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Star- and Planet-Forming Regions May Hold Key to Life's Chirality
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
04/24/13 |
| Summary: New research may help explain why life on Earth is made of left-handed amino acids. The study indicates that circular polarization in star- and planet-forming regions could affect the formation of organic material, such as amino acids. |
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The Curious History of the Lyrid Meteor Shower
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| Topic: Meteorites, Comets and Asteroids |
04/23/13 |
| Summary: A shower of meteors known as the Lyrid meteors happens on Earth every year at around this time in April. In recent years, we've only received a moderate shower, but that wasn't always the case according to records of the Lyrids that date back 2,600 years. |
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The Great Exoplanet Debate, part 7: Questioning Exoplanet Missions
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| Topic: Missions |
04/22/13 |
| Summary: At a NASA conference, a panel of exoplanet scientists held a lively discussion about some of the most important issues facing the search for and understanding of planets orbiting far-distant stars. In part seven of this series, the audience asks questions and makes comments about exoplanet missions and development. |
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Are the Newly Discovered Planets Ideal SETI Targets?
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| Topic: New Planets |
04/21/13 |
| Summary: NASA's Kepler mission discovered a planetary system with five small planets around a star slightly smaller than the Sun. Now scientists are wondering if life exists on any of these worlds, and whether or not it could have developed complex technology. |
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Key to Mass Extinctions Could be Future Food and Fuel
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| Topic: Earth |
04/20/13 |
| Summary: A potential culprit in several of the largest extinctions in Earth's history might also benefit the future of life on Earth. A new study indicates that low doses of 'sewer gas' could enhance plant growth for food and biofuel production. |
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How To Target an Asteroid
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| Topic: Meteorites, Comets and Asteroids |
04/19/13 |
| Summary: Scientists studying how to send a spacecraft on a collision course with an asteroid have likened the task to shooting an arrow at a target on a speeding race car. However, the scientific results of such a mission may be well worth the effort. |
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Five Planet System with Most Earth-Like Exoplanet Yet
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| Topic: New Planets |
04/18/13 |
| Summary: Astronomers have identified a small, probably rocky planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. The planet orbits in its host star's habitable zone and circles the star in 267.3 (Earth) days. |
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Titan's Methane: Going, Going, Soon to be Gone?
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| Topic: Titan |
04/18/13 |
| Summary: By studying the surface of Titan over several years, scientists have determined that the supply of the moon's hydrocarbon methane could be coming to an end. |
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Supernova Left Its Mark in Ancient Bacteria
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| Topic: Spaceship Earth |
04/17/13 |
| Summary: Scientists have discovered that sediment in the deep-sea may hold radioactive iron from a supernova that happened 2.2 million years ago. The remnants of the stellar explosion may be preserved in fossilized remains of iron-loving bacteria. |
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The IAU Weighs in on Naming Planets
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| Topic: New Planets |
04/16/13 |
| Summary: In the light of recent events, where the possibility of buying the rights to name exoplanets has been advertised, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) wishes to inform the public that such schemes have no bearing on the official naming process. |
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