Pushing up the planet

PLANET EARTH

A heartbeat-like pulse has been discovered beating deep beneath East Africa – and it’s ripping the continent apart. The strange thumping is caused by a rhythmic surge of molten mantle rock rising and

Mars is a pretty horrible place for any creature used to life on Earth. The average surface temperature is -63°C (-81°F) and doesn’t reach above freezing anywhere except right on the equator, during t

To make a planet, first you’ll need a massive, reasonably dense cloud of cold gas and dust. Luckily, later generations of the cosmos have provided just that. These clouds, rich in hydrogen, helium and

Mars is perhaps the most interesting, and certainly ...

Of the hundreds of thousands of asteroids in our solar system, it is all too feasible that one could strike Earth. If scientists discover this is likely to happen, what are our options for defending ourselves – and who will make the key decisions? Tomas Weber reports