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Astrobiology news
Spectral method can compute tidal effects on planet and moon interiors
Scientists have developed a new method to compute how tides affect the interiors of planets and moons. Importantly, the new study looks at the effects of body tides on objects that don't have a perfectly spherical interior ...
Astrobiology
Nov 7, 2024
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Examining how stellar threats impact the habitable zone of exoplanets
When we think of exoplanets that may be able to support life, we home in on the habitable zone. A habitable zone is a region around a star where planets receive enough stellar energy to have liquid surface water. It's a somewhat ...
Astrobiology
Nov 6, 2024
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How life began on Earth: Model suggests ancient Earth had organic-rich atmosphere
The key to unlocking the secrets of distant planets starts right here on Earth. Researchers at Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, and Hokkaido University have developed a model that considers various atmospheric ...
Astrobiology
Oct 30, 2024
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Mars may have been habitable much more recently than thought
Evidence suggests Mars could very well have been teeming with life billions of years ago. Now cold, dry, and stripped of what was once a potentially protective magnetic field, the red planet is a kind of forensic scene for ...
Astrobiology
Oct 29, 2024
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Could life at TRAPPIST-1 survive the star's superflares?
The TRAPPIST-1 system is a science-fiction writer's dream. Seven Earth-sized worlds orbit a red dwarf star just 40 light-years away. Three of those worlds are within the habitable zone of the star. The system spans a distance ...
Astrobiology
Oct 28, 2024
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Here are some potentially habitable world targets for the upcoming LIFE mission
The odds are good that we are not alone in the universe. We have found thousands of exoplanets so far, and there are likely billions of potentially habitable planets in our galaxy alone. But finding evidence of extraterrestrial ...
Astrobiology
Oct 28, 2024
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Discovery of carbon-storing molecules in a distant interstellar cloud may shed light on how our own solar system formed
A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2024
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Life can maintain a habitable environment in hostile conditions, research suggests
Everybody knows that for life to thrive on any world, you need water, warmth, and something to eat. It's like a habitability mantra. But, what other factors affect habitability? What if you relaxed the conditions conducive ...
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2024
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Rocky planets orbiting small stars could have stable atmospheres needed to support life
Since its launch in late 2021, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has raised the possibility that we could detect signs of life on exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.
Astrobiology
Oct 23, 2024
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Giant meteorite impact 3.26 billion years ago may have aided early life
Billions of years ago, long before anything resembling life as we know it existed, meteorites frequently pummeled the planet. One such space rock crashed down about 3.26 billion years ago, and even today, it's revealing secrets ...
Astrobiology
Oct 21, 2024
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Could life exist below Mars ice? Study proposes possibilities
While actual evidence for life on Mars has never been found, a new NASA study proposes microbes could find a potential home beneath frozen water on the planet's surface.
Astrobiology
Oct 17, 2024
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Scientists use Allen Telescope Array to search for radio signals in the TRAPPIST-1 star system
Scientists at the SETI Institute and partners from Penn State University used the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) to search for signs of alien technology in the TRAPPIST-1 star system.
Astrobiology
Oct 16, 2024
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New instruments will study potential habitability of Jupiter's moon Europa
Two Southwest Research Institute instruments were launched aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft on Oct. 14 from the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft is designed to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's ...
Astrobiology
Oct 15, 2024
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How did the building blocks of life arrive on Earth? Zinc fingerprints in meteorites offer clues
Researchers have used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. The results suggest that without 'unmelted' asteroids, there may not have been enough ...
Astrobiology
Oct 11, 2024
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Mars analog stations investigate lichen biodiversity during simulated missions
Once you know where to look for them, lichens are everywhere. These composite organisms—fungal and photosynthetic partners joined into a greater whole—can survive on a vast array of surfaces, from rocks and trees to bare ...
Astrobiology
Oct 11, 2024
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Ryugu sample analyses show asteroids may have delivered compounds needed to start life on Earth
An international team of researchers with a wide range of backgrounds has found evidence of asteroids providing the compounds necessary for life to get its start on Earth. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, ...
NASA is launching a major mission to look for habitable spots on Jupiter's moon Europa
On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, Europa.
Astrobiology
Oct 7, 2024
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Astronomers use Webb to probe a 'steam world' in the constellation Pisces
A Canadian-led international study has revealed new insights into the atmosphere of GJ 9827 d—an exoplanet orbiting the star GJ 9827 in the constellation Pisces, about 98 light-years from Earth—using the James Webb Space ...
Astrobiology
Oct 7, 2024
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Investigating the possibility of using asteroid material to grow edible biomass for astronauts
A team of engineers and planetary scientists at Western University's Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, in Canada, has found that it might be possible to produce food for space travelers by feeding bacteria asteroid ...
2-billion-year-old rock could help understand very early life on Earth and the hunt for evidence of life on Mars
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in a 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is ...
Astrobiology
Oct 3, 2024
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More news
Those aren't Dyson spheres, they're HotDOGs
Could stars hotter than the sun still support life?
Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres
Plants could still grow well under alien skies
Scientists scan TRAPPIST-1 for technosignatures
Keeping mold out of future space stations
Why are we so fascinated with aliens?
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Computer simulations reveal how cells break down the endoplasmic reticulum
