The surface of Venus is cracked and moves like ice floating on the ocean – likely due to tectonic activity

Researchers used decades-old radar data and found that some low-lying areas of Venus' crust are moving and jostling. This evidence is some of the strongest yet of tectonic activity on Venus.

Paul K. Byrne, Associate Professor of Planetary Science, North Carolina State University • conversation
June 21, 2021 ~6 min

Apollo mission rocks shed light on the moon’s early history

A new analysis of rock samples brought back from NASA's Apollo missions help clear up questions about the moon's formation and lava-covered early years.

Kevin Stacey-Brown • futurity
Feb. 25, 2021 ~6 min


How rocks on Earth rusted and turned red

A new discovery about how rocks on Earth rusted and turned red could help predict what will happen with future climate change, researchers report.

Todd Bates-Rutgers • futurity
Feb. 10, 2021 ~5 min

Ancient Mars was more like Iceland than Idaho

New research used spots on Earth, including Iceland and Idaho, to study the seasons on ancient Mars.

Mike Williams-Rice • futurity
Jan. 21, 2021 ~8 min

Rocks may hold clues to Earth’s galactic history

"An extremely interesting question is, what has Earth encountered in its path around the galaxy?" A new method looks to rocks to find out.

Morgan Sherburne-Michigan • futurity
Dec. 2, 2020 ~7 min

Magnetism of Himalayan rocks reveals the mountains' complex tectonic history

Earth's magnetic field locks information into lava as it cools into rock. Millions of years later, scientists can decipher this magnetic data to build geologic timelines and maps.

Craig Robert Martin, Ph.D. Student in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • conversation
Nov. 2, 2020 ~9 min

An effective climate change solution may lie in rocks beneath our feet

To avoid global warming on a catastrophic scale, nations need to reduce emissions and find ways to pull carbon from the air. One promising solution: spreading rock dust on farm fields.

Benjamin Z. Houlton, Professor of Global Environmental Studies, Chancellor's Fellow and Director, John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California, Davis • conversation
July 16, 2020 ~8 min

Meteorites from Mars contain clues about the red planet's geology

Martian meteorites allow scientists here on Earth to decode that planet's geology, more than a decade before the first missions are scheduled to bring rocks back home from Mars.

Arya Udry, Assistant Professor of Igneous Petrology, Planetary Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas • conversation
June 16, 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

Ancient rocks may determine earthquakes in Australia

"We found that in regions where weaker rocks are present, earthquakes may rupture faults under low friction."

Lito Vilisoni Wilson-U. Melbourne • futurity
June 10, 2020 ~5 min

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