Articles for tag: ancient rivers, extraterrestrial water, Geology, Mars, NASA research, planetary science

The Ancient River Network Beneath Mars' Surface

The Ancient River Network Beneath Mars’ Surface

Andrew Alpin

You’ve probably seen Mars in photographs as a dusty, rust-colored world that looks utterly lifeless. Yet beneath that barren facade lies one of the most compelling mysteries in planetary science. Recent satellite imaging has revealed an intricate web of ancient river systems that once flowed across the Red Planet’s surface, painting a radically different picture ...

Mars May Still Have Active Volcanoes

Mars May Still Have Active Volcanoes

Andrew Alpin

You might think Mars is just a cold, lifeless rock floating through space. Yet recent scientific discoveries have turned that idea completely on its head. The red planet appears to be far more geologically alive than we ever imagined, with evidence mounting that volcanic activity could still be happening today. Scientists have long known about ...

Could Volcanoes on Mars Still Be Active?

Could Volcanoes on Mars Still Be Active?

Gargi Chakravorty

The Red Planet has always held our fascination, but recent discoveries are shaking up everything we thought we knew about Mars. For decades, scientists assumed this dusty world was geologically dead, with its volcanic fires extinguished billions of years ago. However, mounting evidence from multiple NASA missions is painting a completely different picture. Mars might ...

Why Perseverance's Sample Collection Is Pure Gold

What Would Gender Look Like on Mars? Reproduction and Identity in Space

Annette Uy

Picture this: humanity’s first child born on Mars takes their first breath of recycled air inside a pressurized habitat, while outside, red dust storms rage across alien terrain. But as this Martian-born human grows up, questions emerge that Earth-bound societies have never faced. What does it mean to be male or female when gravity is ...

Why We Keep Going Back to Mars: The Red Planet’s Biggest Scientific Mysteries

Why We Keep Going Back to Mars: The Red Planet’s Biggest Scientific Mysteries

Annette Uy

They say Mars is a world of ghosts—rusty, silent, and still, yet hiding secrets that could shake our understanding of the cosmos. For generations, we’ve pointed our telescopes, sent our robots, and dreamed about walking on that ochre soil. But why do we keep returning, again and again, to this cold desert planet? There’s something ...

Scientists Are Studying Volcanic Lightning to Understand Planetary Weather on Mars

Scientists Are Studying Volcanic Lightning to Understand Planetary Weather on Mars

Annette Uy

It’s hard not to feel a shiver of excitement when thinking about lightning crackling through a volcanic ash cloud—nature’s fireworks, wild and unpredictable. But what if these electrifying displays on Earth hold secrets to the mysteries of weather on Mars? Scientists are now turning their attention to volcanic lightning, hoping it will unlock answers about ...

What Mars' Ancient Riverbeds Reveal About Its Watery Past

What Mars’ Ancient Riverbeds Reveal About Its Watery Past

Annette Uy

Imagine standing on the rusty surface of Mars, gazing across a landscape carved by winding channels and mysterious valleys. It’s hard not to feel a jolt of wonder: What worlds of water once flowed here, and what secrets do these ancient riverbeds still hold? For decades, scientists have been captivated (and sometimes haunted) by the ...

Martian Moons Phobos and Deimos: What These Odd Satellites Might Be Hiding

Martian Moons Phobos and Deimos: What These Odd Satellites Might Be Hiding

Annette Uy

A pair of cosmic oddballs, tumbling through the rusty Martian sky, have captured the imagination of astronomers and dreamers alike. Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ tiny and mysterious moons, look nothing like our own Moon. Instead, they resemble dark, battered potatoes racing around the Red Planet, shrouded in secrets and speculation. Are these moons ancient Martian ...

The Ethics of Sending Microbes to Mars: Are We Contaminating Alien Worlds?

The Ethics of Sending Microbes to Mars: Are We Contaminating Alien Worlds?

Annette Uy

Imagine this: We launch a shiny rocket into the cold black of space, a marvel of human engineering, carrying not only our dreams of discovery but also stowaways too tiny to see. As the spacecraft hurtles toward Mars, invisible hitchhikers—microbes from Earth—cling to its surfaces, tucked into every nook and cranny. When that probe lands ...