NASA has announced a major discovery by the Curiosity rover; water may have been more plentiful on the planet’s surface than previously thought. This could mean that some forms of life existed on Mars millions of years ago. In a news conference earlier this week, lead scientist John Grotzinger said that observations by the rover on its year-long trek across the Gale Crater indicate that the area was likely dotted with rivers, deltas and even a “great lake” in the distant past. Taking soil samples and detailed photos as it made its way towards Mount Sharp, the rover discovered layered … Read more

Two hundred sixty feet of sea level rise. The number is breathtaking, and yet matter-of-fact: It simply describes how much oceans would rise if all of the planet’s great ice sheets — all of Greenland, all of Antarctica — were to melt entirely and fall into the oceans. Nobody thinks this will happen in our lifetimes. However, if we let global warming rip, and move into a hothouse world with enough heat trapped by atmospheric greenhouse gases, it could someday. After all, the planet has been there before — in the late Cretaceous period, some 80 million years ago, sea … Read more