The first minerals to form in the universe were nanocrystalline diamonds, which condensed from gases ejected when the first generation of stars exploded. Diamonds that crystallize under the extreme pressure […]
Carnegie Institution for Science
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
When It Comes To Planetary Habitability, It's What's Inside That Counts
Which of Earth’s features were essential for the origin and sustenance of life? And how do scientists identify those features on other worlds? A team of investigators with array of […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Diamonds Reveal How Continents Are Stabilized – A Key to Earth's Habitability
The longevity of Earth’s continents in the face of destructive tectonic activity is an essential geologic backdrop for the emergence of life on our planet. This stability depends on the […]
Posted inMars, Press Release
Naturally Occurring "Batteries" Fueled Organic Carbon Synthesis On Mars
Mars’ organic carbon may have originated from a series of electrochemical reactions between briny liquids and volcanic minerals, according to new analyses of three Martian meteorites from a team led […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Rocky Planet Ross 128 b Is Not Earth's Twin
Last autumn, the world was excited by the discovery of an exoplanet called Ross 128 b, which is just 11 light-years away from Earth. New work from a team led […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Press Release
When Water Met Iron Deep Inside the Earth
Reservoirs of oxygen-rich iron between the Earth’s core and mantle could have played a major role in Earth’s history, including the breakup of supercontinents, drastic changes in Earth’s atmospheric makeup, […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
Rocky Planet Found in Habitable Zone of Proxima Centauri
An international team of astronomers including Carnegie’s Paul Butler has found clear evidence of a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system. The new world, designated […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on Mars
NASA-funded research on Mars meteorites that landed on Earth shows strong evidence that very large molecules containing carbon, which is a key ingredient for the building blocks of life, can […]