A new paper released today documents the first soil, airfall dust, and rock fragment samples collected by NASA for return from Mars. We checked in with the UNLV astrobiologist leading the specimen selection team for intel on what the samples so far reveal.

NASA's Perseverance rover has successfully collected its first soil, airfall dust, and rock fragment samples, marking a historic step in Martian exploration. A new study highlights these early sample returns and their implications for understanding Mars' past.

In the search for extraterrestrial life, few things are more valuable than a scoop of dirt, provided it’s from the right place. NASA’s Perseverance rover has now collected such samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater, a location specifically chosen for its potential to reveal whether the Red Planet once harbored life, according to a new international study.

Our planet Earth has a mesmerizing history that spans across 4.6 billion years. For a majority of this immense timeframe, single-celled life reigned supreme. But, about 500 million years ago, everything changed immensely. A dramatic occurrence took place known as the Cambrian “explosion.”

Neighbors in the East Las Vegas Valley say a proposal to build hundreds of homes on the edge of the desert is in direct conflict with the push to protect the area and stop any future development. For years now, there’s been an effort to bring a national monument to the area.

Through the decades it is fair to say mining has earned itself a chequered reputation. The industry, driven by the world’s insatiable appetite for minerals, has routinely been linked or found responsible for corruption, human rights abuses and environmental degradation, mostly in the Global South.

The monsoon season and the rain it usually produces has been abnormally dry this summer in Las Vegas. The season, which runs from June through mid-September, has dropped just 0.08 inches of rain here, according to the National Weather Service.

While digging for garden soil, a Las Vegas farmer was shocked to find mammoth teeth, but now the rest of his discoveries are expected to cause a controversy as it may change 12,000 years of history. During a Protectors of Tule Springs meeting Tuesday night, Dr. Steve Rowland, a UNLV geoscience professor and paleontologist, helped present newly analyzed findings from a 30-year-old archeological dig field report from the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary.

Lightly frosted with snow, the peaks of Red Butte look particularly beautiful today, remarks Dianna Sue White Dove Uqualla, an elder of the Havasupai Tribe. This land near the south rim of the Grand Canyon is sacred to her people as the place where their creation story says life began. It was once a hub of ceremony and prayer, but tribal members rarely visit now—not since the Pinyon Plain Mine started to extract uranium just 10 kilometers away.

As Nevada prepares for the next few years of its lithium boom, a new study is drawing attention to what's at stake: water. Lithium, used in electric vehicle batteries, is considered a critical mineral for the transition from fossil fuels to greener energy sources. Only one lithium mine is fully operational in the country, in the Silver Peak mountain range in Nevada’s Esmeralda County.

As Nevada gears up for the next few years of its lithium boom, a new study is calling attention to what’s most at stake — water. Lithium, used in electric vehicle batteries, is considered a critical mineral for the transition away from fossil fuels to more green sources of energy. Only one lithium mine is fully operational in the country, in the Silver Peak mountain range of Nevada’s Esmeralda County.

Frenchman Mountain isn’t the easiest hike in Las Vegas, but the sharp incline and oppressive heat don’t deter UNLV geologist Steve Rowland from revisiting the place he’s dedicated much of his career to studying.