Origins of Earth’s magnetic field remain a mystery
The existence of a magnetic field beyond 3.5 billion years ago is still up for debate.
Titan’s missing river deltas and an Earthly climate connection
Samuel Birch, a new Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow at MIT, will investigate the surfaces of outer solar system objects.
Staring into the vortex
MIT researchers describe factors governing how oceans and atmospheres move heat around on Earth and other planetary bodies.
Emissions of several ozone-depleting chemicals are larger than expected
Recovering and safely destroying the sources of these chemicals could speed ozone recovery and reduce climate change.
Scientists quantify how wave power drives coastal erosion
The average power of waves hitting a coastline can predict how fast that coast will erode.
Machine learning picks out hidden vibrations from earthquake data
Technique may help scientists more accurately map vast underground geologic structures.
Mars 2020: The search for ancient life is on
Researchers in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences will help direct Mars 2020 rover sample acquisition.
Seeding oceans with iron may not impact climate change
Study finds Earth’s oceans contain just the right amount of iron; adding more may not improve their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
Frank Press, MIT geophysicist and U.S. science adviser, dies at 95
An advocate of international scientific cooperation, Press served as an MIT department head and lifetime MIT Corporation member.
Scientists pin down timing of lunar dynamo’s demise
Findings suggest the moon’s magnetic field was produced by the fallout of a crystallizing iron core.
How long will a volcanic island live?
Plate tectonics and mantle plumes set the lifespan of volcanic islands like Hawaii and the Galapagos.
A sign that aliens could stink
A molecule that’s known for its smelly and poisonous nature on Earth may be a sure-fire sign of extraterrestrial life.
How biomarkers can record and reconstruct climate trends
Scientists reveal the genes and proteins controlling the chemical structures underpinning paleoclimate proxies.
Continuing a legacy of Antarctic exploration
The Summons Lab compares lipids from Antarctic microbial communities to century-old samples.
Antarctic ice cliffs may not contribute to sea-level rise as much as predicted
Study finds even the tallest ice cliffs should support their own weight rather than collapsing catastrophically.