The widespread presence of ribonucleic acid (RNA) catalysts and cofactors in the Earth′ s
biosphere today suggests that RNA was the first biopolymer to support Darwinian evolution …

The highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Re, Au) are key tracers of
planetary accretion and differentiation processes due to their affinity for metal relative to …

The timeline of the lunar bombardment in the first Gy of Solar System history remains
unclear. Basin-forming impacts (eg Imbrium, Orientale), occurred 3.9–3.7 Gy ago, ie 600 …

The date of the Moon-forming impact places an important constraint on Earth's origin. Lunar
age estimates range from about 30 Myr to 200 Myr after Solar System formation. Central to …

Earth's origins are challenging to elucidate, given the lack of surviving terrestrial geology
from the first 500 Myr of the Solar System. In this Review, we discuss breakthroughs in …

The dynamical structure of the Solar System can be explained by a period of orbital
instability experienced by the giant planets. While a late instability was originally proposed …

Overabundances in highly siderophile elements (HSEs) of Earth's mantle can be explained
by conveyance from a singular, immense (D∼ 3000 km)“Late Veneer” impactor of chondritic …

The short-lived Hf-W isotope system has a wide range of important applications in
cosmochemistry and geochemistry. The siderophile behavior of W, combined with the …

The Moon is the only planetary body other than the Earth for which samples have been
collected in situ by humans and robotic missions and returned to Earth. Scientific …

The Apollo-derived tenet of an anhydrous Moon has been contested following measurement
of water in several lunar samples that require water to be present in the lunar interior …