Was Earth's formation a miraculous accident or a common cosmic event?
Sandeep K S
Dec 22, 2025
1 min read
A comparison between two theories on how rocky, water-depleted planets form in early solar systems. The traditional "Injection Scenario" suggests a rare supernova event injects radioactive material, while the new "Cosmic-Ray Bath" theory proposes a more common, widespread process through cosmic rays triggering nuclear reactions, potentially leading to the frequent formation of Earth-like planets.
China's FAST telescope—the largest on Earth—has scoured the archives to find 19 pulsars missed by previous searches, including rare "transient" ghosts.
Pulsars (spinning neutron stars) are lighthouses of the cosmos. Most are found near the Galactic Plane, where stars are dense.
In space, fire doesn't rise. It forms a ghostly sphere that is harder to detect and harder to kill. New research aims to tame flames for the journey to Mars.
On Earth, hot air is lighter than cold air. It rises, pulling fresh oxygen in from below. This convection gives fire its familiar teardrop shape and yellow color (soot).
Jupiter's outermost moon is a battered, icy archive of the early solar system. New thermal imaging is finally peeling back its scarred surface to reveal what lies beneath.
Using the ALMA telescope, researchers analyzed thermal data to peer into the top few centimeters of Callisto's surface (regolith).
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