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Astrobiology news
Mars Curiosity rover takes a last look at mysterious sulfur
NASA's Curiosity rover is preparing for the next leg of its journey, a months-long trek to a formation called the boxwork, a set of weblike patterns on Mars's surface that stretches for miles. It will soon leave behind Gediz ...
Astrobiology
18 hours ago
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Statistical approach improves models of atmosphere on early Earth and exoplanets
As energy from the sun reaches Earth, some solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere, leading to chemical reactions like the formation of ozone and the breakup of gas molecules. A new approach for modeling these reactions, ...
Astrobiology
18 hours ago
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What's behind the Martian methane mystery?
The seasonal variations of methane in the Martian atmosphere is an intriguing clue that there might be life hiding under the surface of the red planet. But we won't know for sure until we go digging for it.
Astrobiology
19 hours ago
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Volcanic caves research advances the search for life on Mars
Through the intricate study of lava tubes—caves formed following volcanic eruptions when lava cools down—an international team of researchers has uncovered clues about Earth's ancient environments that could be significant ...
Astrobiology
22 hours ago
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New study examines how extraterrestrial civilizations could become 'stellivores'
One of the most challenging aspects of astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is anticipating what life and extraterrestrial civilizations will look like. Invariably, we have only one example ...
Astrobiology
Nov 14, 2024
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A spider stellar engine could move binary stars halfway across a galaxy
Eventually, every stellar civilization will have to migrate to a different star. The habitable zone around all stars changes as they age. If long-lived technological civilizations are even plausible in our universe, migration ...
Space Exploration
Nov 13, 2024
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A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our universe and beyond
The chances of intelligent life emerging in our universe—and in any hypothetical ones beyond it—can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of the famous Drake Equation.
Astronomy
Nov 12, 2024
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Spectral method can compute tidal effects on planet and moon interiors
Scientists have developed a new method to compute how tides affect the interiors of planets and moons. Importantly, the new study looks at the effects of body tides on objects that don't have a perfectly spherical interior ...
Astrobiology
Nov 7, 2024
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Examining how stellar threats impact the habitable zone of exoplanets
When we think of exoplanets that may be able to support life, we home in on the habitable zone. A habitable zone is a region around a star where planets receive enough stellar energy to have liquid surface water. It's a somewhat ...
Astrobiology
Nov 6, 2024
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How life began on Earth: Model suggests ancient Earth had organic-rich atmosphere
The key to unlocking the secrets of distant planets starts right here on Earth. Researchers at Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, and Hokkaido University have developed a model that considers various atmospheric ...
Astrobiology
Oct 30, 2024
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Mars may have been habitable much more recently than thought
Evidence suggests Mars could very well have been teeming with life billions of years ago. Now cold, dry, and stripped of what was once a potentially protective magnetic field, the red planet is a kind of forensic scene for ...
Astrobiology
Oct 29, 2024
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Could life at TRAPPIST-1 survive the star's superflares?
The TRAPPIST-1 system is a science-fiction writer's dream. Seven Earth-sized worlds orbit a red dwarf star just 40 light-years away. Three of those worlds are within the habitable zone of the star. The system spans a distance ...
Astrobiology
Oct 28, 2024
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Here are some potentially habitable world targets for the upcoming LIFE mission
The odds are good that we are not alone in the universe. We have found thousands of exoplanets so far, and there are likely billions of potentially habitable planets in our galaxy alone. But finding evidence of extraterrestrial ...
Astrobiology
Oct 28, 2024
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Discovery of carbon-storing molecules in a distant interstellar cloud may shed light on how our own solar system formed
A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2024
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Life can maintain a habitable environment in hostile conditions, research suggests
Everybody knows that for life to thrive on any world, you need water, warmth, and something to eat. It's like a habitability mantra. But, what other factors affect habitability? What if you relaxed the conditions conducive ...
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2024
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Rocky planets orbiting small stars could have stable atmospheres needed to support life
Since its launch in late 2021, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has raised the possibility that we could detect signs of life on exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.
Astrobiology
Oct 23, 2024
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Giant meteorite impact 3.26 billion years ago may have aided early life
Billions of years ago, long before anything resembling life as we know it existed, meteorites frequently pummeled the planet. One such space rock crashed down about 3.26 billion years ago, and even today, it's revealing secrets ...
Astrobiology
Oct 21, 2024
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Could life exist below Mars ice? Study proposes possibilities
While actual evidence for life on Mars has never been found, a new NASA study proposes microbes could find a potential home beneath frozen water on the planet's surface.
Astrobiology
Oct 17, 2024
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Scientists use Allen Telescope Array to search for radio signals in the TRAPPIST-1 star system
Scientists at the SETI Institute and partners from Penn State University used the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) to search for signs of alien technology in the TRAPPIST-1 star system.
Astrobiology
Oct 16, 2024
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New instruments will study potential habitability of Jupiter's moon Europa
Two Southwest Research Institute instruments were launched aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft on Oct. 14 from the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft is designed to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's ...
Astrobiology
Oct 15, 2024
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More news
Those aren't Dyson spheres, they're HotDOGs
Could stars hotter than the sun still support life?
Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres
Plants could still grow well under alien skies
Other news
New theory reveals the shape of a single photon
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How humans evolved to be 'energetically unique'
Populations overheat as major cities fail canopy goals
Fossil finds: Footprints on South Africa's coast offer a glimpse into our ancestors' lives
Adjusting accelerators with help from machine learning
Team creates world's first tunable-wavelength blue semiconductor laser
Scientists scan TRAPPIST-1 for technosignatures
Keeping mold out of future space stations
Why are we so fascinated with aliens?
Confinement may affect how we smell and feel about food
Modeling a tiny worm's feeding process sheds light on the complexity of biological organisms
