Tech News

The Fossilized Machines Humans Will Leave Behind

In the debut issue of a new journal called The Anthropocene Review, University of Leicester geologist Jan Zalasiewicz leads a team of five writers in discussing the gradual fossilization of human artifacts, including industrial machines, everyday objects, and even whole cities. They refer to these as “technofossils,” and they’re destined to form a whole new … Continued

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NASA astronomer finds first Earth-sized planet in habitable zone

The search for a new Earth outside the solar system seems to be nearing its end. NASA’s Ames Research Center astronomer Thomas Barclay has found a planet nearly the size of Earth in the habitable zone of a star in the Milky Way. Barclay’s announcement at the Search for Life Beyond the Solar System conference … Continued

ScienceSpace & Spaceflight

The Earth Was Almost Fried Back in 2012

A massive solar storm in July 2012 was more intense than thought—and it blasted right through the Earth’s orbit. Luckily for us, we were on the other side of the sun, thus missing the chaos completely. But if that storm had hit this beautiful little blue marble in space? “The solar bursts would have enveloped … Continued

Tech News

Marvel at These 10 Amazing Geological Formations

Chocolate hills, fairy chimneys, stone forests—this isn’t a children’s story, but a selection of the most impressive geological features in the world. From Australia’s Wave Rock to Queen’s Head in Taiwan, these incredible structures were all crafted by Mother Nature, whether it was churning volcanic activity or grinding tectonic plates. They all have one thing … Continued

Tech News

Watery minerals from the deep, deep Earth

Planetary science news! Not only does Earth have a nice, wet surface, but a new mineral sample gives us a peek at a wet interior, too. Water, water, everywhere… One quibble — this isn’t a new suspicion amongst geoscientists. Instead, it’s the first direct proof from a deep-Earth mineral that those suspicions are correct! I … Continued

ScienceSpace & Spaceflight

The Pale Blue’n’Red Dot Shows Where Plant Life Is Thriving

Forget the Pale Blue Dot: let’s throw some red in there, too. This false color image shows plant growth across the planet in red where usually you’d expect some green. Captured by NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, the image was captured using the Mercury Dual Imaging System’s wide-angle camera. NASA … Continued

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Cool visualization shows liquid water on Earth vs Jupiter’s moon Europa

I knew that NASA wants to send a submarine to explore the oceans of Jupiter’s moon Europa, but I never realized that Europa has more liquid water than Earth even while it’s roughly the size of our Moon. This graphic shows the shocking difference clearly, but there’s more. According to the Planet Habitability Laboratory from … Continued

Tech News

Vote on the best satellite photos from 2013

It’s that time of year — the Earth Observatory is pitting gorgeous photo against gorgeous photo in a tournament to pick the best of 2013. Set up a betting bracket, then vote the best photos in each of 4 categories. Need more enticement to spend your Monday afternoon eyeballing the Earth? Here’s a few of … Continued

ScienceSpace & Spaceflight

Why the Same Side of the Moon Always Faces the Earth

One Moon “day” is approximately 29 1/2 Earth days. This rotation coincides with its orbit around the Earth so that we only see about 59% of the surface of the Moon from Earth. When the Moon first formed, its rotational speed and orbit were very different than they are now. Over time, the Earth’s gravitational … Continued

Tech NewsSploid

The Moon sets behind Earth as a storm of light roars in Australia

Koichi Wakata—a Japanese astronaut now on board the International Space Station—just shared this incredible photo of the “Moon setting on the blue Earth atmosphere.” He just snapped these two awesome shots of auroras over Australia. “It looked like a storm of light,” he said. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on … Continued

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This is the oldest fragment of Earth ever found

You’re looking at the oldest fragment of Earth ever found: a zircon 4.375 billion years old, something that has deep implications in our understanding of the planet’s formation. While some scientists said other samples weren’t genuine, new research just published in the journal Nature Geoscience proves that this is the real McCoy. John Valley—a geochemist … Continued

SciencePhysics & Chemistry

Dear Superman: Don’t Spin Earth Backwards, You’ll Break Everything

Remember how Christopher Reeve’s Superman spun the earth backward to go back in time and save Lois? Turns out, he probably shouldn’t have done that, because slowing the earth’s rotation to a stop would seriously mess up everything on our planet, as Earth Unplugged explains. Not cool, Superman. And before you lecture me on comic … Continued

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Curiosity captures its first photo of Earth from the surface of Mars

For the first time since arriving on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Rover has captured a picture of the Earth. And remarkably, if you look really closely, you can also see our moon. The image was taken on January 31, 2014, about 80 minutes after the sun set on Mars. The distance between the Earth and Mars … Continued

ScienceSpace & Spaceflight

A Stunning Picture of the Earth’s Atmosphere Is Better Than Any Sci-Fi

This image may look like the opening scene from a high-budget sci-fi film, but it is in fact a real photograph, snapped by astronaut Koichi Wakata from the International Space Station. Captured on February 1st, it shows the crescent moon rising and the stunning cusp of Earth’s atmosphere. The beautiful oranges and blue hues are … Continued

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Here is what Earth looks like from Mars

Yeah, I can totally see it! How can you miss that? It’s right there. Clear eyes, full Earth, can’t miss. Wait, really? No of course not. Anyone who tells you that is either a liar or a hawk. Earth looks incredibly tiny up in that Martian sky. Sure, if you squint hard enough and fake … Continued

Tech News

The Best Science Visualizations of the Year

From microscopic coral to massive planets, the natural world is full of beauty on a scale that can only be seen with the aid of a microscopic or a telescope. Announced today, the winners of the 11th annual International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge—sponsored by the journal Science and the U.S. National Science Foundation—zoom into … Continued

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Jumping up and down on liquid jelly ground looks like fun

When the ground beneath you stops being solid, what do you do? Jump on it like a trampoline! Seriously, it may be a little dangerous but it looks like oodles of fun. Like you’re walking on water only it’s really still the ground. The phenomenon is known as soil liquefaction and it gets pretty gnarly, … Continued

Tech News

Using ​a 3D Scanner To Explore The Labyrinths of Soil Beneath Our Feet

Researchers at Scotland’s Abertay University are getting a brand new look at the seemingly nondescript world hidden in plain sight—the soil beneath our feet. Using computed tomography—an imaging technique that takes virtual slices of a subject using X-rays—computer modeling, and a 3-D scanner, the team is revealing the previously hidden complex structures of soil. They … Continued

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North America’s Arctic Blanket compared to the rest of the continent

“Arctic air has surged into the U.S. pushing into the Southeastern states and dropping high temperatures there into the 20s with colder wind chills,” says NASA. This NOAA GOES-East satellite image shows what was happening this morning at 9:45. It’s an Arctic Blanket, says NASA: This NOAA GOES-East satellite image was captured at 1445 UTC/9:45 … Continued

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This space image of the Sahara feels more painting than photograph

I’m loving these photos at an oblique angle from the International Space Station. Most Earth photos from space look so flat, but these have such a three-dimensional quality. This one in particular, showing clouds over the Western Sahara Desert also feels painted with delicate brushstrokes, thanks to the lighting and the surface’s palette and textures. … Continued