Earth

An ancient tree fossil has offered scientists a peek into a moment 42,000 years ago when the Earth’s magnetic field went haywire. The study paints a picture of environmental chaos, influencing everything from an increase in cave paintings to the extinction of the Neanderthals.

According to a new study, the impactor that smashed into Earth’s surface millions of years ago – causing the global extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs – may have originated from a vast sphere of icy debris that surrounds the solar system.

Exotic forms of carbon were predicted to exist under extremely high pressures. But in a new study researchers have examined carbon under the highest pressure ever studied in the lab, and found that diamond sticks around much longer than expected.

Comprehensive climate data has shown that globally, 2020 was the warmest year on record, tied with 2016. Worryingly, 2020’s record came in spite of a La Niña event, which has a cooling effect, while 2016’s record came off the back of a warming El Niño.

The latest amber time capsule discovery comes from Oregon State University researchers who have identified a completely new, previously unknown genus and species of flower dating back 100 million years to the mid-Cretaceous period.

New research involving the simulation of 100,000 random worlds suggests that chance played a major role in allowing Earth to maintain a habitable environment for the three to four billion years needed for the evolution of complex life.

Auroras are among the most beautiful sights on Earth and a favorite subject for photographers. Capture the Atlas has published its list of the best aurora images of the year, in the 2020 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year competition.

Last week, the Earth had its closest shave with an asteroid ever recorded, when a small space rock skimmed just 370 km (230 miles) above the surface. For comparison, that’s closer than the orbit of the International Space Station.

Asteroid Apophis has attracted its share of attention, with several projected close shaves with Earth in the coming decades. While most have been ruled out, a previously-overlooked factor has opened a small window for a possible collision in 2068.

A new study has identified 1,004 stars from which aliens could detect signs of life in Earth’s atmosphere by watching as our planet passes across the disk of the Sun. The study could help provide targets for groups searching for alien civilizations.

The face of the Earth has changed drastically over its life, with plates shifting and sinking. Now geologists claim to have found the remains of an ancient tectonic plate beneath Canada, which was pushed under the surface millions of years ago.

NASA has announced the selection of five Medium Class Explorer concept mission proposals that could one day revolutionize our understanding of the space environment, and see pictures taken of the Sun's polar regions.