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Hot Topic
Deep Space
Cosmic Evolution
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Are Planetary Systems Filled to Capacity?
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
08/13/07 |
| In part one of this two-part essay, Steven Soter explains that planetary systems, including our own, hold as many planets as they can, and adding more planets may make them unstable. |
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Abundant Anions
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
07/27/07 |
| A discovery of the largest negatively-charged molecule yet seen in space may force a revision of theoretical models of interstellar chemistry. The finding may have implications for the types and abundance of molecules that could have been delivered to the early Earth from interstellar space. |
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Supergiants Spew Life Molecules
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
07/26/07 |
| University of Arizona astronomers who are probing the oxygen-rich environment around a supergiant star with one of the world's most sensitive radio telescopes have discovered a score of molecules that include compounds needed for life. |
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The Violent Origin of the Solar System
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
06/21/07 |
| We know that our solar system has at least one planet with life – Earth. Perhaps solar systems that formed in ways similar to our own also will have the potential for life. But how normal was the formation of our solar system? In Astrobiology Magazine, European Edition, Thierry Montmerle suggests our solar system had an unusually violent origin. |
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A Brown Dwarf Joins the Jet-Set
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
05/29/07 |
| A brown dwarf star has been observed mimicking the processes seen in young stars. The discovery not only sheds light on brown dwarfs, but can also teach us about the behavior of extrasolar planets. |
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Earth's Retirement Home
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
05/20/07 |
| New calculations are helping scientists understand what will happen to the Earth and the Sun when our Milky Way galaxy collides with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. The findings show that the collision is set to take place within the Sun's lifetime and will leave our Solar System on the outer fringes of the newly merged galaxy. |
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Hammering a Diamond Anvil
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
05/09/07 |
| Combining diamond anvils and powerful lasers, laboratory researchers have developed a technique that should be able to squeeze materials to pressures 100 to 1,000 times greater than possible today, reproducing conditions expected in the cores of supergiant planets. This technique can also help researchers better understand the processes of Earth's core. |
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Gyrochronology
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/29/07 |
| A new method has been developed for accurately determining the ages of stars, and it may also help astronomers understand how planetary systems and their host stars change over time. |
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Black Holes Spit Out Seeds of Life
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/24/07 |
| Black holes are often portrayed as the ultimate destroyers, but warm gas escaping the clutches of black holes could be one source of chemical elements important for life. |
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Planetary Danger Zones
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
04/22/07 |
| Scientists have developed the first maps of planetary 'danger zones', where powerful winds and radiation from hot stars can strip neighboring stars of their planet-forming materials. The findings show that potential planets can safely form around cooler stars that are at least 1.6 light-years away from their hotter counterparts. |
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