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Is it life, or is it volcanoes?

Astronomers are working hard to understand biosignatures and how they indicate life's presence on an exoplanet. But each planet we encounter is a unique puzzle. When it comes to planetary atmospheres, carbon is a big piece ...

Turning up gravity for space fungi study

Fungi in space have been a plot point in Star Trek: Discovery, but they are also a very real problem for astronauts and space stations. United Nations co-sponsored testing by a team from Macau in China subjected fungi to ...

How microbes could aid the search for extraterrestrial life

In the quest to address fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life, space has been an important frontier for human exploration. Microbes, among the earliest forms of life ...

First contact could turn out well for humanity

You've heard this story before. An advanced alien race comes to Earth. They offer peace and prosperity, but they hold a dark secret. One that could destroy humanity. That dark secret has varied over the years, from stealing ...

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Astrobiology
Scientists suggest use of data-driven approach to look for life on other planets
Astronomy
Researchers investigate how carbon atoms might diffuse on interstellar ice grains
Astrobiology
How to prove you've discovered alien life: New research offers a guide
Astrobiology
Humanity will out-communicate all life on Earth within 90 years, say researchers
Astrobiology
If Earth were an exoplanet, JWST would know there's an intelligent civilization here
Astrobiology
Is anyone planning for diplomacy with an extraterrestrial civilization?
Astronomy
Do advanced civilizations know we're here?
Astronomy
Evidence of carbonic acid found in interstellar space for the first time
Astrobiology
Researchers suggest the most compelling places to search for life will look like 'anomalies'
Space Exploration
Want to find UFOs? That's a job for machine learning
Astrobiology
Do technological civilizations depend on atmospheric oxygen?
Astronomy
Variable stars can tell us where and when to search for extraterrestrials
Astrobiology
What does 60 years of silence tell us about the search for extraterrestrials?
Astrobiology
If rogue planets are everywhere, how could we explore them?
Astrobiology
Crashed UFOs? Non-human 'biologics'? Professor asks: Where's the evidence?
Astrobiology
Using cosmic weather to study which worlds could support life
Space Exploration
First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don't learn from history
Astronomy
Did that message come from Earth or space? Now SETI researchers can be sure
Astronomy
When ET calls, can we be sure we're not being spoofed?
Astrobiology
New study reveals evidence of diverse organic material on Mars

Other news

Nanomaterials
Separating molecules requires a lot of energy. This nanoporous, heat-resistant membrane could change that
Other
Saturday Citations: Volcano vs. asteroid; NASA's supernova time lapse; immortal chemicals
Materials Science
Striking rare gold: Researchers unveil new material infused with gold in an exotic chemical state
Condensed Matter
Scientists discover a durable but sensitive material for high energy X-ray detection
Other
Things to know about the Nobel Prizes
Evolution
Timing plant evolution with a fast-ticking epigenetic clock
Plants & Animals
Endangered red wolf can make it in the wild, but not without 'significant' help, study says
Ecology
Reducing fishing gear could save whales with low impacts to California's crab fishermen
Earth Sciences
Climate model provides data-driven answer to major goal of climate research
Space Exploration
NASA's Perseverance captures dust-filled Martian whirlwind
Space Exploration
India space chief unfazed by Moon mission's apparent end
Earth Sciences
Ancient plant wax reveals how global warming affects methane in Arctic lakes
Plants & Animals
Did animal evolution begin with a predatory lifestyle?
General Physics
A new highly precise measurement of the hypertriton lifetime
Mathematics
Hermit 'scribblings' of eccentric French math genius unveiled
Quantum Physics
Ultrafast quantum simulation of large-scale quantum entanglement
Astronomy
A search for links between two of the universe's most spectacular phenomena has come up empty—for now
Evolution
Explosion in fish biodiversity due to genetic recycling, study shows
Condensed Matter
Physicists coax superconductivity and more from quasicrystals
Biotechnology
Newly engineered CRISPR enzyme for editing DNA could improve patient treatment