Are we closing in on life’s cradle? What is claimed to be the oldest evidence of life on Earth yet found backs the idea that the first microbes originated around hydrothermal vents on the seafloor – but the work is already proving controversial. Explaining the origin of life is one of the biggest unclaimed prizes in biology, and one that many scientists – including Nobel prizewinners – are chasing.
Category: Geology
World’s oldest fossils unearthed
Remains of microorganisms at least 3,770 million years old have been discovered by an international team led by UCL scientists, providing direct evidence of one of the oldest life forms on Earth. Tiny filaments and tubes formed by bacteria that lived on iron were found encased in quartz layers in the Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt , Quebec, Canada.
Japanese Animation, Mapped Fossils, Illinois Geology, More: Tuesday Buzz, February 28, 2017
Now available until the end of 2017: a collection of vintage Japanese animation . “Of special note is the inclusion of Junichi Kouchi’s The Dull Sword, the oldest surviving piece of Japanese animation .
These Fearsome Robots Will Bring Mining to the Deep Ocean
In 1974, an enormous ship sailed into the waters northeast of Hawaii. The vessel, built by billionaire Howard Hughes, was set to begin mining mineral deposits in the deep sea – or so the world believed.
Volcanoes: Oxford exhibition gives the fiery inside story
OURS is a restless planet. While we walk unawares over the remnants of massive eruptions, it is easier than ever to train a camera on Mount Etna’s latest effusions.
What do Martian meteorites tell us about volcanism on the Red Planet?
A rock that fits in the palm of a scientist’s hand and weighs less than a pound is helping paint a picture of the history of volcanism on Mars. That’s because the little igneous rock broke off the Red Planet when something slammed into the Martian surface about 1.1 million years ago.
3-Billion-Year-Old ‘Lost Continent’ Lurking Under African Island
It’s official: A 3-billion-year-old “lost continent” lurks beneath the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, new research confirms. Sparkly, iridescent flecks of rocks known as zircons from Mauritius date back billions of years, to one of the earliest periods in Earth’s history, the researchers found.
NASA’s far-flung space robots keep findings signs of water
Robotic explorers have found signs of long-lost water on Mars and extensive ice still present on the dwarf planet Ceres – evidence that water truly is almost everywhere we look. The results were announced last week at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union – the world’s largest gathering of Earth and space scientists.