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Astrobiology news
Young stars dim quickly in their X-ray output, potentially benefiting orbiting planets
Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our sun are calming down and dimming more quickly in their X-ray output than previously thought, according to a new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. A paper ...
Astrobiology
17 hours ago
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Contaminants, including ink, detected in meteorites suggest sample preparation needs improving
The IBeA group of the EHU-University of the Basque Country is proposing new measures to safeguard the purity of extraterrestrial samples. Several contaminants, including traces of ink, originating in the preparation of subsamples, ...
Astrobiology
Apr 14, 2026
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Between eternal night and day, the faces of two cousins of Earth
An international team including the University of Bern (UNIBE) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE), members of the National Center of Competence in Research PlanetS, has succeeded in mapping the climate of rocky exoplanets ...
Astrobiology
Apr 13, 2026
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Space worms! A microscopic crew goes into orbit to support future moon missions
British scientists have launched a crew of microscopic worms to the International Space Station in a pioneering experiment that could help unlock the secrets of long-duration space travel—and support ambitions to reach the ...
Space Exploration
Apr 13, 2026
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Meet Orpheus—A hopper mission built to hunt for life in Martian volcanoes
We've spent decades scratching the surface of Mars trying to uncover life there. But we've been searching a barren wasteland bombarded by radiation and bathed in toxic perchlorates. The entire time, it's likely that it's ...
Astrobiology
Apr 12, 2026
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Chang'e mission samples reveal how exogenous organic matter evolves on the moon
Elements essential to life, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, were "delivered" to Earth and the moon during the early stages of the solar system via asteroids and comets impacting their surfaces. These ...
Astrobiology
Apr 10, 2026
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If life exists in Venus's atmosphere, it could have come from Earth
The theory of panspermia holds that life is spread through the cosmos via asteroids, comets, and other objects. When the building blocks of life emerge on one planet, impacts can eject surface material into space, which then ...
Astrobiology
Apr 6, 2026
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The Habitable Worlds Observatory will need astrometry to find life
We're getting closer and closer to finding a real Earth-like exoplanet. But finding one is only half the battle. To truly know if we're looking at an Earth analog somewhere else in the galaxy, we have to directly image it ...
Astronomy
Apr 3, 2026
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'Serendipitous' discovery of Martian ripple marks reveals an ancient sandstorm
The search for life on Mars involves the efforts of scientists from many different disciplines. An important aspect of that search is to study Martian sedimentary rocks for information about the planet's environment when ...
Astrobiology
Apr 2, 2026
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Gemini South confirms long-suspected link between the composition of exoplanets and their host stars
Astronomers have discovered that a giant planet, WASP-189b, echoes the composition of its host star, providing the first direct evidence of a foundational concept in astrobiology. This discovery was achieved through the first-ever ...
Astrobiology
Apr 1, 2026
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High nickel concentrations in Martian bedrock point to potential biosignatures
In 2024, NASA's Perseverance rover found surprising levels of Nickel in the Martian bedrock of an ancient river channel, called Neretva Vallis, which flowed into the Jezero crater. A new study, published in Nature Communications, ...
Impacts from meteors may have helped start life on Earth by creating hydrothermal vents
Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to research integrated by a recent Rutgers University graduate. Shea Cinquemani, ...
Astrobiology
Mar 31, 2026
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Legged robot could accelerate resource prospecting on the moon and the search for life on Mars
Planetary surface missions currently operate cautiously. On Mars, communication delays between Earth and rovers (typically between four and 22 minutes), as well as data transfer constraints due to uplink and downlink limitations, ...
Astrobiology
Mar 31, 2026
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How plants could betray themselves across the galaxy
Here's a thought experiment. Imagine looking at Earth from a distant star system, armed with a powerful telescope capable of capturing its reflected light. Could you tell the planet was alive? The answer, remarkably, might ...
Astrobiology
Mar 30, 2026
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Scientists harness plasma clumps trapped in stellar magnetospheres to assess habitability around M dwarf stars
How does a star affect the makeup of its planets? And what does this mean for the habitability of distant worlds? Carnegie's Luke Bouma is exploring a new way to probe this critical question—using naturally occurring space ...
Astrobiology
Mar 30, 2026
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Measuring titanium in Apollo rock to uncover moon's early chemistry
Earth and the moon may look very different today, but they formed under similar conditions in space. In fact, a dominant hypothesis says that the early Earth was hit by a Mars-sized object, and it was this giant impact that ...
Astrobiology
Mar 30, 2026
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New Henrietta spectrograph to probe alien atmospheres
Finding life beyond our solar system goes beyond measuring an exoplanet's size, as rocky, Earth-sized worlds might not have the conditions for life as we know it. While exoplanets can be directly imaged by blocking their ...
Astrobiology
Mar 30, 2026
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Human sperm may get lost in space
Having a baby in space may require a bit more direction, with new Adelaide University research revealing the navigational abilities of sperm are negatively impacted by a lack of gravity. Researchers at the University's Robinson ...
Space Exploration
Mar 26, 2026
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Developing optical vortex phase masks for the detection of habitable worlds
A team of NASA researchers is developing new types of optical masks that could help enable the many orders of magnitude of starlight suppression needed for future space observatories to pick out very faint habitable exoplanets ...
Astrobiology
Mar 25, 2026
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All 5 fundamental units of life's genetic code were just discovered in an asteroid sample
A new study reveals all five fundamental nucleobases—the molecular "letters" of life—have been detected in samples from the asteroid Ryugu.
Astrobiology
Mar 22, 2026
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More news
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How do we know what asteroids are made out of?
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Subaru telescope captures comet 3I/ATLAS composition change
Introducing the Interplanetary Habitable Zone
How long do civilizations last?
Would Earth still be habitable without us?
