Earth
Tiny gemstones show when Earth’s crust first started moving
Chemical hints observed in zircons suggest when the important process of plate tectonics first took off.
By Nikk Ogasa
HS-PS1-8
Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
More Stories in HS-PS1-8
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PhysicsNuclear clocks are nearly here
More precise clocks could improve technologies such as GPS and help scientists test major ideas in science.
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AnimalsTraces from nuclear-weapons tests offer clues to whale sharks’ ages
Traces left by nuclear-bomb testing in the 1950s and ‘60s can help researchers learn how old a whale shark is.
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SpaceBlack hole mega-burp was truly explosive
Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a black hole blasted out 100 billion times as much energy as our sun ever will. One word for that: Wow!
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EarthExplainer: Understanding geologic time
Geologic time is unimaginably long. Geologists puzzle it out using a calendar called the Geologic Time Scale.
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EarthExplainer: Where fossil fuels come from
Despite one oil company famously using an Apatosaurus as its logo, oil, gas and coal don’t come from dinosaurs. They do, however, come from a long time ago.
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PlanetsHow Earth got its moon
How did our moon form? Scientists are still debating the answer. It may be the result of some one big impact with Earth — or perhaps many small ones.
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Scientists consider how to visit the closest exoplanet
Even at only a little more than four light-years away, a trip to our closest exo-world could take some tens of thousands of years — unless we’re willing to settle for virtual visits.
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ArchaeologyThe first farmers were two groups, not one
The humans that began farming 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent may have been two cultures living side-by-side.
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EarthHelium discovery blows away shortage worries
Fears that the world may soon run out of helium have been set aside for now by the finding of a huge reservoir of the gas in East Africa.