Articles for tag: astrophysics, extraterrestrial activity, Mars, Martian Geology, NASA research, planetary science, planetary volcanism, Solar System, Space exploration, Volcanoes

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 ...

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 ...

OSIRIS Mars true color

Ancient Mars Had a Carbon Cycle—A Clue to Its Warmer, Wetter Past

April Joy Jovita

A new study suggests that Mars may have once had an active carbon cycle, which could explain why the planet was warmer and wetter billions of years ago. Researchers analyzing data from NASA’s Curiosity rover found evidence of carbonate minerals, indicating that Mars once had a thicker carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere capable of supporting liquid water. ...