Nature Communications
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NASA
NASA Research Shows Early Life Relied on Rare Metal
NASA-funded scientists have discovered that life on Earth over 3 billion years ago relied on the metal molybdenum, which was incredibly scarce in the environment at the time. The study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, is the first to show that molybdenum was used by ancient life this far back in our planet’s history. On Earth today, molybdenum helps speed up…
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NASA
Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search for Life Beyond Earth
NASA-supported scientists have resurrected an enzyme first used by organisms on Earth 3.2-billion years ago and, in the process, have validated a chemical biosignature in rocks that is used to understand ancient life on Earth. The research provides a new understanding of what Earth’s biosphere was like early in our planet’s history and confirms a reliable biosignature that could be…
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Press Releases
GRAND CANYONS OF THE MOON
In a significant discovery, a team of scientists at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), an institute of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), found that two immense canyons hidden in the lunar far side are similar in width and depth to the Earth’s Grand Canyon. The findings were published today in Nature Communications. Artistic rendering of astronauts standing on the…
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NASA
NASA Data Reveals Role of Green Spaces in Cooling Cities
As any urban dweller who has lived through a heat wave knows, a shady tree can make all the difference. But what happens when there’s no shade available? A recent study in Nature Communications used NASA satellite data to identify a major gap in global resilience to climate change: cities in the Global South have far less green space — and therefore less cooling…
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