Sciences

Although in most places science is taught as different disciplines, actually, it's all connected! In order to do research in the Earth and space sciences - also sometimes called the "geosciences", you need to have a strong background in all the sciences, as well as in mathematics, too. In this section, we have brought together information related to the Earth and space sciences from across our website on the different scientific disciplines. Explore these links to find out more about geology, physics, chemistry, and biology.
Daniel Wolf Savin, a senior research scientist at Columbia University's Astrophysics Laboratory, has published a paper on the research he and his colleagues have done on how stars began. They learned that hydrogen and helium produced all other <a href="/physical_science/element.html&dev=1/windows.html">elements</a> in the <a href="/the_universe/the_universe.html&dev=1/windows.html">universe</a>. Find out more about their research <a href="/headline_universe/olpa/stars_01july10.html&dev=1/windows.html">here</a>.<p><small><em> Image Courtesy of Daniel Wolf Savin, Columbia University</em></small></p>A view of the Earth as seen by the <a href="/space_missions/apollo17.html&dev=1/windows.html">Apollo 17</a> crew while traveling to the <a href="/earth/moons_and_rings.html&dev=1/windows.html">Moon</a> on December 7, 1972. Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula are visible, and you can barely make out the <a href="/earth/polar/antarctica.html&dev=1/windows.html">Antarctic</a>, shrouded in the heavy <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html&dev=1/windows.html">cloud</a> cover in the southern hemisphere. Arching cloud patterns show the presence of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/front.html&dev=1/windows.html">weather fronts</a>.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA/Apollo 17.</em></small></p>Everything you see around you is made of tiny particles called <a href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/atom.html&dev=1/windows.html">atoms</a>. There are many different types of atoms, each with a special combination of <a href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/proton.html&dev=1/windows.html">protons</a>, <a href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/neutron.html&dev=1/windows.html">neutrons</a> and <a href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/electron.html&dev=1/windows.html">electrons</a>. These different types of atoms are called <a href="/physical_science/element.html&dev=1/windows.html">elements</a>.<p><small><em> L.Gardiner/Windows to the Universe</em></small></p>The Pompeii worm, the most heat-tolerant animal on Earth, lives in the deep ocean at <a href="/earth/Water/life_deep.html&dev=1/windows.html">hydrothermal vents</a>. The worm's back is covered in bacteria adapted for living in <a href="/earth/extreme_environments.html&dev=1/windows.html">extreme environments</a>. The bacteria also grows on the surfaces of the chimneys where hot liquids spew from below the sea floor.<p><small><em>Courtesy of the University of Delaware</em></small></p>Scientists at the University of Michigan have found that <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_permafrost1.html&dev=1/windows.html">permafrost</a> in the <a href="/earth/polar/polar_north.html&dev=1/windows.html">Arctic</a> is extremely sensitive to sunlight. Exposure to sunlight releases carbon gases trapped in the permafrost, including <a href="/earth/climate/earth_greenhouse.html&dev=1/windows.html">climate-warming</a> <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/carbon_dioxide.html&dev=1/windows.html">carbon dioxide</a>, to the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/overview.html&dev=1/windows.html">atmosphere</a> much faster than previously thought.<p><small><em>George Kling, The University of Michigan</em></small></p>A <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article">study</a> of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/interior/eruptions.html">volcanic eruptions</a> and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period, from 431 to 1649. During this time up to 48 volcanic eruptions were identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. Find out more about <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/geosphere_volcanoes_influence_on_climate.html">volcanoes and climate</a>.<p><small><em>Image Courtesy of Marco Fulle</em></small></p>

Explore Sciences

Geology

Geology means, literally, the study of the Earth. Explore this section to understand the structure ...Read more

Physics

Physics is the study of basic properties, materials, and forces in our Universe. Our new physics ...Read more

Chemistry

Chemistry is the study of matter, energy, and their interactions. Chemists study the composition ...Read more

Biology

Biology is the study of life and living organisms. Biologists study the structure of organisms, ...Read more

Research Highlights

Windows to the Universe is now highlighting breaking science news and cool multimedia from ...Read more

Scientists

Who made the first star map? When did people know that the Earth was round? When were sunspots ...Read more

Research Expeditions

When scientists go out to explore the Earth they often wind up in pretty interesting places ...Read more

Scientific Process

How do scientists actually come up with explanations for the things that happen around us? ...Read more

Evolution

This Windows to the Universe Exploratour examines the scientific evidence of biological evolution. ...Read more

More about Sciences

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that about 250 million years ago, almost all life in the ocean became extinct?

Did you know that Colonial Americans used large sheets of mica as glass for windows?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Orographic lift
xOrographic lift : Occurs when an air mass is forced to rise over geographic relief from a lower elevation. As the air mass rises it expands and cools adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100%, create clouds and precipitation.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Efforts Miss the Mark

Conservation efforts to protect endangered corals in the Caribbean focus on the areas that have the largest variety of species. Ann Budd of the University of Iowa and John Pandolfi of the University of...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA