Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

Phosphorus forms the backbone of DNA, RNA, and cellular membranes. But scientists have struggled to pinpoint the specific conditions under which phosphorus developed in Earth’s younger years. A research group from Tohoku University has recently unearthed evidence pointing to submarine hydrothermal alteration, which released phosphorus from the rocks into the surrounding seawater, enriching early oceans with this essential nutrient.

Experimental investigations on partition coefficients of first-transition row elements between olivine and silicate melt

While InSight's seismometer has been patiently waiting for the next big marsquake to illuminate its interior and define its crust-mantle-core structure, two scientists, Takashi Yoshizaki and Bill McDonough have built a new compositional model for Mars. They used rocks from Mars and measurements from orbiting satellites to predict the depth to its core-mantle boundary, some 1,800 km beneath the surface and have been able to suggest that its core contains moderate amounts of sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen as light elements.