Northwestern University Archives

The Helix Nebula and the cosmic recycling of stellar material. The bright central nebula surrounds a white dwarf, the remnant of the star that created it. Farther out, newly revealed bow shocks show fragments of material cast off by that star colliding with surrounding interstellar gas. The fragments become progressively smaller and more disrupted as they are stripped, shredded and mixed into space. The new MOTHRA data is shown in black, with previous data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Kitt Peak 4m telescope in color. Credit for the previous data: NASA, ESA, C. R. O’Dell (Vanderbilt University) and M. Meixner, P. McCullough and G. Bacon (Space Telescope Science Institute).

Astrochemistry: A Cosmic Recycling System In Action In The Helix Nebula

by Keith CowingAugust 14, 2026August 14, 2026

[Northwestern University] An international team of scientists, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, has captured an unprecedented view of a dying star’s remains in the act of being recycled.

Prof. Magdalena Osburn removes a sample during a site visit. Credit Sanford Underground Research Facility -- Northwestern University

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments

Sample Return From Earth’s Deep Biosphere

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2026July 13, 2026

[Northwestern University] By studying life deep inside a former gold mine, a Northwestern University-led team of scientists uncovered evidence that Earth’s hidden biosphere operates less like a random collection of […]

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Famous Pink Planet Harbors A Salty Surprise

by Keith CowingJune 21, 2026June 21, 2026

Northwestern University-led astronomers have discovered salty skies surrounding the universe’s famous “Pink Planet.”

Time-lapse footage of a newly discovered exoplanet as it makes its slow journey around two stars. To obtain the image of the planet, astronomers needed to remove the stars' glare. Two star icons mark the locations of where the stars would be in relation to their planet. Credit Jason Wang/Northwestern University

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Science Fiction

Rare Image Of Tatooine-like Planet Is Closest To Its Twin Stars Yet

by Keith CowingDecember 14, 2025December 14, 2025

In a discovery that’s fit for a movie, Northwestern University astronomers have directly imaged a Tatooine-like exoplanet, orbiting two suns.

The natal disk of PDS 70 with new planet PDS 70b (bright spot on the right). By studying this system, researchers uncovered a mismatched composition of gases in the planet’s atmosphere compared to gases within the disk. Credit ESO/A. Müller et al.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Press Release

Young Exoplanet’s Atmosphere Unexpectedly Differs From Its Birthplace

by Keith CowingDecember 19, 2024December 19, 2024

Just as some children physically resemble their parents, many scientists have long thought that developing planets should resemble the swirling disk of gas and dust that births them.

Composite age model constructed from the NKT section and comparison to other estimates for the age and duration of OAE1a. Two youngest dated tuffs SAB-046 and SAB-054 correlated from the nearby SAB section. Shaded distributions in color denote the summed probability distribution of 206Pb/238U dates for each tuff, as likelihood inputs into Bayesian modeling. Posterior distributions are superimposed in black on original likelihoods. The black solid line indicates the median, and the 95% HDI indicated by light gray shading represents the model uncertainty for all interpolated points between tuffs. The right panel illustrates estimates for the age of onset and termination of OAE1a at other sites compared to our results from Hokkaido. Note that, as described in the text, OAE1a is not consistently defined. Hk, Hokkaido; Cs, Cismon; Pb, Piobbico; Pg, Poggio le Guaine; Sb, Svalbard; Sd, Shandong. Only symbols with an error bar represent dates with an uncertainty value; otherwise, no uncertainty is provided. -- Science Advances

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Prehistoric Rock In Japan Reveals Clues To A Major Ocean Anoxic Event

by Keith CowingDecember 18, 2024December 19, 2024

By studying prehistoric rocks and fossils emerging from the side of Mount Ashibetsu in Japan, researchers have precisely refined the timing and duration of Ocean Anoxic Event 1a (OAE 1a), […]

Dubbed “Conan the Bacterium” for its extraordinary ability to tolerate the harshest of conditions, Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human. Credit USU/Michael Daly

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Radiation

How Deinococcus radiodurans Withstands Extreme Radiation

by Keith CowingDecember 10, 2024December 10, 2024

Dubbed “Conan the Bacterium” for its extraordinary ability to tolerate the harshest of conditions, Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human […]

Illustration of phosphorus cleavage from different biomolecules on the surface of natural iron oxide particles. CREDIT Aristilde Research Group/Northwestern University

Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release

Minerals Play A Newly Discovered Role In Earth’s Phosphorus CycleNorthwestern UniversityMinerals Play A Newly Discovered Role In Earth’s Phosphorus Cycle

by Keith CowingJuly 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Northwestern University-led researchers have discovered a new way that nature cycles phosphorus, a finding that uncovers a missing piece of Earth’s puzzling phosphorus cycle.

Polymetallic nodule. CREDIT Franz Geiger/Northwestern University

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Deep-ocean Floor Produces Its Own Oxygen

by Keith CowingJuly 22, 2024July 22, 2024

An international team of researchers, including a Northwestern University chemist, has discovered that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor produce oxygen — 13,000 feet below the surface.