Chemistry
The Heaviest Element Ever Seen in an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere: Barium
Astronomers have spotted barium in the atmosphere of a distant exoplanet. With its 56 protons, you have to run your…
Scientists Discover a New Way Exoplanets Could Make Oxygen; Unfortunately, it Doesn’t Require Life
Finding oxygen in an exoplanet's atmosphere is a clue that life may be at work. On Earth, photosynthetic organisms absorb…
Water Worlds Could Have Plumes of Nutrients Carried up From Down Below
Earth's oceans are one huge, uniform electrolyte solution. They contain salt (sodium chloride) and other nutrients like magnesium, sulphate, and…
Carbon-12 is an Essential Building Block for Life and Scientists Have Finally Figured Out How it Forms in Stars
Artist's impression of a red giant star. Their cores are cauldrons where carbon-12 is produced. Credit:NASA/ Walt Feimer Each of…
Astronomers Find a Star That Contains 65 Different Elements
Have you ever held a chunk of gold in your hand? Not a little piece of jewelry, but an ounce…
Hydrogen Gas Can Seep Through Rock Providing Food to Bacteria. Another Place to Look for Life On Other Worlds.
Spin Google Earth around until you're looking down at the nation of Oman. Ancient rock in that country is the…
Europa Could be Pulling Oxygen Down Below the Ice to Feed Life
Jupiter's moon Europa is a prime candidate in the search for life. The frozen moon has a subsurface ocean, and…
Even More Complex Organic Molecules Have Been Found in a Protoplanetary Disc. Was Life Inevitable?
Will we ever understand life's origins? Will we ever be able to put our finger on the exact moment and…
What’s it Like Inside a Super-Earth?
We know a ton about the inside of Earth. We know it has both an inner core and an outer…
Need Some More Ytterbium? Who Doesn’t? Here’s Where you can Find it in Space
Looking to do some mining in space? Need a little Ytterbium on your next flight through the galaxy? Researchers have…