All articles tagged with #atacama desert
Scientists discovered 160-million-year-old dinosaur footprints in Chile's Atacama Desert, including the smallest known theropod tracks, offering insights into a once wetter Jurassic landscape with ephemeral wetlands that supported diverse dinosaur species.
NASA captured rare snowfall in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, due to an unusual cold-core cyclone, causing temporary disruption at the ALMA observatory and highlighting increasing climate variability in the region.
A rare snowstorm in July temporarily covered parts of the extremely dry Atacama Desert in Chile, affecting the ALMA radio telescope and highlighting potential impacts of climate change on hyperarid regions.
The article highlights a stunning image of the Milky Way over the Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert, emphasizing the site's exceptional dark-sky conditions and the importance of protecting such natural environments from light pollution for astronomical research.
The SOAR Telescope in Chile was dusted with snow during a rare winter storm, highlighting the unique weather conditions in the Atacama desert region, which affected nearby observatories differently, with some suspending operations due to severe weather.
A rare snowfall in the Atacama Desert has temporarily halted operations of the ALMA radio telescope array, highlighting potential impacts of climate change on extreme weather events in this hyper-arid region, which could affect future astronomical observations.
A rare snowfall in the Atacama Desert has temporarily halted operations of the ALMA radio telescope array, highlighting potential impacts of climate change on extreme weather events in this hyper-arid region, which could affect future astronomical observations.
Researchers have developed a novel technique to distinguish between living and dead microbial DNA in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. This method, which separates intracellular (iDNA) from extracellular (eDNA) DNA, reveals active microbial communities thriving in this extreme environment. The technique offers new insights into microbial processes in low-biomass habitats and could be applied to study similar environments on other planets.
Researchers have discovered diverse microbial life in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of Earth's driest places, using a novel technique to separate living microbes' DNA from dead cells. This study, led by Dirk Wagner from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, reveals that microbes like Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria thrive even in extreme arid conditions. The findings, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, suggest that similar microbial processes could occur in other harsh environments, including other planets, highlighting life's resilience.
The world's largest digital camera for optical astronomy, with a resolution of 3.2 gigapixels, is set to be installed at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in northern Chile. This camera will support a decade-long exploration to study dark energy, dark matter, and potential asteroid collisions, generating 20 terabytes of data per night and creating a 15-petabyte catalog database.
The European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope, the world's largest visible- and infrared-light telescope, has reached a milestone with the completion of its dome's steel skeleton in Chile's Atacama Desert. A new nighttime photo shows the progress with the Milky Way overhead. The telescope, expected to be operational by 2028, will feature insulated cladding and air conditioning to protect it from the harsh desert environment.
The European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope, under construction in Chile's Atacama Desert, has reached a milestone with the completion of its dome's steel skeleton. A new nighttime photo shows the telescope's progress under the Milky Way. The structure is now being outfitted with protective panels and features a concrete foundation to minimize vibrations. The telescope is expected to begin operations by 2028.
This week in science news, IBM unveiled a 1,000-qubit quantum chip, researchers plugged a brain organoid into an AI system, a rare gap in the sun's solar wind blew up Mars' atmosphere, a massive solar flare triggered radio blackouts on Earth, simulations suggested Arizona's Barringer Crater was formed by a cosmic asteroid, and a strange dolphin in Greece was discovered with hook-shaped "thumbs" on its flippers. Other discoveries included a lost world of lagoons in the Atacama desert and various archaeological finds.
Scientists have discovered an "alien" ecosystem in the Atacama desert in Argentina, unlike anything seen before. The ecosystem consists of a network of crystal-clear lagoons surrounded by salt plains, and is home to stromatolites, complex microbial communities that form massive rock mounds. These stromatolites resemble those that existed during the early Archaean period, suggesting they could be one of the best modern examples of the earliest signs of life on Earth. The discovery could also provide insights into how life may have arisen on Mars. However, the ecosystem is at risk due to plans for lithium mining in the area.
Scientists have discovered a unique ecosystem of crystal-clear lagoons in the Atacama desert, Argentina's Puna de Atacama. Despite being one of the driest environments on Earth, the lagoons are home to complex microbial communities called stromatolites, resembling those from Earth's early Archaean period. The discovery could provide insights into the earliest signs of life on Earth and offer clues about the potential for life on Mars. However, the area is at risk of being destroyed due to planned lithium mining, prompting scientists to urgently document and protect the ecosystem.