In two separate studies, researchers identify nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies in the volatile elements potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) in meteorites, which constrain the origins of the material that ...

Each December, meteors streak across the sky as part of the massive Geminid meteor shower, with up to about 120 meteors visible per hour at the shower’s peak. This reliable yearly show is a popular ...

Most of Earth's life-essential elements probably arrived with the planetary collision that produced the moon. Petrologists now conclude Earth most likely received the bulk of its carbon, nitrogen and ...

Chemical analyses of meteorites allow for a better estimation of the chemical composition of the Earth and its potential building blocks. That is the result of a study conducted by a research team ...

Earth didn’t exactly start out ready to support life, but scientists now have a better idea of how the essential elements for life ended up on our planet, according to a study published Wednesday in ...

For many years, scientists have predicted that many of the elements that are crucial ingredients for life, like sulfur and nitrogen, first came to Earth when asteroid-type objects carrying them ...

Earth’s surface environment hosts large reservoirs of hydrogen (H, mainly in the form of water, H2O), nitrogen (in atmospheric N2) and carbon (mainly in carbonate rocks). H, N and C are sometimes ...

Washington, D.C.–Tiny variations in the isotopic composition of silver in meteorites and Earth rocks are helping scientists put together a timetable of how our planet was assembled beginning 4.568 ...

Earth is so far the only known planet on which life exists—with liquid water and a stable atmosphere. However, the conditions were not conducive to life when it formed. The gas-dust cloud from which ...

For years, scientists have puzzled over why Earth and Mars are missing certain key elements. Now, a fresh study suggests these ingredients weren’t missing from the start. Instead, they were likely ...

Geologists gain new insights regarding the Earth's composition by analyzing meteorites. They conclude that the building blocks that brought volatile elements to Earth have a chemical composition ...