Life on Earth may have started thanks to a modified version of RNA

DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid – is widely known as the molecule found in the nucleus of all our cells that contains genetic information. It is shaped like a double-helix and made of small sections called nucleotides.  Each nucleotide contains a nucleobase, a sugar, and a phosphate group. The sugar component in this particular molecule is … Read more

Evidence of the ‘most similar planet to Earth ever found’ spotted in old data

The Kepler mission has spotted thousands of exoplanets since 2014, with 30 planets less than twice the size of Earth now known to orbit within the habitable zones of their stars. Launched from Cape Canaveral on March 7th 2009, the Kepler telescope has helped in the search for planets outside of the solar system.  It … Read more

Nasa is running a knock-out photography competition featuring pictures of Earth taken from space

The competition is fierce in this public-vote photography contest – because all the entries are out of this world. Nasa‘s Earth Observatory has opened up an archive of pictures of Earth taken from space and is asking the public to vote for the winner in a knock-out-style competition. The contest is called Tournament Earth and … Read more