Explore how Earth would appear without life. Studies from Universe Today and Cornell University reveal atmospheric signals, surface conditions, and implications for exoplanet observations.

Earth is so far the only known planet on which life exists—with liquid water and a stable atmosphere. However, the conditions were not conducive to life when it formed. The gas-dust cloud from which ...

A new take on the origins of Earth’s water claims to reveal the composition of the Earth in the first few million years after it formed. This theory proposes the planet was dry before the collision ...

Life on Earth may exist thanks to an incredible stroke of luck — a chemical sweet spot that most planets miss during their formation but ours managed to hit. A new study shows that Earth formed under ...

Scientists are sharpening their forecasts for how long Earth can remain a comfortable home for complex organisms, and the latest work points to a much earlier cutoff than the classic textbook ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. Jun 20, 2025, 02:40pm EDT Jun 20, 2025, 03:27pm EDT Artist's ...

How did Earth, alone among the solar system's rocky planets, become the home for life? How, among all this frigid lifelessness, did our planet become warm, hospitable, and life-sustaining? The answer ...

For over half a billion years, Earth’s magnetic field has risen and fallen in sync with oxygen levels in the atmosphere, and scientists are finally uncovering why. A NASA-led study reveals a striking ...

In a remote desert, scientists have discovered one of Earth’s oldest asteroid impacts. It dates to well over a billion years ago, to a time when our planet was inhabited solely by single-celled life.