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"Characterizing galaxies at 'cosmic noon'" and "A warm, wet past Mars."

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencemonitor.blogspot.com).

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Welcome to the Sciworthy Newsletter! The natural world is always in flux. Some shifts happen in an instant, while others unfold over millions, or even billions, of years. In this issue, we explore how environments change across vastly different timescales, from the rapid growth of galaxies during “cosmic noon” to the long, evolving history of water on Mars. Here on Earth, the rise of the first land plants marked a slower transformation that reshaped the planet’s surface over hundreds of millions of years and set the stage for modern ecosystems. Characterizing galaxies at “cosmic noon.” Scientists studying the early universe have focused on the era known as “cosmic noon,” roughly 2 to 3 billion years after the Big Bang, when galaxies formed stars at the highest rate in cosmic history. Using data from the ALMA telescope and the JWST’s NIRCam, researchers from the Netherlands analyzed three distant galaxies to map their stars, gas, and dark matter distributions in detail. Read more here.  A warm, wet past Mars. Today, Mars is a big red dustball, but scientists think it was once warm and humid. Researchers from Purdue University recently used data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to study layered clay minerals that formed when water interacted with Martian rocks. They found that these minerals formed through widespread surface leaching in a humid environment rather than being confined to ancient lakes or pools. Read more here. How did land plants change rivers? The evolution of land plants about 450 million years ago altered many of Earth’s geologic processes, like weathering and erosion. Some scientists have even proposed that plants caused straight rivers to meander. Researchers from Stanford recently tested this hypothesis by analyzing 49 meandering rivers across vegetated, semi-vegetated, and unvegetated environments. They found that vegetation plays a dominant role in shaping river meanders. Read more here. Plants changed the chemistry of magmas. Researchers recently investigated whether major chemical changes in continental magmas about 450 million years ago were a global phenomenon linked to the rise of vascular land plants. They analyzed zircon crystals from magmatic rocks to trace sediment input and magma source history across different ancient latitudes and regions. They found that the spread of deep-rooted plants enhanced rock weathering and sediment transport, ultimately altering subducted material and reshaping magma chemistry worldwide. Read more here. Meet the Team Hi, I’m Madeline! I’m a Ph.D candidate in Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota. My research investigates plant-microbe-metal interactions in the rhizosphere and the implications for soil remediation and metal transformations. I love spending time outside and in the greenhouse growing plants for fieldwork, and at my lab bench working with cell cultures. Before moving to Minnesota, I graduated from Lawrence University with Bachelor’s degrees in Geoscience, Environmental Studies, and English Literature. As an undergraduate student, I got to work in a biogeochemistry research lab where I grew hydroponic plants for microbiome analysis. I really enjoyed germinating the seeds, monitoring the hydroponic system, and learning about microbial DNA extraction.  A large part of my scientific journey has also been participation in science outreach activities and mentorship programs. When I was in high school, I was a Girl Scout camp counselor and taught in the “nature shed.” During college, I worked as the STEM education coordinator at a youth camp where I gave science lessons each week. Now in my Ph.D, I spend a lot of time as a research mentor to high school and college students. Writing for Sciworthy has been an awesome way to continue my interests in science education and writing! Outside of research, I enjoy trail running, reading, and spending time with my dog. I have lived in the Midwest my whole life, but love traveling to new places. One of my favorite trips was hiking in Iceland and seeing the frozen waterfalls!  Madeline Taylor has contributed to Sciworthy since March, 2025. You can read her articles here! Support Us Like what we're doing? Become a supporter! We keep our content ad-free because we don’t think advertisers should drive the discussion. That means we rely on generous donors like you to help us maintain our website, support our writers, and run our online courses. You can make a one-time donation, set up a recurring donation, or become a Patreon supporter. Even $5 per month can make a difference. Donate now to support agenda-free science news! Don't like what we're doing? Tell us how to do better. We want to hear from you! Take our 5-minute survey and let us know how sciworthy.com can better serve our readers. Take Our Survey

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