New Atlas

Science Audio available

New study finds oldest evidence of life may just be boring old rocks after all

Michael Irving October 17, 2018

A few years ago, researchers studying stromatolites in Greenland dated them to 3.7 billion years old, making them the oldest evidence of life on Earth. However, a new study has now taken another look at the rocks and found that they probably weren’t biological in origin.

An earlier study found the conical structures (highlighted) appeared to be biological in origin, but a ...

Science Audio available

Drone-dropped "dragon eggs" made to monitor volcanoes

Ben Coxworth September 10, 2018

Would you want to climb up an active volcano to deposit a sensor at its crater? Probably not, and it's something that safety-conscious volcanologists would prefer not to do, too. With that in mind, British scientists have created drone-deployed sensing devices known as "dragon eggs."

A drone and a couple of the dragon eggs (with green release cords), atop Mount Stromboli

Environment

Time for the Meghalayan: A new geological age has officially been declared

Michael Irving July 19, 2018

The International Chronostratigraphic Chart has officially been revised. That means our current point in Earth’s geological timeline has been updated so that we’re now living in the Meghalayan age, which began 4,200 years ago with a two-century drought that destroyed several civilizations.

Welcome to the Meghalayan age, a newly-confirmed geological age that began 4,200 years ago

Science

Quadrillion tons of diamond discovered deep within the Earth

Michael Irving July 16, 2018

The next blow to Big Diamond might have just arrived. Using sound waves, geologists have discovered a gigantic stash of the so-called precious stones deep in the Earth's interior, possibly to the tune of a quadrillion tons.

new study suggests there may be 1,000 times more diamonds in the Earth's interior than previously ...

Environment

Fast-rising bedrock makes for surprisingly uplifting Antarctic news

Michael Irving June 24, 2018

News from Antarctica usually paints a grim picture, but now, a new study reports some more uplifting findings: the Earth itself is rising at one of the fastest rates ever seen, and it may help stabilize the ice sheet.

The bedrock below Antarctica is rising surprisingly fast – and that could be enough to stabilize ...

Space

Mysterious Martian formation may be the Solar System's largest volcanic deposit

Michael Irving June 20, 2018

The Medusae Fossae Formation is a huge rocky structure on Mars that has had scientists puzzling over its origins for decades, but the new work suggests it’s the result of massive volcanic eruptions that would have changed the climate of the Red Planet.

Part of the Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars, which new research suggests is the largest explosive ...

Environment

Rock-solid evidence shows how Earth's eccentric orbit affects climate change

Michael Irving May 9, 2018

Models have long suggested that Earth's orbit shifts from circular to elliptical and back again over hundreds of thousands of years, which plays a part in natural climate swings. Now, scientists have found the first physical evidence for the cycle, and traced it back to before the dinosaurs.

Researchers have found rock-solid evidence for a 405,000 year cycle in Earth's orbit, which affects climate ...

Environment

A cracking crust may have turned Earth into a giant snowball

Michael Irving May 7, 2018

Scientists have proposed a whole range of theories for what might have caused the world to freeze over in the "Snowball Earth" period 700 million years ago, and a new study has now suggested the root of them all could have been the beginnings of plate tectonics.

An artist's impression of what our planet may have looked like during the "Snowball Earth" period, ...

Science

Diamonds found to contain exotic ice never before seen in nature

Michael Irving March 13, 2018

Scientists know of 16 types of ice. Most of these have only been created in the lab, but now, geoscientists have discovered a type known as Ice VII inside diamonds. This marks the first time the substance has been detected in nature, and it suggests that Earth’s mantle is home to pockets of water.

An exotic mineral known as Ice VII has been discovered on Earth for the first time, ...

Science

Telltale rocks suggest that part of Australia was once part of North America

Ben Coxworth January 22, 2018

Nuna was a supercontinent that geologists believe existed from approximately 2.5 to 1.5 billion years ago. Now, there's new evidence as to how its various pieces once fit together – Australian scientists have found rocks in northern Queensland, that match up with rocks from Canada.

Rocks found in only one part of Australia bear a strong resemblance to rocks found in ...