picotesla sensitivity) to detect exotic ultralight…
China Halts Ant Group’s Blockbuster IPO
In a late-evening announcement that stunned China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange slammed the brakes on Ant’s initial public offering, which was set to be the biggest stock debut in history with investors on multiple continents and at least $34 billion in proceeds. The New York Times reports: The stock exchange’s notice to Ant said that the company’s proposed offering might no…
Ancient microbial life used arsenic to thrive in a world without oxygen
Today, most life on Earth is supported by oxygen. But ancient microbial mats existed for a billion years before oxygen was present in the atmosphere. So what did life use instead? Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/ancient-microbial-life-arsenic…
The Only Black Hole We’ve Ever Seen Has a Shadow That Wobbles
The supermassive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy has a shadow crescent that moves, like a dancer in the dark. From a report: Over a year ago, scientists unleashed something incredible on the world: the first photo of a black hole ever taken. By putting together radio astronomy observations made with dishes across four continents, the collaboration known…
Northern Hemisphere just had its hottest summer on record
Not only was August 2020 the 2nd-warmest August on record, but the Northern Hemisphere had its warmest summer on record, and the globe as a whole had its 3rd-hottest 3-month season. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/northern-hemisphere-2020-hottest-summer-on-record…
What’s in wildfire smoke and why it’s so bad for your lungs
The health impact of wildfire exposure depends in part on the fire itself and how much smoke a person breathes in, how often and for how long. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/what-is-in-wildfire-smoke…
Cool! Here’s how Venus would look as a water world
A new map created by a Reddit user – based on what we know about the highs and lows on Venus’ surface – shows what this neighboring, cloud-shrouded, blazing hot planet might look like with oceans. Wow! Source: https://earthsky.org/space/venus-map-with-oceans-on-surface-terraforming…
Visit NYC in 750 million B.C. with this epic interactive map
A new interactive map visualizes how Earth’s continents evolved from about 750 million years ago to today. Source: https://www.livescience.com/earth-millions-years-ago-interactive.html
What Mars Would Look Like If Its Surface Was Covered With Water
schwit1 writes: A new map shows what the red planet would look like if 71 percent of its surface area was covered with water — around the same proportion as Earth. The results are spectacular: it shows two distinct landmasses forming, each of which would seem to form continents. While the left side shows a dramatic, mountainous terrain that includes Olympus…