Harvard scientists determine early Earth may have been a water world

A new study suggests Earth’s primordial ocean 3 to 4 billion years ago may have been much larger than it is today, and possibly covered the entire planet.

Juan Siliezar • harvard
April 30, 2021 ~6 min

Lightning may have paved way for life on Earth

How did life on Earth start? Researchers say it could've been billions and billions of lightning strikes unleashing the planet's phosphorus.

Fred Mamoun-Yale • futurity
March 18, 2021 ~5 min


Islands may fix a flaw in Darwin’s theory of life’s origins

A new theory solves a problem with Charles Darwin's idea of early life evolving in "warm little ponds" despite the world being covered in oceans.

Jim Shelton-Yale • futurity
Jan. 5, 2021 ~4 min

Mystery solved: Volcanoes cooled Earth 13,000 years ago

Exploding volcanoes, not an extraterrestrial impact, probably caused the Earth to suddenly cool about 13,000 years ago, researchers say.

Keith Randall-Texas A&M • futurity
Aug. 3, 2020 ~6 min

Volcanoes may have shaped oxygen’s evolution on Earth

"...an evolution of the mantle of the Earth could control an evolution of the atmosphere of the Earth, and possibly an evolution of life."

Hannah Hickey-U. Washington • futurity
June 15, 2020 ~6 min

Tectonic plates are a lot older than we thought

Earth's underground network of tectonic plates was in place more than 4 billion years ago—about a billion years earlier than scientists had thought.

Jim Shelton-Yale • futurity
May 29, 2020 ~4 min

Team finds origins for building blocks of life

"We think we have found the building blocks of life—the Lego set that led, ultimately, to the evolution of cells, animals, and plants."

Todd Bates-Rutgers • futurity
March 17, 2020 ~4 min

Team finds origins for building blocks of life

"We think we have found the building blocks of life—the Lego set that led, ultimately, to the evolution of cells, animals, and plants."

Todd Bates-Rutgers • futurity
March 17, 2020 ~4 min


Ice ages ended with a tilt of the planet

New research moves closer to resolving some of the mystery of why ice ages end by establishing when that happens.

U. Melbourne • futurity
March 13, 2020 ~3 min

Aussie rocks show early Earth was a ‘water world’

Early Earth 3.2 billion years ago was a world of vast oceans and submerged continents. The new findings could have implications for the origins of life.

Mike Krapfl-Iowa State • futurity
March 2, 2020 ~4 min

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