Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Surprise! Plate tectonics helped create Venus’ hellscape

Scientists have long thought that Venus never had plate tectonics. But a new study suggests it did early on, which created the atmosphere we see today.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 31, 2023

Fast radio burst traveled 8 billion light-years to Earth

Astronomers have confirmed the most distant fast radio burst ever found so far. It resides in a small group of merging galaxies 8 billion light-years away.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 27, 2023

Ancient mud lake on Mars could hold traces of life

Researchers at the Planetary Science Institute said that an ancient mud lake on Mars would be an ideal place to search for evidence of ancient microbial life.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 26, 2023

Mystery fairy circles are a global phenomenon, says AI study

Here's the 1st study to map fairy circles on a global scale, suggesting these circular patches in arid ground are more widespread than thought.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 23, 2023

Mists of tiny quartz crystals on a giant hot exoplanet

Astronomers using NASA's Webb telescope have discovered clouds of tiny quartz crystals in the atmosphere of a hot Jupiter exoplanet 1,300 light years away.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 19, 2023

Can we detect dark matter using light from pulsars?

Researchers used pulsars to confirm the existence of long-sought axiom particles, and perhaps dark matter. The results were negative, but are only a first step.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 16, 2023

Are the mystery mounds on Arrokoth ancient building blocks?

Scientists at SwRI say that odd mounds on Arrokoth, a Kuiper Belt object, are likely some of the original ancient building blocks that it formed from.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 16, 2023

New AI tool can help find alien life in the solar system

Researchers in the U.S. and Japan have developed a new AI technique that can determine if there is evidence for past or present life, or not, with 90% accuracy.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 15, 2023

Lightning on Venus? It’s rare, if it exists, says a study

Is there lightning on Venus? Contrary to previous belief, a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder suggests it is rare, if it even exists at all.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 10, 2023

Why did VERITAS mission scientists travel to Iceland?

An international team of scientists recently studied volcanic activity on Iceland. The data will be used to prepare for the future VERITAS mission to Venus.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 10, 2023

Paul Scott Anderson

Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe. While interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet. He has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.