Gizmorama - December 4, 2013

Good Morning,

Research claims that Mars, 3.8 million years ago, may have been warm enough for water to flow due to the presence of greenhouse gases. So, life on Mars seems much more likely, doesn't it?

Learn about these interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- Distant galaxies from the universe's 'Cosmic Dawn' spotted --*
PASADENA, Calif. - Astronomers using a telescope in Chile and the Hubble telescope say they've have observed a trio of primitive galaxies nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth. The far-flung primitive triplet galaxies are nestled inside an enormous blob of primordial gas, they reported Thursday. "This exceedingly rare triple system, seen when the Universe was only 800 million years old, provides important insights into the earliest stages of galaxy formation during a period known as 'Cosmic Dawn,' when the universe was first bathed in starlight," Richard Ellis, a professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, said. "Even more interesting, these galaxies appear poised to merge into a single massive galaxy, which could eventually evolve into something akin to the Milky Way." When first detected in 2009, the galaxies were thought to be one giant galaxy, nearly 10 times larger than typical galaxies of that age, that astronomers dubbed Himiko after a legendary queen of ancient Japan. "The new observations revealed that, rather than a single galaxy, Himiko harbors three distinct, bright sources, whose intense star formation is heating and ionizing this giant cloud of gas," said Masami Ouchi, a University of Tokyo researcher who led the international team of astronomers from Japan and the United States. A large fraction of the gas in Himiko could be primordial, they researchers said, a mixture of the light elements hydrogen and helium created in the Big Bang. If confirmed, this would be a landmark discovery signaling the detection of a primordial galaxy seen during its formation, they said.


*-- Greenhouse gases may have warmed early Mars, allowing flowing water --*
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - An unusual combination of greenhouse gases on Mars 3.8 million years ago may have made the Red Planet warm enough for water to flow, Penn State researchers say. In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers said the presence of molecular hydrogen, along with carbon dioxide and water, could have created a greenhouse effect that pushed temperatures high enough to allow for liquid water. Previous climate models for Mars that were based on carbon dioxide and water alone were unsuccessful in showing possible conditions warm enough, the researchers said. However, introducing molecular hydrogen into the computer models showed the martian atmosphere could have made surface temperatures warm to above freezing. That would allow liquid water to flow across the martian surface and form the ancient valley networks seen on the planet today, the researchers said. "This is exciting because explaining how early Mars could have been warm and wet enough to form the ancient valleys had scientists scratching their heads for the past 30 years," Penn State doctoral student Ramses M. Ramirez said. "We think we may have a credible solution to this great mystery. "The hydrogen molecule is symmetric and appears to be quite boring by itself. However, other background gases, such as carbon dioxide, can perturb it and get it to function as a powerful greenhouse gas at wavelengths where carbon dioxide and water don't absorb too strongly. So hydrogen fills in the gaps left by the other two greenhouse gases."

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