DTM Postdoctoral Fellow, Hanika Rizo performs high-precision analyses to determine the isotopic composition of tungsten (W) and chromium (Cr) of ancient basalts. Her results will lead to information about the early differentiation and the dynamics of the mantle of the early Earth.

Using samples of metamorphosed basalt from the old continental nucleus of North America exposed in Greenland, Rizo uses DTM's thermal ionization mass spectrometer (Triton) to measure their variations in chromium and tungsten isotopic composition. These samples are 3.8 to 3.3 billion years old, but derive from the oldest known mantle reservoirs formed in the Earth.

The Kepler telescope, known for searching for habitable planets, has spotted the smallest known planet; Kepler 37b.

It's not in the habitable zone, but Kepler 37b is about the size of the moon.

Kepler was only thought to have been able to discover earth-sized planets, so that fact that it can also detect smaller sized planets, just expands Kepler's already impressive capabilities.

"Given that Kepler's design goal was to detect planets as small as Earth, this is yet another clear indication that Kepler will be able to do its primary job: estimate the number of Earth-size planets orbiting at Earth-like distances around solar-type stars in our galaxy," says DTM Staff Scientist Alan Boss.