![This illustration contrasts Earth's oceans during ancient glaciations (left) with deglacial conditions (right). Syracuse University researchers found that oceans lost oxygen not just during warm periods, but repeatedly during Earth's deepest ice ages, a pattern preserved in manganese deposits within ancient seafloor rock. (Courtesy: Xubin Wang, generated with AI)-- [Syracuse University]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Metal-deposits.jpg?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[Syracuse University] An international team of researchers analyzed manganese and other chemical signatures preserved in more than 27,000 ancient seafloor samples collected from six continents. Across six major glaciations spanning […]
Syracuse University
Posted inHabitable Zones
Water Planet Habitability: Sea Level Is Linked To Earth’s Carbon Thermostat
[Syracuse University] Earth has a natural thermostat that has kept the planet habitable for more than a hundred million years. Scientists have struggled to fully explain how it works, but […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
When Tropical Oceans On Earth Were Oxygen Oases
The tropical oceans that once served as oxygen-rich havens for Earth’s earliest complex life have become the planet’s largest marine dead zones. The dramatic reversal occurred hundreds of millions of […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Rock Record Illuminates Earth’s Oxygen History
Several key moments in Earth’s history help us humans answer the question, “How did we get here?”
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Scientists Untangle Interactions Between Earth’s Early Life Forms And The Environment Over 500 Million Years
The atmosphere, the ocean and life on Earth interacted over the past 500-plus million years in ways that improved conditions for early organisms to thrive. Now, an interdisciplinary team of […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Exploring The Existence Of Life At 125°F
There are an estimated 8.7 million eukaryotic species on the planet. These are organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Although eukaryotes include the familiar animals and […]
Posted inImpact events
The Impact Of Extinction
While the popular Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up” has raised public consciousness to the potential catastrophic effects of asteroid impact to planet Earth, new research sheds light on how the […]
Posted inExtinction events
Uncovering The Secrets Behind Earth's First Major Mass Extinction
We all know that the dinosaurs died in a mass extinction. But did you know that there were other mass extinctions? There are five most significant mass extinctions, known as […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release
Reconstructing Global Climate Through Earth's History
A key component when forecasting what the Earth’s climate might look like in the future is the ability to draw on accurate temperature records of the past. By reconstructing past […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Ammonium Fertilized Early Life On Earth
A team of international scientists–including researchers at the University of St. Andrews, Syracuse University and Royal Holloway, University of London–have demonstrated a new source of food for early life on […]