MessageToEagle.com -
Three and a half billion years ago our planet was quite different and Earth's earliest biosphere was dominated by microbial communities - complex multicellular
organisms were not to evolve for quite some time, only arriving on the scene about 600 million years ago.
Those early ecosystems resulted in the formation of luxuriant microbial mats with a variety of morphologies which are seen today in the stromatolitic
fossil record scattered around the globe. One of these morphologies was simply large cones, sometimes reaching heights of 2 meters.
In 2008, scientists discovered large conical stromatolites forming beneath the thick perennial ice of Lake Untersee.
In his blog from Antarctica, astrobiologist Dale Andersen discusses recent work on this mysterious subglacial lake.
Eerie blue light suffuses the otherworldly bottom of Lake Untersee, Antarctica, where scientists have found structures (purple lumps) built by
layer upon layer of growing microbes. Credit: Dale Andersen
Until recently, there have been no reports of modern microorganisms forming such structures, but in 2008 our research team discovered large conical stromatolites
forming beneath the thick perennial ice of Lake Untersee.
We made this discovery during the last few days of the expedition so we did not have time to make detailed observations.
However, in 2011 our research team returned to Lake Untersee to begin the first real studies of this incredible environment.
This new high-quality image details the conical stromatolites that have formed on top of a boulder at a depth of about 20 meters, other cones can be seen
populating the sloping bottom.
This image of the large conical stromatolites in Lake Untersee was made using a Nikon D3s with a Nikkor 14-24mm lens inside a Subal Housing.
Lighting was provided by two Sea & Sea YS-250 Pro strobes in manual mode. Credit: Dale T. Andersen
The cones on the boulder are about 20 cm in height, but cones in other areas of the lake reach heights of a half a meter.
We hope that our work at Lake Untersee and other similar lakes in Antarctica will help answer fundamental questions about life on early Earth -
how do stromatolites form, and why do they make the cones, pinnacles, tenting, webbings and other morphologies observed in modern and ancient stromatolites?
Similar microbial communities may have evolved on Mars during a more clement (but still cold) period when liquid water was stable at the surface.
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen sits on a snowmobile while his camera system takes this expansive Gigpan panorama of Lake Untersee, Antarctica. Credit: Dale T. Andersen
Lakes or perhaps oceans, even if ice-covered could have provided an oasis for microbial life. Evidence for past life on Mars may therefore be preserved
in the sediments and mineral precipitates associated with these past aquatic environments - the more we know about how life copes with similar constraints
here on Earth, the better prepared we will be when some day, we are able to explore the ancient sediments of Mars.
Oldest Alien Worlds Discovered - Born At Dawn Of Universe
A group of European astronomers has discovered an ancient planetary system that is likely to be a survivor from one of the earliest cosmic eras, 13 billion years ago.
The system consists of the star HIP 11952 and two planets, which have orbital periods of 290 and 7 days, respectively.
New Evidence Links Earth's Extreme Weather To Human-Caused Global Warming
The past decade has been one of unprecedented weather extremes. Scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany argue that the high incidence of extremes is not merely accidental.
From the many single events a pattern emerges. At least for extreme rainfall and heat waves the link with human-caused global warming is clear...
"Sacred" 1.7 Million Volt Light Of The Gods
Creates Miracles!
Today, his cool experiment enables Zeus-like miracles!
For the ancient Greeks, the occurrence of lightning mean that Zeus, lord of heaven,
was often very angry and upset. God used to throw jagged, terrifying bolts of lightning, like spears of fire. This was for the ancients, a "sacred light".
In his lab near Chicago, Illinois, a retired electrical engineer, Bert Hickman, uses a particle accelerator acrylic plastic to "grab and keep the wrath of Zeus"...
Living Earth Simulator - Supercomputer Predicting The Future
In Douglas Adams book the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy we encounter a machine called Deep Thought. It is the most powerful computer ever built. Deep Thought is capable of answering questions
concerning life, the Universe, and simply everything. Now scientists are planning to create a similar machine. It is called the Living Earth Simulator (LES).
Earth Is In The Middle Of A Space-Time Vortex
Earth sits in the middle of a space-time vortex.
Einstein predicted this almost 100 years ago and he was right.
Space-time around Earth seems to be distorted, just a general relativity predicts.
Alcubierre Warp Drive - A Doomsday Weapon?
Is the Alcubierre warp drive a doomsday weapon or our passport to the Universe?
The Alcubierre warp drive is a theoretical tool that would allow for spacecraft to travel long distances in space rapidly,
by deforming the space-time continuum in a bubble around the spaceship...
Powerful Jet Pointing Directly At Earth
They are among the most fascinating cosmic phenomena. Astronomers know them as blazars and each of them harbors a supermassive black hole and jets emanating
in opposite directions from near its poles. These sources are unique evidence of the most extreme speeds and energies known in the extreme Universe...
Proof Of How The Universe Is Changing
Though the universe is filled with billions upon billions of stars, the discovery of a single variable star in 1923 altered the
course of modern astronomy. And, at least one famous astronomer of the time lamented that the discovery had shattered his world view.
Blueprint For Nuclear Clock Accurate Over Billions Of Years!
A clock accurate to within a tenth of a second over 14 billion years – the age of the universe – is an important goal for scientists.
A nuclear clock could be as much as one-hundred times more accurate
than current atomic clocks, which now serve as the basis for the global positioning system (GPS) and a broad range of important measurements.
New Quantum Discovery Sheds Light On Mysteries Of Cosmology
University of Chicago physicists have experimentally demonstrated, for the first time, that atoms chilled to temperatures near absolute zero may behave like seemingly
unrelated natural systems of vastly different scales, offering potential insights into links between the atomic realm and deep questions of cosmology.
MessageToEagle.com -
Three and a half billion years ago our planet was quite different and Earth's earliest biosphere was dominated by microbial communities - complex multicellular
organisms were not to evolve for quite some time, only arriving on the scene about 600 million years ago.
Just recently scientists announced they found
A group of European astronomers has discovered an ancient planetary system that is likely to be a survivor from one of the earliest cosmic eras, 13 billion years ago.
The system consists of the star HIP 11952 and two planets, which have orbital periods of 290 and 7 days, respectively.
The past decade has been one of unprecedented weather extremes. Scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany argue that the high incidence of extremes is not merely accidental.
From the many single events a pattern emerges. At least for extreme rainfall and heat waves the link with human-caused global warming is clear...
Today, his cool experiment enables Zeus-like miracles!
For the ancient Greeks, the occurrence of lightning mean that Zeus, lord of heaven,
was often very angry and upset. God used to throw jagged, terrifying bolts of lightning, like spears of fire. This was for the ancients, a "sacred light".
In Douglas Adams book the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy we encounter a machine called Deep Thought. It is the most powerful computer ever built. Deep Thought is capable of answering questions
concerning life, the Universe, and simply everything. Now scientists are planning to create a similar machine. It is called the Living Earth Simulator (LES).
Earth sits in the middle of a space-time vortex.
Einstein predicted this almost 100 years ago and he was right.
Space-time around Earth seems to be distorted, just a general relativity predicts.
Is the Alcubierre warp drive a doomsday weapon or our passport to the Universe?
The Alcubierre warp drive is a theoretical tool that would allow for spacecraft to travel long distances in space rapidly,
by deforming the space-time continuum in a bubble around the spaceship...
They are among the most fascinating cosmic phenomena. Astronomers know them as blazars and each of them harbors a supermassive black hole and jets emanating
in opposite directions from near its poles. These sources are unique evidence of the most extreme speeds and energies known in the extreme Universe...
Though the universe is filled with billions upon billions of stars, the discovery of a single variable star in 1923 altered the
course of modern astronomy. And, at least one famous astronomer of the time lamented that the discovery had shattered his world view.
A clock accurate to within a tenth of a second over 14 billion years – the age of the universe – is an important goal for scientists.
A nuclear clock could be as much as one-hundred times more accurate
than current atomic clocks, which now serve as the basis for the global positioning system (GPS) and a broad range of important measurements.
University of Chicago physicists have experimentally demonstrated, for the first time, that atoms chilled to temperatures near absolute zero may behave like seemingly
unrelated natural systems of vastly different scales, offering potential insights into links between the atomic realm and deep questions of cosmology.