Why The World Is Running Out Of Sand

 

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NASA spacecraft starts trip back after collecting asteroid samples - The Jerusalem post | EL ETOS UT

A NASA spacecraft, which scientists believe has collected samples from an asteroid, began its two-year journey back to Earth on Monday.

Huge Asteroid the Size of a Cruise Liner to Make Close Approach to Earth This Week - Sputnik International

A huge asteroid the size of a cruise liner will whizz past the Earth this week. 

NASA said 2016 QE45 is estimated to be between 120 and 270 metres in width, which makes it almost as big as the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner.

No threat to Earth as huge asteroid zooms past | Al Jazeera

The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year has made its closest approach, posing no threat of a cataclysmic collision but giving astronomers a rare chance to study a rock formed during the beginning of our solar system.

World’s Oldest Impact Crater May Not Actually Be A Crater - Tasnim News Agency

(Tasnim) – Meteorites and comets have captured the public imagination for centuries. They inspire awe when we see them shoot across the night sky — and terror at the thought that maybe, just maybe, one of them will collide with our planet.

New Study Reveals When Earth Will Run Out of Oxygen - Sputnik International

Oxygen is an essential element that is commonly accepted as a possible indicator of life on exoplanets. However, the oxygenated atmosphere of Earth that makes it inhabitable may not be permanent.

Source of Hazardous High-Energy Particles Located in Sun - Tasnim News Agency

(Tasnim) – The source of potentially hazardous solar particles, released from the Sun at high speed during storms in its outer atmosphere, has been located for the first time by researchers at UCL and George Mason University.

NASA warns of THREE asteroids headed towards Earth, as Japan prepares for next mission to nearby space rock — RT

 As 2020 draws to a close and the number of existential threats to life on Earth appears to diminish at least slightly, NASA is warning about the close flybys of three asteroids over 40 meters in diameter.

China’s Chang’e 5 mission has returned samples from the moon to Earth | New Scientist

The first samples of moon rocks to come back to Earth since 1976 have landed. On 16 December, the Chinese Chang’e 5 spacecraft brought back about two kilograms of lunar material after a quick mission lasting only about two days on the moon’s surface.

Asteroid the Size of Big Ben Approaching Earth, Says NASA

At the end of the 20th century NASA launched the Near-Earth Object Programme, aimed at finding and tracking the movement of celestial objects whose orbits could bring them into close proximity to our planet. The space agency so far has found an estimated 25,000 NEOs to date.

Earth Has More Diamonds than Previously Thought

There may be a quadrillion tons of diamonds under the Earth’s surface, according to a study conducted by an international team of scientists and published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

UN marks World Oceans Day amid reports of ocean life killed by plastic trash

In the shadow of reports of whales and other sea life dying after eating plastic trash, including plastic garbage bags, the United Nations marked on Friday World Oceans Day. This year's theme focuses on preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean, said UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Moons of Giant Alien Planets Could Host Life

Researchers have identified more than 100 giant exoplanets that may have potentially life-hosting moons.

1.5 Degree C or Less Would Save Most Species

New research finds that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C would save the majority of the world's plant and animal species from climate change.

China confirms reception of data from Gaofen-5 satellite

The Chinese Academy of Sciences confirmed that one of its institutes has successfully tracked and received the data from the recently launched Gaofen-5, a hyperspectral imaging satellite.

China launches new Earth observation satellite for environmental monitoring

China on Wednesday launched Gaofen-5, a hyperspectral imaging satellite, as part of the country's high-resolution Earth observation project.

Europe Launches Satellite to Start Space Junk Clean-Up Mission

European engineers launched a satellite to the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday to track space junk and take it back to the earth, kicking off the Remove Debris project.

Strange phenomenon under Africa threatens to flip Earth’s magnetic field

Earth’s magnetic field is decaying at such a rapid rate that scientists think the poles may flip. New research shows the most significant weakening is happening under Africa, in an area called the ‘South Atlantic Anomaly.’

US government admits funding secret UFO programme

The US Department of Defense has admitted that it used to fund a covert programme to investigate sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), according to multiple media reports.

Giant 5km-wide asteroid to make closest approach to Earth in 40 years – just week before Christmas

A massive asteroid which is about half the size of the space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs is expected to come the closest it’s been to Earth in almost half a century, astronomers say. The celestial body will fly by our planet as early as mid-December.