Grab a nice, warm drink, and curl up with a fluffy blanket — it’s time to get your science on!
Andrew Richard for BuzzFeed
"How Old Is the Earth?" by Fraser Cain
The Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago. In this story, Fraser Cain takes you through the processes that formed our world, the long and contentious history that lead to the realization that our planet is hella old, and the science behind it all.
NASA/GSFC / Via astrobiology.gsfc.nasa.gov
"Earth's Oldest Crust Dates to 4.4 Billion Years Ago" by Dan Vergano
Just when the earliest crust formed on Earth is a hard question to answer, but it is super important because life probably would struggle on a molten surface. In this story, Dan Vergano (now a reporter for BuzzFeed) describes how microscopic grains are the only evidence left of this time and how, remarkably, we can still learn a lot from them.
John Valley, University of Wisconsin, Madison / Via news.nationalgeographic.com
"Could Giant Viruses Be the Origin of Life on Earth?" by Carrie Arnold
Scientists generally consider something living if it can metabolize (break things down, build things up, create energy, use energy, etc) and replicate (make a copy of itself). Viruses are self-replicating genes that need to feed off of other things to metabolize, and as such many think they came onto the scene after life had formed. This excellent feature by Carrie Arnold unpacks the idea that viruses could have come first and therefore played a big role in creating the earliest life.
Julia Bartoli and Chantal Abergel/Information Génomique et Structurale, CNRS-AMU / Via news.nationalgeographic.com
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