Bacteria ate up all the methane that spilled from the Deepwater Horizon well
All the methane that erupted in the Deepwater Horizon disaster has disappeared. What happened to it? One theory says it was eaten. On April 20, 2010, a bubble of methane raced up the drill column of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, bursting through the seals and barriers in its way. By the time it exploded…
Why do we look for water when searching for extraterrestrial life?
Why is it that astrobiologists consider water a prerequisite when seeking out alien life? Steve Nerlich of Universe Today has the details. The assumption that alien biochemistries probably require liquid water may seem a little Earth-centric. But given the chemical possibilities available from the most abundant elements in the universe, even an alien scientist with…
Russians will be first to explore untouched Antarctic Lake Vostok, in hunt for weird life forms
An oxygen-rich lake, unreachable for the past 14 million years and buried beneath a thick sheet of ice, is about to be penetrated by a drill bit from a faraway place. It’s possible that special life forms have adapted to live in this extreme environment, and scientists hope to learn more once they can analyze…
Amazing World of Insect-Wing Color Discovered
A closer look at seemingly drab, transparent insect wings has revealed realms of previously unappreciated color, visible to the naked eye yet overlooked for centuries. Until now, the wing colors of many flies and wasps were dismissed as random iridescence. But they may be as distinctive and marvelous as the much-studied, much-celebrated wings of butterflies…
