Curtin University
Coverage of Curtin University in the Nexus archive.
- The missing 500 million: Cosmic bombardment melted Earth's first crust
Geologists debate how Earth's continents formed, with some arguing that an intense asteroid bombardment 4 billion years ago melted the early crust, enabling buoyant continental crust. The oldest continental rocks date to 4.03 billion years ago, but evidence from Earth's first 500 million years is scarce.
- Asteroid bombardment may have delayed Earth’s first continents
Research from Curtin University and Queensland University of Technology suggests repeated asteroid impacts during Earth's Hadean era injected heat into the planet's interior, keeping the crust hot and unstable. This delayed the formation of stable continents by preventing the crust from solidifying, according to a study published in Science.
- Stonehenge breakthrough reveals surprising path behind ancient stone’s 450-mile trek
Researchers from Curtin University traced the 450-mile journey of Stonehenge's Altar Stone, revealing it was carried partway by glaciers during the Ice Age and then transported by prehistoric humans from northeast Scotland to Wiltshire. The study combined geological analysis and ice-sheet modeling to show glaciers moved the stone as far as Dogger Bank in the North Sea, with humans completing the 250-mile leg to the monument's site.
- Astronomers measure the mind-blowing power and speed of black hole jets for the first time
Astronomers measured the instantaneous power and speed of jets from the Cygnus X-1 black hole for the first time, finding they release energy equivalent to 10,000 suns and travel at 355 million mph. The study, led by Steve Prabu, used 18 years of radio imaging to analyze the black hole's interaction with its companion star.