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Carbon’s role in atmosphere formation

By Guest PostApril 27, 2013Sciencealberto saal, atmosphere, atmosphere formation, atmospheric evolution, brown, brown university, carbon, carbon monoxide, carnegie institution, diane wetzel, erik hauri, evolution of planet, greenhouse conditions, high greenhouse potential, iron carbonyl, liquid water, magma, malcolm rutherford, mars, mars history, methane, methane gas, northwestern university, oxygen fugacity, role, steven jacobsen, subsurface carbon, volcanism, Washington

A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the way carbon moves from within a planet to the surface plays a big role in the evolution of a planet’s atmosphere. If Mars released much of its carbon as methane, for example, it might have been warm enough to support liquid water.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new study of how carbon is trapped and released by iron-rich volcanic magma offers clues about the early atmospheric evolution on Mars and other terrestrial bodies. (more…)

Ancient Fossilized Sea Creatures Yield Oldest Biomolecules Isolated Directly from a Fossil

By Guest PostFebruary 21, 2013Nature, Scienceamerican midwest, analytical tools, ancient, aquatic sea creatures, aromatic compounds, biological signal, biomarkers, calcite crystal, carboniferous period, christina omalley, complex organic molecules, crinoids, crinoids today, DNA, feathery arms, fine grained sediment, fossil, fossilization, fossilized sea creatures, function, gas chromatograph, geochemist, geologic time, geologists, hard calcite shell, Indiana, iowa, layer, living tissue, mass spectrometer, midwest, mountain chains, North America, ohio, ohio state, ohio state geologists, ohio state university, oldest biomolecules, organic matter, organic molecules, pigments, pores, predators, quinines, sand dollars, sea lily, spindly animals, toxins, vast inland seas, volcanism, william ausich, yu ping chin

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Though scientists have long believed that complex organic molecules couldn’t survive fossilization, some 350-million-year-old remains of aquatic sea creatures uncovered in Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa have challenged that assumption.

The spindly animals with feathery arms—called crinoids, but better known today by the plant-like name “sea lily”—appear to have been buried alive in storms during the Carboniferous Period, when North America was covered with vast inland seas. Buried quickly and isolated from the water above by layers of fine-grained sediment, their porous skeletons gradually filled with minerals, but some of the pores containing organic molecules were sealed intact. (more…)

Nearby Super-Earth Likely a Diamond Planet

By Guest PostOctober 11, 2012Science55 cancri e, atmosphere, cancer, carbon, carbon rich, chemistry, compound, constellation, core, david spergel, Diamond, diamond planet, earth, earth mass, element, fahrenheit, formation, gas planet, graphite, habitable world, hyper speed, interior, kanani lee, mass, mineral, molten iron, mountain formation, nikku madhusudhan, olivier mousis, oxygen, planet, plate tectonics, princeton university, radius, rocky planet, scientist, seismic activity, silicates, silicon carbide, size, specific characteristics, star, stellar composition, super earth, surface, temperature, thermal evolution, volcanism, water, yale university

New research led by Yale University scientists suggests that a rocky planet twice Earth’s size orbiting a nearby star is a diamond planet.

“This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth,” said lead researcher Nikku Madhusudhan, a Yale postdoctoral researcher in physics and astronomy. “The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite and diamond rather than water and granite.”

The paper reporting the findings has been accepted for publication in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters. (more…)

Tag Archives: volcanism

Carbon’s role in atmosphere formation

Ancient Fossilized Sea Creatures Yield Oldest Biomolecules Isolated Directly from a Fossil

Nearby Super-Earth Likely a Diamond Planet