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Astrobiology news
Resolving the Kardashev's conundrum using a Bitcoin-inspired metric
In his 1964 paper, "Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations," famed astrophysicist and radio astronomer Nikolai Kardashev addressed the types of transmissions (and at what energies) astronomers should ...
Astrobiology
May 21, 2026
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Extraterrestrial life may be slipping past space missions, astrobiologists warn
Suppose there are signs of extraterrestrial life and we have not yet been able to detect them. What does that mean? In Nature Astronomy, researchers discuss the consequences of these so-called false-negative results. "We ...
Astrobiology
May 21, 2026
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Asteroid impact site reveals possible traces of early life
A discovery by a South Korean research team suggests that impact-generated lakes may have fostered early oxygen-producing life. A team of South Korean scientists has uncovered new evidence that could help explain how Earth's ...
Astrobiology
May 20, 2026
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Findings reconsider the existence of Europa's vapor plumes
Looking back at 14 years of Hubble telescope data for Jupiter's moon Europa has given Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists a better understanding of its tenuous atmosphere. The findings have cast doubt on previous ...
Astrobiology
May 18, 2026
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Study identifies geysers the JUICE mission could explore on Ganymede
Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, is also the solar system's largest satellite, even larger than the planet Mercury. It is also the only celestial body aside from Earth (and the gas giants) to have an intrinsic magnetic field. ...
Astrobiology
May 12, 2026
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How the rise of continents may have set the stage for life on Earth
Earth's earliest continents may have set the chemical stage for life by regulating boron levels in ancient oceans, a new study in Terra Nova suggests.
Astrobiology
May 6, 2026
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Three billion years ago, Earth's life relied on a rare metal
A collaborative team of scientists has discovered that life on Earth over three billion years ago relied on the metal molybdenum, which was incredibly scarce in the environment at the time. The study, published in Nature ...
Astrobiology
May 5, 2026
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Under crushing hypergravity, fruit flies adapt—and recover
Expose an animal to extreme physical stress, and the expectation is simple: It will break down. But when UC Riverside scientists subjected fruit flies to forces many times stronger than Earth's gravity—a condition called ...
Space Exploration
May 1, 2026
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A better way to search for extraterrestrial intelligence
When you're looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, it helps to know what you're looking for and to go about it in the most efficient way. But work so far has generally not done so, writes Benjamin Zuckerman, ...
Near-relativistic swarm could image Proxima b at 20-meter resolution and scan for biosignatures, paper says
Laser sail propulsion is an idea that won't go away. By aiming powerful Earth-based lasers at tiny spacecraft with light sails, tiny spacecraft can be accelerated to near-relativistic speeds without carrying fuel or an energy ...
Space Exploration
Apr 30, 2026
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One overlooked mineral may have quietly powered a crucial step toward life on early Earth
Manganese dioxide can convert amino acids into hydrogen cyanide (HCN) without requiring methane, a finding that solves a long-standing puzzle about the origin of this key prebiotic molecule on early Earth. Although HCN is ...
Astrobiology
Apr 30, 2026
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Potential signs of life on distant planets sound exciting, but confirmation can take years
Astronomers can use telescopes to find specific molecules in the atmospheres of neighboring planets, in nebulae—clouds of interstellar dust and gas—hundreds or thousands of light-years away, or in galaxies beyond the far ...
Astronomy
Apr 27, 2026
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Did NASA's Curiosity rover find signs of ancient life on Mars? An astrobiologist explains how we determine 'life'
NASA's Curiosity rover has identified seven new organic compounds on the planet Mars, according to new research published in Nature Communications.
Astrobiology
Apr 23, 2026
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Scientists focus on the challenges of working and living in outer space
Long-duration spaceflight can chip away at an astronaut's health, prompting scientists to find new ways to make living in space easier on the body. The journey to outer space is incredibly dangerous, but crews must also face ...
Space Exploration
Apr 23, 2026
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Astronomers find an exo-Jupiter, and it seems to have clouds
A team of astronomers led by Elisabeth Matthews at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has made a discovery that highlights the limits of most current models of exoplanet atmospheres: water-ice clouds on a distant ...
Astrobiology
Apr 22, 2026
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Which types of civilizations collapse and which can endure?
Human history is littered with expired civilizations, and scholars and archaeologists have made a determined effort to understand why and how civilizations collapse. They've found that symptoms like a growing wealth gap and ...
Astrobiology
Apr 22, 2026
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NASA's Curiosity rover uncovers metal‑rich hotspot tied to ancient Martian lake
A team of scientists using the ChemCam instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has discovered the highest amounts of iron, manganese, and zinc ever found together in Gale Crater on Mars. Minerals with these metals were ...
Astrobiology
Apr 22, 2026
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Mars rover detects never-before-seen organic compounds in new experiment
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has uncovered a diverse mix of organic molecules on Mars, including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life on Earth.
Astrobiology
Apr 21, 2026
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New device aims to protect the Earth from Martian microbes
The possibility of life on other planets is one of the biggest mysteries in science. But what would happen if we actually found it? Our scientists are preparing for this possibility by helping to develop a new system that ...
Astrobiology
Apr 20, 2026
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How resilient fungus might survive Mars and space
Scientists have long known that fungi are resilient, but a new study suggests that some strains might survive every step of the long, brutal trip to Mars. In a paper published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers ...
Astrobiology
Apr 20, 2026
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More news
'Bathtub ring' hints at ancient Martian ocean
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