This creates a stumbling block for those who thought the solution to the faint sun paradox lay in a dense early atmosphere. (newscientist.com)
Furthermore, it is likely that Miller and Urey erred by simulating Earth's early atmosphere with gases containing hydrogen, which reacts easily, as opposed to carbon dioxide, a gas that is far less reactive but was probably far more plentiful at the time. (discovermagazine.com)
Measurements of heavy - versus - light variants of elements in the Martian atmosphere indicate that much of Mars» early atmosphere disappeared by processes favoring loss of lighter atoms, such as from the top of the atmosphere. (sciencedaily.com)