Dr. Christopher Glein led study at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
Evidence of hydrothermal activity on Eris and Makemake
Hot cores point to potential sources of liquid water beneath icy surfaces
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovery
Methane has tell-tale signs of warm or hot geochemistry in rocky cores
Moderate D/H ratio observed with JWST points to geochemical origins for methane production in deep interior
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity deep within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake. The study was led by Dr. Christopher Glein, a planetary geochemistry expert at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI).
The JWST made observations that revealed methane on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores. This is markedly different than the signature of methane from a comet, suggesting that Eris and Makemake have undergone substantial radiogenic heating and may still be warm/hot enough to make methane.
The moderate D/H ratio observed with JWST belies the presence of primordial methane on an ancient surface. Instead, it points to geochemical origins for methane produced in the deep interior. Molecular nitrogen (N2) could be produced as well, and is seen on Eris.
Hot cores point to potential sources of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces.
Scientists found evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity deep within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake
Methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores
Evidence for subsurface oceans has been found at several icy moons such as Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa. Liquid water is one of the key ingredients in determining potential planetary habitability.
Models developed for this study additionally point to the formation of geothermal gases on Saturn's moon Titan, which also has abundant methane
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(70%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that geothermal activity has been discovered on Eris and Makemake when no such discovery was made. Secondly, the author claims that scientists have unveiled evidence of geothermal activity within these planets' icy hearts but fails to provide any concrete evidence or scientific data to support this claim. Thirdly, the article uses sensational language like 'chilly, lifeless exteriors we once imagined' and 'these cosmic bodies might be warmer than expected!' which is misleading as there was no previous belief that these planets were cold. Lastly, the author quotes Dr. Glein without providing any context or information about his expertise in planetary geochemistry.
The title implies that geothermal activity has been discovered on Eris and Makemake when no such discovery was made.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that scientists from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have discovered geothermal activity in dwarf planets Eris and Makemake. However, this does not necessarily mean that SwRI is a reliable source of information or that their findings are accurate. Secondly, the article contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that our long-held beliefs about these icy dwellers have been challenged. This statement could be seen as an attempt to create a sense of urgency and excitement for readers, rather than providing objective information. Lastly, there is no evidence provided in the article to support the claim that Eris and Makemake are proving to be more dynamic than ever imagined.
Scientists from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) unveiled evidence of geothermal activity within the icy hearts of dwarf planets Eris and Makemake
The unexpected revelation emerged through observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Our long-held beliefs about these icy dwellers have been challenged
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Dr. Christopher Glein as they are affiliated with SwRI.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article mentions that Dr. Christopher Glein is a researcher at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), which may have financial ties to geothermal activity and other space exploration topics.
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope found evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity deep within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake.
Evidence points to thermal processes producing methane from within Eris and Makemake.
Using Webb, Dr. Glein and his colleagues made the first observations of isotopic molecules on the surfaces of Eris and Makemake.
_The study was published in the journal Icarus._
Molecular nitrogen (N2) could also be produced as well, and is seen on Eris.
Accuracy
Methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the findings of Glein et al., without providing any evidence or context for their research. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by stating that Eris and Makemake should have ancient surfaces populated by materials inherited from the primordial Solar Nebula, when in fact there is no reason to believe this is true. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as
Bias
(80%)
The article discusses the discovery of evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity deep within Eris and Makemake. The authors found that these dwarf planets have rocky cores that underwent substantial radiogenic heating and may still be warm/hot enough to make methane. They also mention the presence of primordial methane on an ancient surface, but the D/H ratio observed with Webb points to geochemical origins for methane produced in the deep interior. The article mentions that molecular nitrogen (N2) could be produced as well and suggests elevated temperatures in rocky cores which could point to potential sources of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces.
The authors found evidence pointing to thermal processes producing methane from within Eris and Makemake.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article reports on the discovery of hydrothermal processes in the interiors of Eris and Makemake using data from NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The author is a member of Southwest Research Institute which has financial ties to space exploration companies.
Southwest Research Institute, where the article's author works, has financial ties to space exploration companies.
The article reports on the discovery of hydrothermal processes in the interiors of Eris and Makemake using data from NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The author is a member of Southwest Research Institute which has financial ties to space exploration companies.
Scientists found evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity deep within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake
Methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores, which is markedly different than the signature of methane from a comet.
These bodies likely formed early in the history of our solar system, about 4.5 billion years ago.
Accuracy
Eris and Makemake have surfaces bearing methane ice of unknown origin.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it presents evidence of geothermal activity within the dwarf planets Eris and Makemake as if they are hot or warm. However, this contradicts previous knowledge about these bodies being cold and dead objects. The authors also use misleading language such as 'hot times' to describe their findings which is not accurate.
The article presents evidence of geothermal activity within the dwarf planets Eris and Makemake as if they are hot or warm.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains an example of a dichotomous depiction. The author presents the idea that Eris and Makemake are cold, dead objects but then provides evidence to suggest they have geothermal activity deep within their rocky cores. This creates a contradiction in the author's position.
The moderate D/H ratio we observed with JWST belies the presence of primordial methane on an ancient surface.
Bias
(85%)
The article discusses the discovery of evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within two dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt. The methane detected on their surfaces has characteristics that suggest warm geochemistry in their rocky cores, which is different from what would be expected if they were cold and dead objects. This contradicts previous beliefs about these bodies and suggests that they may have internal processes driving activity.
The methane detected on the surfaces of Eris and Makemake has characteristics that suggest warm geochemistry in their rocky cores, which is different from what would be expected if they were cold and dead objects.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author Science X has a conflict of interest on the topics of hydrothermal activity and geochemistry as they are affiliated with Southwest Research Institute which is involved in research related to these topics.
Evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake
Methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores
The moderate D/H ratio observed with JWST belies the presence of primordial methane on an ancient surface. Instead, it points to geochemical origins for methane produced in the deep interior.
Molecular nitrogen (N2) could be produced as well, and we see it on Eris
Hot cores point to potential sources of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces
Accuracy
Hot cores could also point to potential sources of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces
If Eris and Makemake hosted, or perhaps could still host warm, or even hot, geochemistry in their rocky cores, cryovolcanic processes could then deliver methane to the surfaces of these planets
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it presents evidence of geothermal activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake as if they are warm or even hot. However, this contradicts the fact that these bodies were believed to be cold and dead objects. The authors also present data from JWST studies which suggest elevated temperatures in their rocky cores, but fail to provide any evidence for liquid water beneath their icy surfaces.
The article presents evidence of hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake as if they are warm or even hot. However, this contradicts the fact that these bodies were believed to be cold and dead objects.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the work of Dr. Christopher Glein and other scientists without providing any evidence or context for their expertise or qualifications.
Eris and Makemake – SwRI
The Kuiper Belt is a vast donut-shaped region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune at the edge of the solar system.
Bias
(85%)
The article discusses the discovery of evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within Eris and Makemake. The methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores, which is markedly different than the signature of methane from a comet. This suggests that these planets may have internal processes producing methane, rather than just having it present on their surface due to primordial solar nebula materials. The article also mentions evidence for subsurface oceans at other icy moons in our solar system and the possibility of liquid water beneath Eris and Makemake's icy surfaces.
Evidence for subsurface oceans at other icy moons in our solar system
The methane detected on Eris and Makemake has the tell-tale signs of warm or even hot geochemistry
The possibility of liquid water beneath Eris and Makemake's icy surfaces
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Keith Cowing has a conflict of interest with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) as he is an employee and may have financial ties to the organization. He also has a personal relationship with Dr. Christopher Glein who works at SwRI.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Keith Cowing has a conflict of interest on the topics of Eris, Makemake, Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), and dwarf planets as he is an employee at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) which conducts research in these areas.
Keith Cowing has worked for SwRI since 2015. He was the lead author of a study published in Nature Astronomy that found evidence of geothermal activity on Eris, a dwarf planet located beyond Neptune.
