How hot were the oceans when life first evolved?

We know little about Earth's surface temperatures for the first 4 billion years or so of its history. This presents a limitation into research of life's origins on Earth and also how it might arise on distant worlds as well.

Earth's first example of recycling—its own crust

Rock samples from northeastern Canada retain chemical signals that help explain what Earth's crust was like more than 4 billion years ago, reveals new work from Carnegie's Richard Carlson and Jonathan O'Neil of the University ...

Microbes could survive thin air of Mars

Microbes that rank among the simplest and most ancient organisms on Earth could survive the extremely thin air of Mars, a new study finds.

Cosmic dust reveals Earth's ancient atmosphere

Using the oldest fossil micrometeorites - space dust - ever found, Monash University-led research has made a surprising discovery about the chemistry of Earth's atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago.

How algae could save plants from themselves

Algae may hold the key to feeding the world's burgeoning population. Don't worry; no one is going to make you eat them. But because they are more efficient than most plants at taking in carbon dioxide from the air, algae ...

Researcher unveils history of an ancient meteorite

A Florida State University student has cracked the code to reveal the deep and interesting history of an ancient meteorite that likely formed at the time our planets were just developing.

Venus considered for clues on early Earth geology

Imagine thousands of huge asteroids raining down on ancient Earth, smashing craters as big as metropolitan Perth and a few much larger rocks which gouged holes as big as Australia into the planet.

What is life?

"Why would NASA want to study a lake in Canada?"

page 5 from 9