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Astrobiology news
Exoplanetary systems are diverse. Experts argue search for life should be the same
Scientists are revolutionizing the search for extraterrestrial life by challenging our somewhat Earth-centric assumptions about where and how life might exist in the universe. A new review argues that we must embrace the ...
Astrobiology
Jun 18, 2025
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Thick clay layers on Mars may have been stable place for ancient life
The planet Mars is home to thick layers of clay that can span hundreds of feet. Since they need water to form, these outcrops have long been of interest to scientists looking for signs of past life on the red planet.
Astrobiology
Jun 17, 2025
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How recurrent fluorescence helps organic molecules survive extreme interstellar conditions
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unlocked the depths of interstellar space with unprecedented clarity, offering humanity a high-resolution window into the cosmos. Harnessing this newfound capability, an international ...
Volcano 'hidden in plain sight' could help date Mars—and its habitability
Georgia Tech scientists have uncovered evidence that a mountain on the rim of Jezero Crater—where NASA's Perseverance Rover is currently collecting samples for possible return to Earth—is likely a volcano. Called Jezero ...
Astrobiology
Jun 12, 2025
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75 years after Fermi's paradox, are we any closer to finding alien life?
It was a simple question asked over lunch in 1950. Enrico Fermi, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who helped usher in the atomic age, was dining with colleagues at Los Alamos, New Mexico, when the conversation turned to ...
Astronomy
Jun 11, 2025
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Filtering terrestrial contamination in the search for alien signals
How can radio astronomers successfully identify extraterrestrial radio signals while discerning them from Earth-based radio signals? This is what a recent study published in The Astronomical Journal hopes to address as a ...
Astronomy
Jun 11, 2025
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Cosmic chemistry breakthrough: Largest aromatic molecule found in deep space
A team of chemists and astronomers have made a discovery in the field of astrochemistry: the identification of cyanocoronene, the largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) ever detected in space. This molecule, composed ...
Astronomy
Jun 10, 2025
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Curious humpback whales approach humans and blow bubble 'smoke' rings
A team of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis has documented, for the first time, humpback whales producing large bubble rings, like a human smoker blowing smoke rings, during friendly ...
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
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Titan may be the liveliest place in the solar system
Every single organism on Earth, no matter the biome, the kingdom, the domain, whether it's an extremophile in a hot spring or some lithotroph buried in the crust, depends on water.
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
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Key building block for life discovered in planet-forming disk
Astronomers have found a rare form of methanol, a type of alcohol, in a planet-forming disk, providing a critical step in understanding how life beyond Earth may form. This result reveals vital details about the chemical ...
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
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What life on Europa needs
As the years go by, the chances of Europa hosting life seem to keep going down. But it's not out of contention yet.
Astrobiology
Jun 4, 2025
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Do the clouds of Venus really host life?
On the surface (you're welcome for the joke), Venus is not even close to being hospitable to life. But that's not the end of the story.
Astrobiology
Jun 4, 2025
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Future telescopes could detect life managing their planet atmospheres
The challenge in the search for habitable worlds is clear. We need to be able to identify habitable worlds and distinguish between biotic and abiotic processes. Ideally, scientists would do this on entire populations of exoplanets ...
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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Super-Earth discovered in habitable zone of sun-like star via TTV technique, paving way for 'Earth 2.0' searches
"Are we alone?" This ancient question has occupied humanity's mind for a long time. In 1995, the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star opened the door to exploring this profound mystery.
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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Taking a realistic look at terraforming Mars
A team of researchers with a variety of backgrounds and affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has taken a realistic approach to looking at the question of whether Mars could be terraformed. In their paper published ...
How likely is life on Mars?
Mars is by far the most Earth-like planet in the solar system… but that's not saying much.
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life
The search for life beyond Earth is a key driver of modern astronomy and planetary science. The U.S. is building multiple major telescopes and planetary probes to advance this search. However, the signs of life—called biosignatures—that ...
Astrobiology
Jun 2, 2025
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We need to be looking for life in 'continuous' habitable zones, say researchers
Exoplanet science is shifting from finding any detectable exoplanets we can to searching for those in their stars' habitable zones. NASA's proposed Habitable World Observatory and other similar efforts are focused on these ...
Astrobiology
Jun 2, 2025
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Uncovering the chemistry of interstellar space
Many people imagine the space between the stars as an empty, cold infinity. In reality, it is teeming with extraordinary molecules: More than 300 different types have already been discovered. For her Ph.D. thesis, chemist ...
Astronomy
Jun 2, 2025
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Shelved Europa Lander mission concept could be used to explore Enceladus instead
A team of engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has outlined the decade-long development and testing of what was originally known as the Europa Lander prototype—a partially autonomous robot designed to find out ...
More news
Venus shows why ozone isn't a good biosignature
Possible sign of life in deep space faces new doubts
