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Roving the Ocean Floor
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| Topic: Extreme Life |
09/12/09 |
| Summary: A rover that has been driving across the ocean floor off the California coast is providing researchers with an entirely new view of life in the deep ocean. The Benthic Rover is exploring the unique habitats deep below the Pacific waters and is also helping document the effects of climate change on these fragile environments. |
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The Rise and Fall of Oxygen
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
09/11/09 |
| Summary: New research confirms that a rise in atmospheric oxygen drove oxygenation of ancient oceans on Earth, and ultimately led to the evolution of complex animals. The study provides insight into how the Earth came to support the wide diversity of life we see today. |
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Catastrophic Darkness
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| Topic: Meteorites, Comets and Asteroids |
09/10/09 |
| Summary: New studies of mixotrophic algae have shown how such organisms could survive the darkened skies that follow a major asteroid impact. Such studies indicate how life manages to survive after a mass extinction event. |
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Barbecue Moon
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| Topic: Titan |
09/09/09 |
| Summary: The latest findings concerning Titan indicate that the Saturnian moon could contain valuable in situ resources for future explorers, including fuels like propane. The discovery of propane could help scientists further understand the chemistry of Titan's atmosphere, and the potential for life's building blocks to form on the distant moon. |
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Are Sunspots Disappearing?
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| Topic: Sun |
09/08/09 |
| Summary: The Sun is in the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century. Some observers are starting to wonder, are sunspots disappearing? Sunspots can have profound effects on the Earth's climate as well as human and satellite missions in orbit. |
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Goddess of the Arctic
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| Topic: Missions |
09/07/09 |
| Summary: Members of the 2009 AMASE Expedition describe their work in the 'scientific playground' of Bockfjorden on the arctic island of Svalbard. The team collected samples of rock and ice that will be examined for signs of life. In doing so, they are testing technologies that will one day be used on Mars. |
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Mothballs in Space
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| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
09/06/09 |
| Summary: Astronomers have discovered gaseous napthalene drifting along through space in interstellar clouds. Studying the composition of interstellar clouds will help scientists understand chemical processes in space that formed many of the molecules present on Earth - including those necessary for the origin of life. |
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Stratosphere Cycles with the Sun
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| Topic: Climate |
09/05/09 |
| Summary: Scientists have found that the 11-year solar cycle, the stratosphere and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect the globe. The findings could be used to predict future climate patterns on Earth. |
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Early End to India's Moon Mission
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| Topic: Moon to Mars |
09/04/09 |
| Summary: India has lost contact with the lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1. The loss came less than a week after the spacecraft teamed up with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for an experiment to test for water ice on the Moon. Water ice could prove to be a vital resource for lunar explorers. |
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Zinc and UV Zapped Life into Being?
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| Topic: Origin & Evolution of Life |
09/03/09 |
| Summary: A new model for the origin of life says zinc may have played a vital role. If true, then the Sun’s UV radiation may have provided the energy necessary for life to arise. |
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