Researchers in the U.S. and Spain have discovered a plethora of previously unknown microbes living in wet clay layers below Chile’s arid Atacama Desert. The finding will help future rovers search for life on Mars. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/microbes-clay-atacama-desert-life-on-mars…
Tag: Organic compounds
‘Fireball’ meteorite that crashed in Michigan holds extraterrestrial organic compounds
A fireball meteor lit up midwestern skies on Jan. 16, 2018, then landed on a frozen Michigan lake. Analysis of the space rock revealed a rich array of extraterrestrial organic compounds. Source: https://www.livescience.com/fireball-meteorite-organic-compounds.html
‘Fireball’ meteorite contains pristine extraterrestrial organic compounds
On the night of January 16, 2018, a fireball meteor streaked across the sky over the Midwest and Ontario before landing on a frozen lake in Michigan. Scientists used weather radar to find where the pieces landed and meteorite hunters were able to collect the meteorite quickly, before its chemical makeup got changed by exposure to liquid water. And, as a…
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…
It’s Not Just Cars That Make Pollution. It’s the Roads They Drive On, Too
An anonymous reader shares a report: The smell of summer in Los Angeles, or any major city, is often tinged with asphalt. A freshly paved road or a new tar roof doesn’t just wrinkle your nose, however: A new study suggests fresh asphalt is a significant, yet overlooked, source of air pollution. In fact, the material’s contribution to one kind of…
These dogs are trained to sniff out the coronavirus
Scientists have been working with professional trainers in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales to train dogs to sniff out Covid-19. Most of the dogs have a 100% success rate. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/dogs-trained-to-smell-detect-coronavirus-covid19…
Curiosity rover finds evidence for ancient ice-covered lake on Mars
Scientists studying data from the Curiosity rover have found evidence for an ancient ice-covered lake in Gale Crater on Mars. The findings support the theory of alternating warmer and colder climates on early Mars. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-curiosity-rover-ice-covered-lake-gale-crater…
A famous Mars meteorite, now with nitrogen
For the first time, nitrogen-containing organic molecules have been discovered in a Martian meteorite. The famous meteorite – Allan Hills 84001 – was picked up in Antarctica in 1984. The discovery provides more clues about habitable conditions on early Mars. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-meteorite-alh-84001-1st-discovery-fixed-nitrogen…
Fixed nitrogen found inside Martian meteorite
For the first time ever, organic compounds containing nitrogen have been found inside a meteorite from Mars. Discovered in Antarctica’s Allan Hills mo… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/336815/fixed-nitrogen-found-inside-martian-meteorite…
Scientists Identify Microbe That Could Help Degrade Polyurethane-Based Plastics
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: German researchers report in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology that they have identified and characterized a strain of bacteria capable of degrading some of the chemical building blocks of polyurethane. The team out of Germany managed to isolate a bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. TDA1, from a site rich in brittle plastic waste that shows…