Space and planetary science
The latest chemistry news and research on space, including planetary science and astrochemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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ResearchLow-energy electrons in cosmic ice spring surprise by generating prebiotic molecules
Electrons play a far more significant role than photons in creating molecules that might have kick-started life on Earth
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NewsControversial phosphine findings on Venus corroborated
Unpublished data reveals that phosphine – a potential marker of life – is likely present although could be a result of unknown chemistry
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ResearchIsotope analysis reveals origins of asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs
The end-Cretaceous mass extinction was caused by a ruthenium-rich carbonaceous chondrite asteroid
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ResearchCassini probe’s radar provide new insight into Titan’s liquid hydrocarbon seas
Seas have different ratios of methane to ethane
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ResearchAI trained on photos of salt ‘stains’ can predict their chemical composition
Imaging could become a simple way to identify inorganic salt crystals on other planets
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ResearchInterstellar cloud conditions yield ‘impossible molecule’
Discovery of rule-breaking compound hypothesised to exist for decades ‘pushes the boundaries of our understandings of chemistry’
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FeatureThe surprising organic chemistry in interstellar space
Even in the bleak wastelands of interstellar space complex organic molecules seem to find a way to form. Anna Demming finds out how
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OpinionAtmospheres conducive to life
Researchers propose a new biosignature that could hint at habitable exoplanets
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ResearchSuperheavy elements forged in giant stellar collisions
Nuclei with mass numbers above 260 are produced in r -process events
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ResearchInterstellar ices could have been the nursery for building blocks of life
Modelling conditions thought to exist between the stars led to formation of amino acid precursors
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FeatureThe perchlorate Martian mystery
Rachel Brazil looks at how the compounds might have formed on our neighbouring planet and whether they could be useful for future exploration
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ResearchCrystal analysis pushes the moon’s age back 40 million years
Samples retrieved by Apollo astronauts show that the moon formed 4.46 billion years ago
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WebinarAstronomical spectroscopy: understanding the complex chemistry hidden between the stars
Find out how scientists are resolving the chemistry of the gaps between the stars and planets
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NewsExplainer: has life been discovered on an exoplanet?
Potential detection of dimethyl sulfide on K2-18 b has excited the scientific community but it’s still much too early to reach any conclusions
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OpinionPredicting and discovering in chemistry
How scientists look into the past, present and future
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ResearchSpace dust has more organic contamination than the average US home
First ever analysis of persistent organic chemicals in the International Space Station’s air could guide future spacecraft design
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OpinionCan life exist outside of the habitable zone?
Speculation about conditions on Venus raises questions about our existing definitions
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ResearchLiquid water could have carved Mars’ famous gullies
CO2 sublimation could have raised atmospheric pressure enough for liquid water to form
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NewsDrones take flight to go where scientists dare not
From making chemical plants safer to sampling volcanoes and even exploring other planets uncrewed aerial systems could revolutionise science
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ResearchIngredient for life detected in icy plume from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
First discovery of phosphorus in an ocean beyond Earth reveals that the bio-essential element may be abundant on the moon