Agriculture in Syria started with a bang 12,800 years ago as a fragmented comet slammed into the Earth’s atmosphere. The explosion and subsequent environmental changes forced hunter-gatherers in the prehistoric […]
Impact events
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Impact events, Press Release
Cornell Fills Data Gap For Volcanic Ash Effects On Earth Systems
Volcanic ash is no ordinary dust: It gets injected into the atmosphere, climbs to the stratosphere, impacts climate, powders roadways and clogs jet engines.
Posted inImpact events, Press Release
Innovative Approach Reveals Environmental Mechanisms Of The End-Cretaceous Extinction
A novel approach to a question that’s been widely investigated reveals more insights about the environmental forcings associated with the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, suggesting that volcanism and other biological changes […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Impact events, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Evolution of a Water-rich Atmosphere Formed by a Giant Impact on an Earth-sized Planet
The atmosphere of a terrestrial planet that is replenished with secondary gases should have accumulated hydrogen-rich gas from its protoplanetary disk.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Status Report
A Race Against The Clock: Constraining The Timing Of Cometary Bombardment Relative To Earth’s Growth
Comets are considered a potential source of inner solar system volatiles, but the timing of this delivery relative to that of Earth’s accretion is still poorly understood.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Press Release
Earth’s Most Ancient Impact Craters Are Disappearing
Earth’s oldest craters could give scientists critical information about the structure of the early Earth and the composition of bodies in the solar system as well as help to interpret […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Press Release
Are Large Sulfur Isotope Variations Biosignatures in an Ancient, Impact-Induced Hydrothermal Mars Analog?
Discrepancies have emerged concerning the application of sulfur stable isotope ratios as a biosignature in impact crater paleolakes. The first in situ δ34S data from Mars at Gale crater display […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Impact events, Status Report
Giant Impact Events For Protoplanets: Energetics of Atmospheric Erosion by Head-on Collision
Numerous exoplanets with masses ranging from Earth to Neptune and radii larger than Earth have been found through observations.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Titan
Shock Synthesis of Organic Molecules by Meteoroids in the Atmosphere of Titan
Thermochemical modeling and shock-tube experiments show that shocks applied to N2/CH4 gas mixtures can synthesize organic molecules. Sufficiently large, hypersonic meteoroids entering the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan should therefore […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Origin Of Life Molecules In The Atmosphere After Big Impacts On The Early Earth
The origin of life on Earth would benefit from a prebiotic atmosphere that produced nitriles, like HCN, which enable ribonucleotide synthesis. However, geochemical evidence suggests that Hadean air was relatively […]