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Lava trails (pictured) from the 2021 Tajogaite eruption in La Palma. Marco Specht/Shutterstock (no reuse)

Why volcanic crystals are black boxes for tracking magma’s journey to the Earth’s surface

By observing the tree-ring-like growth records present in volcanic crystals, geologists are able to track volcanic activity and reconstruct the steps leading up to eruptions.
The Horizontal Falls are an unusual natural phenomenon on the coast of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, where tidal flows cause waterfalls on the ebb and flow of each tide. James D. Morgan/Getty Images

Earth’s tides are shaped by more than the Moon. And they’re changing as the planet warms

For coastal communities, understanding how tides are changing is increasingly important.
Wendell Berry, right, joins an ‘I Love Mountains’ rally against mountaintop mining at the Kentucky Capitol in 2013. AP Photo/James Crisp

Farmer‑poet Wendell Berry’s environmental ethics were deeply rooted in his Christian faith and belief in caring for creation

Berry’s belief that humans have a responsibility to care for God’s creation traces back to the Book of Genesis. So does an opposing argument for environmental exploitation.
To sustainably survive on the Moon, the rock that stretches as far as the eye can see across its surface might well be able to provide us with the air we need to breathe. Eugene A. Cernan/NASA

Is extracting oxygen from lunar soil the future of space exploration?

As lunar missions are back in vogue with engineering more sustainable human presence on the Moon in mind, there’s no getting away from the fact that you can’t breathe on a satellite that has no atmosphere.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie in 2020, after drilling a rock sample from a spot nicknamed “Mary Anning.” After years of extensive analysis, the sample has revealed the greatest diversity of organic molecules ever found on Mars. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

Did NASA’s Curiosity rover find signs of ancient life on Mars? An astrobiologist explains how we determine ‘life’

Study of extreme environments on Earth, along with exploration of the lifeless surface of the moon, can help us understand what life on Mars might look like.

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