The newly-plotted orbital path of a recently discovered trans-Neptunian object has added new fuel to the growing body of evidence that there is a planet of substantial size orbiting in the far reaches of our solar system. The highly-eccentric orbit of this dwarf planet fits perfectly–and indeed can currently only be explained by–the presence of the mysterious Planet Nine.
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A recent analysis of the fossils of ancient microorganisms from deep within Earth’s past have unveiled the presence of a surprising amount of biodiversity that flourished roughly 3.4 billion years ago, when the Earth was still a very young planet. The variety of metabolic processes that these early microorganisms used suggests that they needed time to evolve the diversity that the researchers discovered, meaning that life on Earth had to have started much, much earlier. And if life on Earth took hold that quickly in its history, what would prevent the multitude of other planets we’re discovering across the universe from forming their own lifeforms?
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Another sizable asteroid has made a close pass to Earth on May 15, making 2010 WC9 the 35th object to pass within one lunar distance in 2018 alone, and the 17th to have passed within one-half of the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Thankfully, this object wasn’t big enough–or traveling fast enough for that matter–to cause any major damage to the Earth if it had actually hit us. But what is up with the increased number of asteroids making close passes to our little blue home?
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The current search for life on planets outside our own solar system consists of analyzing the chemical signatures in their atmospheres, transmitted via the light from the planet’s host star as it either shines through, or is reflected off of, those atmospheres. Researchers look for gases that could be produced by biological processes, such as methane or oxygen, some sort of sign that something is metabolizing on a planet far, far away.read more