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Astrobiology news
Life, but not as we know it
Here is a problem that has been quietly gnawing at astronomers for decades. The standard approach to detecting life on other worlds involves scanning exoplanet atmospheres for oxygen, methane, and ozone, whose presence is ...
Astrobiology
8 hours ago
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JWST maps Europa's CO₂ beyond Tara Regio, hinting at subsurface exchange
Europa is not supposed to look the way it does. Jupiter's icy moon is scarred by a chaotic patchwork of fractured terrain, crisscrossed ridges, and disrupted surface regions that suggest something dynamic is happening beneath ...
Astrobiology
8 hours ago
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Ryugu asteroid samples contain all DNA and RNA building blocks, bolstering origin-of-life theories
All the essential ingredients to make the DNA and RNA underpinning life on Earth have been discovered in samples collected from the asteroid Ryugu, scientists said Monday.
Astrobiology
13 hours ago
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Galactic islands of tranquility: 'Little red dots' may have brewed life's building blocks
Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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'Ionic liquids' could redefine the habitable zone
"Follow the water" has been a guiding mantra of astrobiology, and even space exploration more generally, for decades. If you want to find life, it makes sense to look for the universal solvent that almost all types of life ...
Astrobiology
Mar 12, 2026
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Hydrogen atmosphere could keep exomoons habitable for billions of years
Liquid water is considered essential for life. Surprisingly, however, stable conditions that are conducive to life could exist far from any sun. A research team from the Excellence Cluster ORIGINS at LMU and the Max Planck ...
Astrobiology
Mar 11, 2026
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How do we know what asteroids are made out of?
Asteroids are some of the oldest objects in the solar system: leftovers from the chaotic time when planets were assembling from dust and rock. They're time capsules, preserving clues about what the early solar system was ...
Astrobiology
Mar 9, 2026
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Nearby red dwarf star hosts at least four planets—with one in the habitable zone
In 2020, a study confirmed that two planets orbited the nearby red dwarf, GJ 887. Now, astronomers have confirmed the existence of two additional planets orbiting GJ 887 in a new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. ...
Red dwarf stars might starve alien plants of the 'quality' light they need to breathe
Red dwarfs make up the vast majority of stars in the galaxy. Such ubiquity means they host the majority of rocky exoplanets we've found so far—which in turn makes them interesting for astrobiological surveys. However, there's ...
Astrobiology
Mar 7, 2026
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Can we grow life on Mars? Experiments show potential in simulated extraterrestrial soil
Life's capacity to survive in simulated lunar and Martian soils has been explored in two papers published in Scientific Reports. Treating simulated lunar soil with both symbiotic fungi and worm-produced compost can significantly ...
Astrobiology
Mar 7, 2026
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The coldest 'stars' in the galaxy might actually be alien megastructures
Ever since physicist Freeman Dyson first proposed the concept in 1960, the "Dyson sphere" has been the holy grail of techno-signature hunters. A highly advanced civilization could build a "sphere" (or, in our more modern ...
Astronomy
Mar 7, 2026
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Can we observe Earth-like exoplanets from our own planet?
Finding Earth-like planets orbiting sun-like stars and identifying signs of life such as oxygen or water is a major goal in astronomy and a key interest for the public. Addressing this challenge speaks directly to one of ...
Missing technosignatures? Turbulent plasma may blur ultra-narrow signals before they leave their home star systems
A new study by researchers at the SETI Institute suggests that stellar "space weather" could make radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence harder to detect. Stellar activity and plasma turbulence near a transmitting ...
Astronomy
Mar 5, 2026
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Introducing the Interplanetary Habitable Zone
Anyone familiar with the search for alien life will have heard of the "Goldilocks Zone" around a star. This is defined as the orbital band where the temperature is just right for liquid water to pool on a rocky planet's surface—a ...
Astrobiology
Mar 5, 2026
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Scientists successfully harvest chickpeas from 'moon dirt'
As the U.S. plans to return to the moon with the upcoming Artemis II mission, a question endures: What will future lunar explorers eat? According to new research from The University of Texas at Austin, the answer might be ...
Astrobiology
Mar 5, 2026
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Life forms can planet hop on asteroid debris—and survive
Tiny life forms tucked into debris from an asteroid hit could catapult to other planets—including Earth—and survive, a new Johns Hopkins University study finds. The work demonstrates that a certain hardy bacterium easily ...
Astrobiology
Mar 3, 2026
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How long do civilizations last?
It is one of the most famous questions in science, and it was asked, as legend has it, over lunch. Enrico Fermi, the physicist who helped build the first nuclear reactor and whose name graces a unit of length so small it ...
Astrobiology
Mar 2, 2026
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Would Earth still be habitable without us?
Here's a thought experiment that keeps planetary scientists awake at night. Strip every living thing from our planet, every bacterium, every blade of grass, every creature that has ever drawn breath and ask a simple but profound ...
Astrobiology
Mar 2, 2026
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What is an exoplanet? An astrophysicist explains why they are vital for finding alien life
Scientists might have just found Earth's icy, distant cousin a few hundred light-years away. HD 137010 b is one of thousands of exoplanets, or planets that orbit other stars, and is potentially the first Earth-like one that ...
Astrobiology
Feb 28, 2026
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Could Mars soil block Earth microbes? 'Water bears' offer a clue
Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears, may be better suited by a new name: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy. Unlike the fictional ragtag team of unenthusiastic heroes, the microscopic animals are providing real insight into ...
Astrobiology
Feb 27, 2026
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More news
How long could Earth microbes live on Mars?
A low-cost microscope to study living cells in zero gravity
Can life begin on a moon without a sun?
Reproduction in space, an environment hostile to human biology
Other news
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A clear roadmap for engineering combs of light
New study offers insight into tissue-specific gene regulation of sheep
Cracks on Europa sport traces of ammonia
NASA's Juno measures thickness of Europa's ice shell
