Stishovite has the same chemical formula as silica quartz (SiO2) but it has much higher density. While SiO2 is abundant on Earth's crust, it is also a major component of basalt, a type of igneous rock that is rich in iron ...
Enceladus is the tiny moon of Saturn that seems to have it all. Its icy surface is intricately carved by ongoing geological processes. Its icy shell overlies an internal, liquid ocean. There, chemically charged warm water ...
Astrobiology
Jun 18, 2023
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45
Could vast, long-hidden oceans be teeming with alien life in our very own Solar System?
Planetary Sciences
Apr 12, 2023
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171
Today Venus has a dry, oxygen-poor atmosphere. But recent studies have proposed that the early planet may have had liquid water and reflective clouds that could have sustained habitable conditions. Researchers at the University ...
In the search for life beyond Earth, subsurface bodies of water in our outer solar system are some of the most important targets. That's why NASA is sending the Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter's moon Europa: There is ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 11, 2022
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343
Scientists have discovered how a chemical in the cells of marine organisms enables them to survive the high pressures found in the deep oceans.
Biochemistry
Sep 28, 2022
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1005
A trio of researchers at Purdue University has developed a new theory to explain why Pluto's moon Charon has a reddish north pole. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, Stephanie Menten, Michael Sori ...
A team of researchers at MIT has found via theoretical modeling that the saltiness of the oceans on Saturn's moon, Enceladus, may be the right level to sustain life. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, ...
Oceans on water-rich exoplanets may be enriched with electrolytes, including salts such as sodium chloride, suggests a modeling study published in Nature Communications. The research proposes electrolytes can be transported ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 22, 2022
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6
Ridges that criss-cross the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa indicate there are shallow pockets of water beneath, boosting hopes in the search for extra-terrestrial life, scientists said Tuesday.
Planetary Sciences
Apr 23, 2022
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179
