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.
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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.
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Some scientists believe that human activity has triggered the dawn of a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. On the path to being formally recognized, a new study has proposed a start date for the new epoch, and outlined where geological evidence could be found to support it.
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Mars may not be as dry as it looks. NASA and the USGS have used MRO instruments to analyze the vertical structure and thickness of buried ice sheets, which preserve a detailed record of the Red Planet’s past and could provide future human explorers with an easily-accessible water supply.
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In 1996, scientists discovered the strangest stone ever found. Nicknamed the Hypatia stone, it was later found to be extraterrestrial, but unlike any known kind of meteorite. A new study has deepened the mystery even further, finding that Hypatia could be interstellar or predate the Solar System.
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Earlier this year, geologists argued that a new, mostly sunken landmass called Zealandia should be classified as our planet's eighth continent. Now scientists have returned from a two-month expedition exploring this subsea mystery, with data revealing new insights into the Earth's geological past.
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The most efficient shelter for eventual human colonies on the Moon or Mars might just be the natural shelter that’s already there. Now astronomers have systematically analyzed possible lava tubes on the Moon and Mars, and found they may be just what Red Planet realtors are looking for.
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Exactly how complex animal life came to appear on the Earth has puzzled scientists for years. A team at the Australian National University (ANU) has made a discovery that could finally answer that question – and it takes us all the way back to a time when the Earth was a giant snowball.
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The mass extinction event that occurred at the end of the Permian period is the worst in Earth’s history, wiping out a staggering 95 percent of sea life. New research points the finger squarely at a huge volcanic region known as the Siberian Traps – but not in the way previously expected.
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One of the main goals of Curiosity was to determine if Mars has ever harbored life. The project has already discovered that Gale Crater was once an ancient lake, and now a team at Los Alamos has found “halos” in the bedrock, suggesting the area could have supported life long after the lake dried up.
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