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Evidence for Mars Ocean 3 Billion Years Ago
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| Topic: Mars |
02/07/12 |
| Summary:
Mars Express has detected sediments on Mars that are reminiscent of an ocean floor. The low-density materials are found in the planet's northern plains, and are a strongly suggest that an ocean was once present. |
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Mars Drought Makes Life Unlikely
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| Topic: Mars |
02/06/12 |
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Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet's surface. |
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The P-T Extinction was a Slow Death
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
02/05/12 |
| Summary:
New research shows that mass extinctions need not be sudden events. The deadliest extinction known in Earth's history may have killed in stages. |
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A New Pathway to Life's Origin
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
02/04/12 |
| Summary:
Scientists have shown that sugars essential for life to begin can be produced by a previously unknown pathway. For decades, chemists thought that the formose reaction was the only route for sugar production, but the new study may push research in pre-life chemistry past this hurdle. |
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The First Plants Caused Ice Ages
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| Topic: Biosphere |
02/03/12 |
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When the first plants evolved on Earth some 470 million years ago, they may have triggered a series of ice ages. The study provides new insight into the links between the climate and biosphere of Earth. |
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How Well Can Astronomers Study Exoplanet Atmospheres?
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| Topic: New Planets |
02/01/12 |
| Summary:
Exoplanets are now being discovered at pace, and some have been described as "Earth-Like." These claims are often based on the distance between the exoplanet and its host star. Unfortunately, this distance isn't all that makes a planet habitable. |
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