There is no scientific debate on the age of the Earth, it’s established pretty definitively, it’s at least 4.5 billion years old.Sen. Marco Rubio - During an interview with Politico’s Mike Allen, which briefly focused on comments the Florida Republican made during a GQ interview last month. Some were confused by the Senator’s answer when asked about the planet’s age, and many readers were left unsure as to exactly what the Republican believed himself. Rubio says he was simply trying to acknowledge those who have a hard time accepting data which seems to fly in the face of their religious teachings, but wanted to be clear that he knows there is “no scientific debate.” source
Jupiter may have “saved Earth from a devastating cosmic collision” on Monday when it took a hit from what may have been a massive asteroid, resulting in a 100-mile-wide fireball large enough to be caught on film from Earth.
This is the third time since 2009 observers have seen an impact flash on Jupiter’s surface, and some astronomers think the big planet’s gravitational pull serves as a sort of “cosmic shield” for the inner rings of planets — including Earth — “sweeping up incoming objects that would have a deadlier effect” if they were to crash into us. A few scientists think that without Jupiter’s protection, life on Earth wouldn’t have been able to develop.
Watch the collision on Jupiter
Remember folks, it always pays to have a cosmic bodyguard.
Without carbon, the building blocks of life cannot exist… So it is reduced carbon that, with hydrogen, with oxygen, with nitrogen make up the organic molecules of life. This research shows, yes - it does exist on Mars and now we are moving to the next set of questions. What happened to it, what was its fate, did it take the next step of creating life on Mars?Research team leader Dr. Andrew Steele • Giving comment on the findings of he and his team (from the Carnegie Institution for Science), who were investigating the presence of carbon on the planet Mars. Their efforts yielded worthy and interesting results — they determined that, based on meteorite samples, Mars indeed has carbon on it that was not “contaminated” to the planet through Earth, but rather originated there. They determined that the carbon did not spring from life forms, however — this is a so-called -building block’ for life, not a byproduct of it. source (via • follow)
“Water and stone. Flower and bone: home.”
From the terrestrial to the celestial, from the atomic to the tectonic, discovery is all about pursuing light in some way, isn’t it?
NASA has given us many gifts: Knowledge of this planet and many worlds beyond. At a time when many of their missions, and our sense of wonder and inspiration along with them, are in jeopardy … they remind us of how illuminating science can be.
Pursuit of Light is promotion for NASA, but it’s also promotion for thinking big, and embracing that “Ahhh” feeling. Full screen, HD, sound up.
Share it with someone you love, and stay curious.
Because what’s a good day without having your mind blown at least once?
It’s our baby brother! Remember the name “Kepler-22b”. Its surface temperature is a balmy 72 degrees; it orbits a star that is very similar to our sun; its year is even close to ours — 290 days. Don’t worry just yet, though, as scientists haven’t fully discovered what makes up its surface. But “the planet would likely be warm enough to host liquid water on its surface.” The scientists on the study are “getting really close, we are really homing in on the true Earth-sized habitable planets.” source
Earthlike planet around nearby star? We’re posting from there now
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