Science Scanner: Sea Salt on Europa; Natural Sunblock; ISS Crew Return Delayed
Sea Salt Covers Parts of Europa’s Surface Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory found evidence that the dark material that covers parts of the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa is probably sea salt produced by an ocean beneath its surface. The researchers believe that the existence of sea salt on the moon’s icy surface implies […]
Giant Magma Reservoir Found Beneath Yellowstone Supervolcano
Yellowstone National Park’s many geothermal features, including its estimated 10,000 hot springs and geysers, draw millions of visitors each year. There’s good reason why the approximately 8,983 square km park has such a high level of geothermal activity. You see, the park sits atop one of the world’s largest active volcanic systems. According to the […]
Science Scanner: Milky Way Bigger than Thought, Hydrothermal Activity on Saturn Moon, New Way to Fight Cavities & Gum Disease, Dwarf Galaxy Surprises Scientists
Milky Way May Be Much Bigger than Thought Our galaxy, the Milky Way may be much bigger than previously thought, up to 50 light-years further across, say researchers. Researchers from the United States, China and the United Kingdom came to the conclusion after reviewing data gathered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), an ongoing […]
Mars Once Abundant With Water
Past observations made by a number of Mars probes, such as the Curiosity rover and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, have suggested that Mars once had an abundance of water flowing over its surface. Now, an international team of scientists say their recent research suggests that an ancient ocean that held more water than Earth’s Arctic […]
The Best Science Images – February 2015
Science Images of the Month – January, 2015
Are We Destabilizing our Planetary Life Support System?
Three recently released studies are painting a grim picture for the future of humanity on planet Earth. Professor Will Steffen from the Australian National University and the Stockholm Resilience Centre led some international scientists on two of the studies. Their papers found that the impact of human activity on Earth, such as economic growth/globalization, population […]
Saturn Moon’s Wobble Could Be Clue to What’s Inside
Scientists with NASA’s Cassini Mission, which has been studying Saturn since 2004, were trying to figure out just how much one of its moons, Mimas, wobbled as it orbits the ringed planet. After reviewing and analyzing copious images snapped by the robotic probe and running several models, the scientists think the moon’s wobble could be […]
Report – Record High Amount of CO2 will be Released in 2014
A new report by the Global Carbon Project, an international science/environmental group, shows that the emission of carbon dioxide, one of the world’s top greenhouse gases – which scientists say leads to global warming – will not only rise once again in 2014, but will set a record high of 40 billion metric tons. As […]
Two Martian Probes Set to Orbit Red Planet
Two unmanned spacecraft headed to Mars, one launched by the United States and the other by India, will soon reach the Red Planet within days of each other. NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probe, launched November 18 is set for insertion into Mars orbit (MOI) on Sunday, September 21. India’s first interplanetary spacecraft, […]