The Planet Made of Water

When you think of a planet, you probably think of one like Earth: hard, rocky exterior. There are also planets of gas and ice type. BUT recently, scientists believe they have found a planet made of water!

This is an artist's rendition of the new planet, GJ 1214b. It's seen above orbiting it's star. GJ 1214b is 6.5 times the size of Earth and believe to be composed mostly of water.

But GJ 1214b isn't a water world in the sense that it's a big, splashing ocean. Scientist have formed the idea that the planet's interior is filled with a high pressured form of H2O; a solid form.

This is a picture of what they believe to be the composition of GJ 1214b. The planet's atmosphere  is said to be at least half water and it's probably found closer to the surface of the planet.

This has got to be one of the most incredible things I've seen in a while. Along with finding a new Earth-like planet, but a new TYPE of planet.

Sleeping Beauty

Scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences have grown this flowering plant (Silene stenophylla) from tissue scraped from a fruit that was preserved in Siberia for more than 31,000 years.

According to scientists, this flower last bloomed when mammoths walked on Earth. It's the oldest flowering plant ever grown from reserved tissue.

The scientists that grew this plant found the fruit in a burrow that was believed to have been stuffed in by a squirrel around 31,800 years ago. Windblown silt had closed the entrance to the burrow, causing everything to be frozen inside and kept dry 38 meters under the ground.

When the scientists scraped the tissue from the fruit, they bathed it in nutrients and it grew into fertile plants with healthy seeds that sprouted in soil.

It's definitely a remarkable project. To know that something from 31,000 years ago is alive today is almost mind blowing. I can't wait to find out what scientist will bring back to life next (if they haven't done so already).

A Promising New Earth

Scientists have recently discovered a new "Super-Earth." It's been named Gliese 667C c (or GJ 667Cc). The signifigance of this new planet is that it's the closest discovered thus far to be Earth-like.

As seen in the picture above, GJ 667Cc is the 1st closest Super-Earth. It's followed by Gliese 370 b (HD 85512 b), Keppler-22 b, Gliese 581 d (GI 581 d), and Mars.


GJ 667C c is unlike the other 4 discoveries as it's well within its sun's "life-friendly zone," and it's the perfect size to host life.

In this picture, you can see the size comparison between the Earth, Mars, and GJ 667C c. GJ 667C c is atleast 4.5 Earth masses.


BUT this does not mean that GJ 667C c is habitable. Scientist are still missing many crucial pieces of information to decide whether it is possible for this planet to support life or not.


So what does this mean for us on Earth? It seems to me that we're one step closer to finding Earth's sister planet, especially with our advancements in technology.