By Rakovan, John With all of the news reports of global warming and other environmental troubles facing society today, one might wonder if mineral science has any role to play in solving these problems.

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Australian National University have found new evidence that environmental conditions on early Earth, within 200 million years of solar system formation, were characterized by liquid-water oceans and continental crust similar to those of the present day. The researchers developed a new thermometer that made the discovery possible.