The existence of algae high up in the Andes Mountains hints at the possibility of life on distant, icy worlds. Wherever there is liquid water, there i… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/328921/ice-spires-hint-at-potential-for-life-on-pluto…
Tag: liquid
Startup Aims To Turn Solar and Wind Power Into Carbon-Neutral Gasoline
“Last month, Rob McGinnis fired up a new machine that runs combustion in reverse, using electricity to weld carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels,” writes Slashdot reader sciencehabit: McGinnis, a chemical engineer and entrepreneur, has launched a new start-up called Prometheus, in hopes that he will be able to synthesize fuels more cheaply than energy giants can drill for oil,…
Safer Nuclear Reactors Are On the Way
Nuclear power plant manufacturers, such as Westinghouse and Framatome, are developing safer nuclear reactors that use so-called accident-tolerant fuels that are less likely to overheat — and if they do, will produce very little or no hydrogen. As Scientific American reports, commercial reactors use small pellets of uranium dioxide stacked inside long cylindrical rods made of zirconium alloy, which “allows the…
Do organic crystals create ‘bathtub rings’ around Titan’s lakes and seas?
Scientists have been trying to figure what creates the so-called “bathtub rings” around lakes and seas on Saturn’s large moon Titan. Now they may have an answer: unusual organic crystals not found on Earth. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/saturn-moon-titan-crystals-bathtub-rings-lakes-seas…
Armoured liquid droplets make mini disco balls, letters and shapes
Liquid marbles made from hexagonal plates can be moulded into different letters and shapes, and could be used as miniature reactors Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2208715-armoured-liquid-droplets-make-mini-disco-balls-letters-and-shapes/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Cool! Teegarden’s Star has Earth-sized planets in its habitable zone
The habitable zone is where liquid water can exist. Teegarden’s Star’s star is only 12.5 light-years from Earth. Astronomers have discovered 2 new Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting in this nearby habitable zone. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/earth-sized-planets-habitable-zone-teegardens-star…
How meteors create Mars’ clouds
Scientists have been trying to figure out how clouds form in Mars’ thin atmosphere, and thanks to new research, the answer seems to be … meteors. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/how-meteors-create-mars-clouds…
NASA Announces New Dragonfly Drone Mission To Explore Titan
NASA announced Thursday that it is sending a drone-style quadcopter to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Dragonfly, as the mission is called, will be capable of soaring across the skies of Titan and landing intermittently to take scientific measurements, studying the world’s mysterious atmosphere and topography while searching for hints of life (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source) on the only…
The magnetic north pole is moving and a liquid-metal ball explains why
The pole is racing towards Siberia – but why? It’s a mystery with huge implications, and to solve it, we’re building an explosive model of the planet’s core Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232360-700-the-magnetic-north-pole-is-moving-and-a-liquid-metal-ball-explains-why/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Do toxic gases make advanced extraterrestrial life less likely?
A new study suggests that many exoplanets – worlds orbiting distant stars – might have an overabundance of toxic gases in their atmospheres. If so, that would make the evolution of complex life forms more difficult. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/toxic-gases-habitable-zones-complex-life-exoplanets…