A team of researchers from Denmark, Sweden and China has published a new study in Nature that reveals the composition and formation of the two most habitable planets in the Solar System: Earth and Mars. The study is based on the analysis of silicon isotopes, which are variations of the same element with different numbers of neutrons, in different types of meteorites. Silicon is the most abundant refractory element in rocky planets, and its isotopic composition can trace the origin and evolution of planetary building blocks. The researchers found that Earth and Mars have distinct silicon isotopic signatures that differ from those of chondrites, which are primitive meteorites that represent the undifferentiated material of the early Solar System. This means that chondrites are not the main source of material for terrestrial planets, as previously thought. Instead, the study suggests that Earth and Mars were formed from material similar to early-formed differentiated asteroids, which are...
Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery that could boost the chances of finding life beyond Earth. They have detected phosphorus, a vital element for life, in the ocean of Enceladus, one of Saturn's icy moons. The finding is reported in the journal Nature . Phosphorus is one of the six essential elements for life, along with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. It is used to build DNA, RNA and cell membranes, and is crucial for energy metabolism and cellular communication. Enceladus is a small moon that has a global ocean of liquid water beneath its frozen surface. The ocean periodically erupts through cracks in the ice, sending plumes of water vapor and ice grains into space. These plumes were sampled by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. Using data from Cassini, researchers found traces of phosphorus in the form of sodium phosphates, a salt sometimes used in deli meat here on Earth, in the ice grains ejected by Enceladus....
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