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ExoMars rover targets vast bed of clay in search for life

In the region where the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life, clay deposits extend beyond previous estimates, a new study finds. One hypothesis even suggests a vast ocean once covered the landing ...

Astrobiology's looming statistical crisis

Multi-billion-dollar space telescope programs aren't only feats of aerospace engineering. They also feature "lies, damn lies, and statistics." Or at least statistics. They definitely feature those, as does all good observational ...

A natural chemistry laboratory in protostar shock waves

Life exists because elements combine to form complex organic molecules. Astrochemistry studies this process, trying to understand how nature creates carbon-based molecules critical for life. One source for these types of ...

How Mars can help us understand 'marginal' exoplanets

Mars holds a special place in the solar system. It represents marginal habitability. This means it transitioned from warm and wet and potentially hospitable, to cold and dry and inhospitable.

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Study identifies geysers the JUICE mission could explore on Ganymede
Astrobiology
How the rise of continents may have set the stage for life on Earth
Astrobiology
Three billion years ago, Earth's life relied on a rare metal
Astrobiology
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Space Exploration
Under crushing hypergravity, fruit flies adapt—and recover
Astrobiology
One overlooked mineral may have quietly powered a crucial step toward life on early Earth
Space Exploration
Near-relativistic swarm could image Proxima b at 20-meter resolution and scan for biosignatures, paper says
Astronomy
Potential signs of life on distant planets sound exciting, but confirmation can take years
Astrobiology
Did NASA's Curiosity rover find signs of ancient life on Mars? An astrobiologist explains how we determine 'life'
Space Exploration
Scientists focus on the challenges of working and living in outer space
Astrobiology
Astronomers find an exo-Jupiter, and it seems to have clouds
Astrobiology
NASA's Curiosity rover uncovers metal‑rich hotspot tied to ancient Martian lake
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Which types of civilizations collapse and which can endure?
Astrobiology
Mars rover detects never-before-seen organic compounds in new experiment
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New device aims to protect the Earth from Martian microbes
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Astrobiology
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To discover new physics, AI may need to 'unlearn' the old one
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Satellite data reveal Southern Ocean vertical currents diving 3,000 feet below surface
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Maya altar and offerings at abandoned Belize sites highlight enduring ritual activities
Astronomy
Possible dark matter-deficient twins discovered in the Fornax Cluster
Condensed Matter
Physicists observe synchronized quantum dance of excitons and phonons
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Oldest Maya Long Count calendar date may reveal how royalty turned time into power
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Freshwater boundary breach deepens as climate and land use amplify extremes
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Brain removal in Iron Age Scotland burial reveals far-reaching family ties
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Adélie penguins use colony cues to switch foraging sites if their previous trip was unsuccessful
Evolution
How a single mutation rewired a 23-species bacterial community over four years
Quantum Physics
Quantum memory surpasses classical limits for storing unknown quantum operations
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Q&A: Combating antibiotic resistance with nanotechnology, robotics and AI
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Precision measurement under impact—when the balance itself becomes the object of measurement
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Hardy ice plant's optical innovation inspires reflective design possibilities
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Nature's 'master painters': Study reveals how damselflies break optical barriers to create saturated colors
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NASA's Juno measures thickness of Europa's ice shell

Data from NASA's Juno mission has provided new insights into the thickness and subsurface structure of the icy shell encasing Jupiter's moon Europa. Using the spacecraft's Microwave Radiometer (MWR), mission scientists determined ...