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Superman's 'Kryptonite' Could Solve Earth's Energy Crisis, Scientists Explain
Unlike the fictional kryptonite, jadarite is white and powdery, emits no radiation, and comes from a region in Serbia.
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800-Year-Old Mummy Reveals Unusual Facial Tattoos Made from Rare Minerals
A newly analysed 800-year-old female mummy has surprised researchers with minimalist facial tattoos made from unusual mineral-based ink. Unlike the elaborate designs typically found in Andean mummies, this woman’s tattoos were composed of simple lines and an S-shape, made from magnetite and augite. Discovered in the Italian Museum of Anthropology...
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NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region
NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached Krokodillen, a 73-acre plateau near Jezero Crater's rim believed to host some of Mars’ oldest rocks. Preliminary data shows signs of clays, carbonates, and olivine minerals, suggesting ancient water activity. Currently examining a site named Copper Cove, the rover is using a new sampling strategy that allow...
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NASA Rover Finds New Evidence Of Warm, Wet Past Of Mars
A mineral called siderite found abundantly in rock drilled by a NASA rover on the surface of Mars is providing fresh evidence of the planet's warmer and wetter ancient past when it boasted substantial bodies of water and potentially harboured life.
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Discovers a Large Number of Unique Rock Samples on Jezero Crater’s Rim
NASA's Perseverance rover is exploring the Martian rim of Jezero Crater, a crater filled with rocky outcrops. The mission has cored five rocks, performed up-close analysis of seven rocks, and analysed another 83 from afar using a laser. The diversity of rocks found has exceeded expectations, with tons of fragmented once-molten rocks and formerly un...
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30,000-Year-Old Vulture Feathers Discovered, Uniquely Preserved in Volcanic Ash
Fossilized feathers of a 30,000-year-old vulture, found in volcanic ash near Rome, have been analyzed, revealing a unique preservation process. Unlike typical fossilized feathers, these retained three-dimensional structures, likely due to zeolite minerals formed in the ash. Scientists believe the vulture was buried in a low-temperature pyroclastic ...
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New Research Reveals Mars’ Red Colour Linked to Ancient Water Presence
A recent study suggests that Mars’ red hue originates from ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms in water-rich environments. Scientists recreated Martian dust in labs and found that the mineral remained stable despite the planet’s dry conditions. Data from orbiting spacecraft and rovers confirm this discovery, reshaping theories about Mars’ ...
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Perseverance Rover Examines Serpentine Lake on Mars, Seeking Clues on Past Water Presence
NASA’s Perseverance rover has closely studied the rock formation known as Serpentine Lake on Mars, which reveals serpentine minerals that typically form in water-rich environments. The analysis aims to uncover clues about Mars' geological history and potential past habitability. Despite challenges in extracting samples from other sites, such as C...
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Romania’s ‘Living’ Rocks Expand and Multiply in a Strange Natural Process
Trovants, mysterious geological formations found in Romania’s Costești region, are known for their unique ability to grow and multiply. These rocks, formed millions of years ago due to seismic activity, consist of a hard stone core surrounded by a porous sandstone shell. When rainwater rich in minerals like calcium carbonate seeps into the rock,...
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Bennu Asteroid Sample Reveals Organic Compounds That May Hint at Life Beyond Earth
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu, revealing amino acids, nucleobases, ammonia, and minerals formed in saltwater. These organic compounds, vital to life, suggest that the building blocks for life might have existed in other regions of the early solar system. The discovery of evaporite minerals, including halite ...
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Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
An international team of scientists, led by Adam Simon, has uncovered the role of a gold-trisulfur complex in gold deposit formation. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how this complex forms in the Earth's mantle under specific pressure and temperature conditions, especially in subduction zones ...
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Astrobiologists Create Framework to Study Extraterrestrial Life Evolution
Astrobiologists are redefining the search for extraterrestrial life, focusing on evolution and complexity in physical systems. Methods include spectroscopy for detecting chemical signatures and frameworks exploring non-Earth biochemistry. Researchers are also investigating technosignatures and minerals linked to biological processes. A universal un...
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Rare Cave Pearls with Ancient Pottery Discovered in Jerusalem’s Joweizeh Tunnel
A remarkable discovery in Jerusalem's Joweizeh Spring Tunnel has revealed 50 cave pearls, including 14 embedded with ancient pottery fragments and plaster. The artefacts span historical periods, from the Iron Age to the Byzantine era. This unique find showcases the interplay of human activity and natural mineral formation, shedding light on ancient...
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NASA’s Curiosity Rover Set to Target Spiderweb-Like 'Boxworks Deposits' on Mars' Surface
NASA’s Curiosity rover is set to explore Martian "spiderweb" formations, known as boxwork, which may reveal secrets about the planet’s ancient watery past. These unique structures, first observed decades ago, could help scientists understand Mars' history of water and the potential for past life. The rover’s investigation aims to study minera...
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Geodynamic Mantle-Flow Model Reveals Erosion Process of North China Craton
New research from China University of Geosciences unveils how tectonic shifts eroded the once-stable North China Craton. Led by Professor Shaofeng Liu, this study explores flat-slab subduction processes, revealing three stages of deformation due to the ancient Izanagi plate’s horizontal movement beneath the Eurasian plate. This breakthrough redef...
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Superman's 'Kryptonite' Could Solve Earth's Energy Crisis, Scientists Explain
Unlike the fictional kryptonite, jadarite is white and powdery, emits no radiation, and comes from a region in Serbia.
-
800-Year-Old Mummy Reveals Unusual Facial Tattoos Made from Rare Minerals
A newly analysed 800-year-old female mummy has surprised researchers with minimalist facial tattoos made from unusual mineral-based ink. Unlike the elaborate designs typically found in Andean mummies, this woman’s tattoos were composed of simple lines and an S-shape, made from magnetite and augite. Discovered in the Italian Museum of Anthropology...
-
NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region
NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached Krokodillen, a 73-acre plateau near Jezero Crater's rim believed to host some of Mars’ oldest rocks. Preliminary data shows signs of clays, carbonates, and olivine minerals, suggesting ancient water activity. Currently examining a site named Copper Cove, the rover is using a new sampling strategy that allow...
-
NASA Rover Finds New Evidence Of Warm, Wet Past Of Mars
A mineral called siderite found abundantly in rock drilled by a NASA rover on the surface of Mars is providing fresh evidence of the planet's warmer and wetter ancient past when it boasted substantial bodies of water and potentially harboured life.
-
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Discovers a Large Number of Unique Rock Samples on Jezero Crater’s Rim
NASA's Perseverance rover is exploring the Martian rim of Jezero Crater, a crater filled with rocky outcrops. The mission has cored five rocks, performed up-close analysis of seven rocks, and analysed another 83 from afar using a laser. The diversity of rocks found has exceeded expectations, with tons of fragmented once-molten rocks and formerly un...
-
30,000-Year-Old Vulture Feathers Discovered, Uniquely Preserved in Volcanic Ash
Fossilized feathers of a 30,000-year-old vulture, found in volcanic ash near Rome, have been analyzed, revealing a unique preservation process. Unlike typical fossilized feathers, these retained three-dimensional structures, likely due to zeolite minerals formed in the ash. Scientists believe the vulture was buried in a low-temperature pyroclastic ...
-
New Research Reveals Mars’ Red Colour Linked to Ancient Water Presence
A recent study suggests that Mars’ red hue originates from ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms in water-rich environments. Scientists recreated Martian dust in labs and found that the mineral remained stable despite the planet’s dry conditions. Data from orbiting spacecraft and rovers confirm this discovery, reshaping theories about Mars’ ...
-
Perseverance Rover Examines Serpentine Lake on Mars, Seeking Clues on Past Water Presence
NASA’s Perseverance rover has closely studied the rock formation known as Serpentine Lake on Mars, which reveals serpentine minerals that typically form in water-rich environments. The analysis aims to uncover clues about Mars' geological history and potential past habitability. Despite challenges in extracting samples from other sites, such as C...
-
Romania’s ‘Living’ Rocks Expand and Multiply in a Strange Natural Process
Trovants, mysterious geological formations found in Romania’s Costești region, are known for their unique ability to grow and multiply. These rocks, formed millions of years ago due to seismic activity, consist of a hard stone core surrounded by a porous sandstone shell. When rainwater rich in minerals like calcium carbonate seeps into the rock,...
-
Bennu Asteroid Sample Reveals Organic Compounds That May Hint at Life Beyond Earth
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has delivered a sample from asteroid Bennu, revealing amino acids, nucleobases, ammonia, and minerals formed in saltwater. These organic compounds, vital to life, suggest that the building blocks for life might have existed in other regions of the early solar system. The discovery of evaporite minerals, including halite ...
-
Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
An international team of scientists, led by Adam Simon, has uncovered the role of a gold-trisulfur complex in gold deposit formation. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how this complex forms in the Earth's mantle under specific pressure and temperature conditions, especially in subduction zones ...
-
Astrobiologists Create Framework to Study Extraterrestrial Life Evolution
Astrobiologists are redefining the search for extraterrestrial life, focusing on evolution and complexity in physical systems. Methods include spectroscopy for detecting chemical signatures and frameworks exploring non-Earth biochemistry. Researchers are also investigating technosignatures and minerals linked to biological processes. A universal un...
-
Rare Cave Pearls with Ancient Pottery Discovered in Jerusalem’s Joweizeh Tunnel
A remarkable discovery in Jerusalem's Joweizeh Spring Tunnel has revealed 50 cave pearls, including 14 embedded with ancient pottery fragments and plaster. The artefacts span historical periods, from the Iron Age to the Byzantine era. This unique find showcases the interplay of human activity and natural mineral formation, shedding light on ancient...
-
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Set to Target Spiderweb-Like 'Boxworks Deposits' on Mars' Surface
NASA’s Curiosity rover is set to explore Martian "spiderweb" formations, known as boxwork, which may reveal secrets about the planet’s ancient watery past. These unique structures, first observed decades ago, could help scientists understand Mars' history of water and the potential for past life. The rover’s investigation aims to study minera...
-
Geodynamic Mantle-Flow Model Reveals Erosion Process of North China Craton
New research from China University of Geosciences unveils how tectonic shifts eroded the once-stable North China Craton. Led by Professor Shaofeng Liu, this study explores flat-slab subduction processes, revealing three stages of deformation due to the ancient Izanagi plate’s horizontal movement beneath the Eurasian plate. This breakthrough redef...
