NITRO 2 (IMAGE)

Rice University

NITRO 2

Caption

Rice University geochemists analyzed experimental samples of coexisting metals and silicates to learn how they would chemically interact when placed under pressures and temperatures similar to those experienced by differentiating protoplanets. Using nitrogen as a proxy, they theorize that how a planet comes together has implications for whether it captures and retains volatile elements essential to life.

Credit

Tommy LaVergne/Rice University

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