How did Earth avoid a Mars-like fate? Ancient rocks hold clues: New paleomagnetic research suggests Earth’s solid inner core formed 550 million years ago and restored our planet’s magnetic field
Approximately 1,800 miles beneath our feet, swirling liquid iron in the Earth’s outer core generates our planet’s protective magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is vital for life on Earth’s surface because it shields the planet from solar wind — streams of radiation from the sun. About 565 million years ago, however, the […]
Look who’s talking now: The fishes! Widespread sound communication among fish
There’s a whole lot of talking going on beneath the waves. A new study from Cornell University finds that fish are far more likely to communicate with sound than generally thought — and some fish have been doing this for at least 155 million years. These findings were just published in the journal Ichthyology & […]
Contorted oceanic plate caused complex quake off New Zealand’s East Cape
Subduction zones, where a slab of oceanic plate is pushed beneath another tectonic plate down into the mantle, cause the world’s largest and most destructive earthquakes. Reconstructing the geometry and stress conditions of the subducted slabs at subduction zones is crucial to understanding and preparing for major earthquakes. However, the tremendous depths of these slabs […]
Methane in plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus: Possible signs of life?
An unknown methane-producing process is likely at work in the hidden ocean beneath the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, suggests a new study published in Nature Astronomy by scientists at the University of Arizona and Paris Sciences & Lettres University. Giant water plumes erupting from Enceladus have long fascinated scientists and the public alike, […]