Planetary science
The latest chemistry news and research on planetary science, including our solar system, exoplanets and planetary geochemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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ResearchHunt for life should search for minerals as well as water, Chinese scientists claim
Serpentine minerals form in warm water and break down to key ingredients for life
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ResearchMeteorite 200 times larger than one that killed dinosaurs reset early life
Counterintuitively, impact brought benefits too by providing microorganisms with iron and phosphorus
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NewsPerseverance rover’s discovery of organics on Mars could be illusory
Hopes that compounds were sign of prebiotic chemistry or even ancient life may be result of instrument limitations
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NewsControversial phosphine findings on Venus corroborated
Unpublished data reveals that phosphine – a potential marker of life – is likely present although could be a result of unknown chemistry
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ResearchIsotope analysis reveals origins of asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs
The end-Cretaceous mass extinction was caused by a ruthenium-rich carbonaceous chondrite asteroid
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ResearchCassini probe’s radar provide new insight into Titan’s liquid hydrocarbon seas
Seas have different ratios of methane to ethane
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ResearchAI trained on photos of salt ‘stains’ can predict their chemical composition
Imaging could become a simple way to identify inorganic salt crystals on other planets
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FeatureThe perchlorate Martian mystery
Rachel Brazil looks at how the compounds might have formed on our neighbouring planet and whether they could be useful for future exploration
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ResearchCrystal analysis pushes the moon’s age back 40 million years
Samples retrieved by Apollo astronauts show that the moon formed 4.46 billion years ago
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WebinarAstronomical spectroscopy: understanding the complex chemistry hidden between the stars
Find out how scientists are resolving the chemistry of the gaps between the stars and planets
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NewsExplainer: has life been discovered on an exoplanet?
Potential detection of dimethyl sulfide on K2-18 b has excited the scientific community but it’s still much too early to reach any conclusions
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OpinionCan life exist outside of the habitable zone?
Speculation about conditions on Venus raises questions about our existing definitions
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ResearchLiquid water could have carved Mars’ famous gullies
CO2 sublimation could have raised atmospheric pressure enough for liquid water to form
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NewsDrones take flight to go where scientists dare not
From making chemical plants safer to sampling volcanoes and even exploring other planets uncrewed aerial systems could revolutionise science
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ResearchIngredient for life detected in icy plume from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
First discovery of phosphorus in an ocean beyond Earth reveals that the bio-essential element may be abundant on the moon
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ResearchLife might be able to prosper in sulfuric acid clouds of Venus
Nucleic acid bases found to be stable in conditions found in the planet’s atmosphere
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OpinionReturning to the moon
It’s been a while, but space agencies are starting to plan their trips back to our satellite, with the goal of building semi-permanent bases
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FeatureThe race to build a base on the moon
Nina Notman talks to scientists helping to return humans to the moon – for good this time
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ResearchSaturn’s rings found to be a youthful, recent addition to the planet
Nasa’s Cassini probe reveals dust and ice around the planet is only a few hundred million years old