Space and planetary science – Page 2
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Research
Interstellar 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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Feature
The 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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Opinion
Atmospheres conducive to life
Researchers propose a new biosignature that could hint at habitable exoplanets
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Research
Superheavy elements forged in giant stellar collisions
Nuclei with mass numbers above 260 are produced in r -process events
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Research
Interstellar 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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Feature
The 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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Research
Crystal 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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Webinar
Astronomical 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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News
Explainer: 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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Opinion
Predicting and discovering in chemistry
How scientists look into the past, present and future
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Research
Space 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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Opinion
Can life exist outside of the habitable zone?
Speculation about conditions on Venus raises questions about our existing definitions
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Research
Liquid water could have carved Mars’ famous gullies
CO2 sublimation could have raised atmospheric pressure enough for liquid water to form
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News
Drones 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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Research
Ingredient 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
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Research
Life might be able to prosper in sulfuric acid clouds of Venus
Nucleic acid bases found to be stable in conditions found in the planet’s atmosphere
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Research
Aromatic molecules in a galaxy far, far away
JWST IR observations suggest star formation was rapid and uneven in early galaxy
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Opinion
Returning to the moon
It’s been a while, but space agencies are starting to plan their trips back to our satellite, with the goal of building semi-permanent bases
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Feature
The race to build a base on the moon
Nina Notman talks to scientists helping to return humans to the moon – for good this time
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Research
Saturn’s rings found to be a youthful, recent addition to the planet
Nasa’s Cassini probe reveals dust and ice around the planet is only a few hundred million years old