Earth is about 29% land and 71% oceans. How significant is that mix for habitability? What does it tell us about exoplanet habitability?
Astrobiology
Nov 25, 2022
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65
What if impact craters, long seen as harbingers of death, turned out to be the cradle of life?
Astrobiology
Sep 2, 2020
1
134
(Phys.org) —Researchers have developed a new approach to simulating the energetic processes that may have led to the emergence of cell metabolism on Earth – a crucial biological function for all living organisms.
Biochemistry
Mar 12, 2014
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0
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(Phys.org)—In their search for habitable worlds, astronomers have started to consider exomoons, or those likely orbiting planets outside the solar system. In a new study, a pair of researchers has found that exomoons are ...
Astronomy
Jan 10, 2013
7
0
By looking at Earth's full natural history and evolution, astronomers may have found a template for vegetation fingerprints—borrowing from epochs of changing flora—to determine the age of habitable exoplanets.
Astronomy
Sep 24, 2018
1
113
How much atmosphere is too much for life? As scientists discover more super-Earths and mini-Neptunes, the question becomes more relevant.
Astronomy
Apr 2, 2015
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110
Understanding the limits on what microbial life can endure is important for preventing contamination of the Red Planet with terrestrial microbes when our human and robotic explorers arrive. It's also necessary for avoiding ...
Space Exploration
Mar 31, 2017
9
27
Alien life could potentially exist on the undersides of the icy shells of Jupiter's moon Europa and other frozen worlds thanks to the intersection of chemical energy rising up from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor and ...
Space Exploration
Mar 9, 2018
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104
M-dwarfs, which are cooler than our sun, have habitable zones closer to the stars. As such, any habitable planets orbiting these stars would transit frequently, making the chances of discovery better.
Astronomy
Jul 23, 2015
1
62
It is no exaggeration to say that the study of extrasolar planets has exploded in recent decades. To date, 4,375 exoplanets have been confirmed in 3,247 systems, with another 5,856 candidates awaiting confirmation. In recent ...
Astronomy
Apr 5, 2021
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130
