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Astrobiology news
Baseline tool could separate alien life signals from geology on ocean worlds
When it comes to the search for life elsewhere in the universe, methane and other chemical compounds are seen as signs of biology because they are often produced by living microbes. However, scientists can be misled because ...
Much of Earth's 'space dust' may come from unidentified near-Earth asteroids
Like a shelf in an old house, the Earth collects a lot of dust from its surroundings. This "space dust" is mostly made up of micrometeorites that survive atmospheric entry and provides researchers with a cheap and easy way ...
It's disturbingly easy to trick AI into seeing aliens, say researchers
Are we alone in the universe? Consider mysterious "extraterrestrial" radio signals. Unexplained gases on other planets. Things mistaken for UFOs.
Astronomy
19 hours ago
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The square kilometer array will revolutionize the hunt for alien life
With new technologies come new opportunities. And that is especially true in astronomy—with every new advanced telescope, we have the potential to see (or in some cases, listen) farther and more clearly than ever before. ...
Astronomy
Jul 6, 2026
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New star activity catalog could sharpen hunt for habitable worlds
Searching for habitable worlds beyond our solar system involves more than having a planet orbit within its star's habitable zone, the region where temperatures could be just right for liquid water to exist on the surface. ...
Astrobiology
Jul 1, 2026
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Nautilus array to track missing exoplanet atmospheres
Exoplanet atmospheres have become prime targets for astrobiologists in the search for life beyond Earth. This is because exoplanet surfaces can't be directly imaged yet, so astronomers must get creative in how they search ...
Space Exploration
Jul 1, 2026
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Earth microbes can survive individual martian hazards—and evade astronaut immune systems
Hopefully, we're about to travel back to the moon relatively soon. And while the original "giant leap for mankind" was taken by a human, Neil Armstrong brought a plethora of other forms of life along with him. Humans themselves ...
Astrobiology
Jun 30, 2026
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Nearby 'Super Earth' may be a better candidate for life than previously thought
Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory, astronomers have taken a closer look at a nearby exoplanet and discovered it may be more Earth-like than previously thought. The planet, known as GJ 3378b, orbits ...
Astrobiology
Jun 30, 2026
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Rice grown on the moon? Air-to-fertilizer technology helps rice grow in lunar soil simulant
Securing sustainable food supplies is a key challenge for long-term human exploration and potential habitation of the moon. The moon's soil contains no organic material, and essential plant nitrogen sources like ammonia and ...
Astrobiology
Jun 30, 2026
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The rise of space AI might explain the Fermi paradox
Artificial intelligence (AI) is continuing to have a disruptive impact on ever more parts of humanity. But what does it mean in the long run? A new paper, available as a preprint on arXiv from Austrian researcher Sergey Ivliev, ...
Astrobiology
Jun 29, 2026
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Scientists find evidence of vast hidden magma systems inside Mars
Researchers from the University of Oxford have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath its surface—despite the planet lacking the plate tectonics long thought necessary ...
Astrobiology
Jun 26, 2026
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Organic carbon detected in Bright Angel rock formation on Mars
In September 2025, NASA announced that its Perseverance rover had discovered a potential biosignature, which is a substance or structure that might have a biological origin. A new paper, published in Science Advances, unambiguously ...
Astrobiology
Jun 24, 2026
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We discovered a new rock type containing garnet inside a meteorite fragment from Mars
On Earth, garnet is best known as the fiery red January birthstone—popular in jewelry since the Bronze Age and valued highly by ancient Egyptians.
Astrobiology
Jun 24, 2026
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How long can plants survive on Earth? New model suggests up to 2 billion more years
Vegetarians need not worry yet—plants will be on Earth for a long time to come. But not forever. The sun will ultimately determine the long-term existence of life on Earth. Its total energy output, called luminosity, has ...
Mars-like conditions fail to kill some Earth pathogens, experiments suggest
Microorganisms from our planet could survive on celestial bodies where water is present, such as Mars. That is the conclusion of Ph.D. candidate Tommaso Zaccaria after experiments with simulated space conditions. Our immune ...
Astrobiology
Jun 21, 2026
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If aliens landed on Earth tomorrow, what would they eat?
With the release of "Disclosure Day," Steven Spielberg's new film about aliens, a question as old as science fiction itself resurfaces: If aliens were to arrive on Earth, would they come to conquer us, to study us ... or ...
Astrobiology
Jun 21, 2026
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NASA should build a biocontainment facility on the moon to protect Earth, researchers advise
A biocontainment facility designed to protect Earth from potentially hazardous biotic contaminants from space should be part of a planned NASA base on the moon, a policy paper maintains.
Space Exploration
Jun 19, 2026
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Mars life search gets boost as rover test distinguishes mirrored biosignature molecules
Billions of years ago, environmental conditions on Mars were significantly more hospitable than they are today. Our neighboring planet was likely warm, humid and surrounded by a dense atmosphere. Whether simple microorganisms ...
Astrobiology
Jun 18, 2026
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Texas wine grapes launch to space for research mission
Researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife are sending hundreds of grape seeds to the International Space Station, where the seeds will spend approximately six months exposed to cosmic radiation before returning to Earth for planting ...
Space Exploration
Jun 18, 2026
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Lava planet has hydrogen-rich, active atmosphere
It's 2158, and you're chugging away on your Ph.D. in planetary volcanology from the University of Utopia Planitia on Mars. Graduate students still get paid a sub-living wage, so you've been stuck eating freeze-dried ramen ...
Astrobiology
Jun 17, 2026
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More news
Could Earth have sent life to Jupiter's moon Europa?
Where not to look in the search for ET
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Metallic rutile oxides break the rules of cooling
Rare color shifting discovered in iconic Australian frog
New ultrathin lens focuses light into an optical needle
Measuring iron in motion at Earth-core conditions
Why Europe's trees are dying
