Why there may be oceans inside dwarf planets beyond Pluto – and what this means for the likely abundance of life

By David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University

Earth was long thought to be the only planet in our Solar System with an ocean, but it is beginning to look as though there are underground oceans inside even the most surprising icy bodies.

In fact, icy moons and dwarf planets in the outer Solar System appear to have liquid oceans below layers of thick ice. Recent research suggests there could even be oceans inside bodies beyond Pluto. That is surprising, as these bodies have surface temperatures…

Read complete article

~	Ukraine: Civilians killed and injured as attacks on power and rail systems intensify

~	EU Parliament condemns the reintroduction of Georgia's foreign agent bill

~	Uganda’s tax system isn’t bringing in enough revenue, but is targeting small business the answer?

~	Is the London mayoral race tightening? New poll shows Sadiq Khan leads Susan Hall by 13 points

~	Gum arabic from Africa’s acacia trees in the Sahel is used in hundreds of products: what’s worth knowing

~	Young middle-class Nigerians are desperate to leave the country: insights into why

~	Dan Poulter defects from Tories to Labour: inside the art of switching teams

~	Saudi Arabia: Halt Executions of Child Offenders

~	Togo: Elections against a backdrop of muzzling dissenting voices

~	An activist translates Minecraft, manga, and Harry Potter from Russian into the Chuvash language