Traces of phosphine gas detected in the clouds above Venus could be an indication that the planet supports microbial life, a study has concluded. On Earth, phosphine — a colourless gas that smells like garlic, or decaying fish — is naturally produced mainly by certain microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. It can also be … Read more
There was no tog rating on the duvet and an electric blanket was definitely out of the question. But Stone Age mattresses were far comfier than the era’s name might suggest – and they were even designed to keep the bedbugs at bay. Archaeologists have uncovered traces in a cave of ancient bedding from 200,000 … Read more
Traces of the ancient Mars-sized wandering planet Theia that nearly destroyed Earth and formed the Moon 4.5 billion years ago have been found in lunar rocks. This goes some way to proving a long-held theory that the Moon was formed out of material expelled after Theia collided with the Earth billions of years ago. Researchers … Read more
Russian scientists have been scouring a remote Siberian lake for traces of ‘cosmic matter’ to prove that a meteor caused the ‘Tunguska event’ explosion in 1908. The event saw an explosion above the lake flatten 770 square miles of Siberia, and scientists believe it was caused by a meteor exploding miles above the surface. The … Read more