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Hot Topic
Deep Space
Cosmic Evolution
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| Recipes for Renegade Planets |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
07/08/10 |
| Recent discoveries of gas giant planets in unusual orbits challenge the generally accepted theory of planet formation. While these discoveries do not disprove the theory, they have opened our eyes to chaotic solar systems quite unlike our own. |
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| Getting WISE About Nemesis |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
03/11/10 |
| Is our Sun part of a binary star system? An unseen companion star, nicknamed "Nemesis," may be sending comets towards Earth. If Nemesis exists, NASA´s new WISE telescope should be able to spot it. |
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| A Drop in the Bucket |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
02/18/10 |
| A new technique is being developed to detect water in the protoplanetary disks of other solar systems. If successful, it would help in our understanding of how habitable planets form. |
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| Solar System Shield |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
01/14/10 |
| Water vapor in planet-forming disks may block ultraviolet radiation from destroying water and other important molecules for life, according to new calculations. |
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| Superior Super Earths |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
11/30/09 |
| Super Earths are named for their size, but these planets – which range from about 2 to 10 Earth masses – could be superior to the Earth when it comes to sustaining life. They could also provide an answer to the ‘Fermi Paradox´: Why haven´t we been visited by aliens? |
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| Detecting Life-Friendly Moons |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
10/26/09 |
| The search for life-friendly real estate around distant stars doesn't have to be limited to planets. New research shows that habitable exomoons can be detected with a new method using current technology. |
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| Building Planet Earth |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
10/22/09 |
| A new study shows how rocky planets are formed from the manic swirl of gas and dust that surround a young star, and determines what chemical building blocks are used to construct the planets. Understanding the dynamics and chemistry that create planetary systems can help astronomers in their search for Earth-like planets in the galaxy. |
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| Our Smashing Solar System |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
07/30/09 |
| Like messages in a bottle, grains inside meteorites carry clues to the history of our solar system. Some of these tiny crystals are older than the solar system itself. A new study has determined the age of a set of grains from one meteorite. The results seem to indicate a galactic disturbance may have triggered the formation of our solar system. |
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| Living with a Red Dwarf |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/09/09 |
| Not astrobiologists' first choice, red dwarf stars have now gained acceptance as potential hosts for habitable planets. They may not be great to live by in the first couple billion years, but they eventually settle down into relatively pleasant stars. |
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| Amino Acid Ingredients Found in Distant Galaxy |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
02/18/08 |
| In the ultra-bright galaxy Arp 220, radio astronomers have for the first time detected all the ingredients of an amino acid beyond the Milky Way. The study confirms that familiar carbon chemistry exists in the distant universe, and could help constrain the search for life. |
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