life on Earth
Nearby Supernovae Were Essential to Life on Earth
It's almost impossible to comprehend a supernova explosion's violent, destructive power. An exploding supernova can outshine its host galaxy for…
The Early Earth was Really Horrible for Life
Earth has had a long and complex history since its formation roughly 4.5 billion years ago. Initially, it was a…
When Did Photosynthesis Begin?
Sometime around 2.4 billion years ago, a nascent planet Earth underwent one of the most dramatic changes in its history.…
The Meteor Impact that Wiped Out the Dinosaurs Created a Vast Underground Hydrothermal System
The Chicxulub impact event was an enormous catastrophe that left a huge imprint on the Earth's surface. Not only did…
Life Could be Common Across the Universe, Just Not in Our Region
The building blocks of life can, and did, spontaneously assemble under the right conditions. That's called spontaneous generation, or abiogenesis.…
Science Fiction Might Be Right After All. There Might Be Breathable Atmospheres Across the Universe
The last few years has seen an explosion of exoplanet discoveries. Some of those worlds are in what we deem…
Researchers May Have Found the Missing Piece of Evidence that Explains the Origins of Life
A team of researchers have shown how the basic building blocks of life could have arose on a primordial Earth,…
Without the Impact that Formed the Moon, We Might Not Have Life on Earth
The Earth wasn't formed containing the necessary chemicals for life to begin. One well-supported theory, called the "late veneer theory",…
More Evidence That Comets May Have Brought Life to Earth
The idea of panspermia -- that life on Earth originated from comets or asteroids bombarding our planet -- is not…
This Model Of Earth’s Giant Impacts Makes Us Wonder How Life Arose
In case you need a reminder that the solar system was a harsh place to grow up, the early Earth…