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Signs of alien life may be hiding in these gases

Scientists have identified a promising new way to detect life on faraway planets, hinging on worlds that look nothing like Earth and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials.

Webb exposes complex atmosphere of starless super-Jupiter

An international team of researchers has discovered that previously observed variations in brightness of a free-floating planetary-mass object known as SIMP 0136 must be the result of a complex combination of atmospheric ...

Mission concept proposes sampling Enceladus's subsurface ocean

How can we explore Saturn's moon, Enceladus, to include its surface and subsurface ocean, with the goal of potentially discovering life as we know it? This is what a recent study presented at the American Geophysical Union ...

Ancient beaches testify to long-ago ocean on Mars

A Chinese rover that landed on Mars in 2021 detected evidence of underground beach deposits in an area thought to have once been the site of an ancient sea, providing further evidence that the planet long ago had a large ...

If you're going to call aliens, use this number

Let's dive into one of those cosmic curiosities that's bound to blow your mind: how we might chat with aliens. And no, I'm not talking about elaborate coded messages or flashy signals. We're talking about something incredibly ...

Sulfur may be a new tool for finding alien life

Astronomers have identified sulfur as a potentially crucial indicator in narrowing the search for life on other planets. While sulfur itself is not necessarily an indication of habitability, significant concentrations of ...

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Astrobiology
Cosmic radiation from supernova altered virus evolution in Africa, study suggests
Astrobiology
Jupiter's moon Callisto is very likely an ocean world
Astrobiology
A new theory explains how water first arrived on Earth
Astrobiology
Evolving intelligent life took billions of years—but it may not have been as unlikely as many scientists predicted
Astrobiology
Does planetary evolution favor human-like life? Study ups odds we're not alone
Astrobiology
Asteroid Ryugu samples suggest presence of salty water in outer solar system
Astrobiology
White dwarf stars may host more habitable exoplanets than expected
Astronomy
SPHEREx space telescope will seek life's ingredients
Astrobiology
Witnessing the birth of planets: Webb telescope provides unprecedented view into PDS 70 system
Astrobiology
Is methane the key to finding life on other worlds?
Astrobiology
Roving the red planet: New paper documents first Mars mission soil samples
Astrobiology
Enceladus study shows the physics of alien oceans could hide signs of life from spacecraft
Astrobiology
Efforts to find alien life could be boosted by simple test that gets microbes moving
Astrobiology
Meteorite discovery challenges long-held theories on Earth's missing elements
Astronomy
SETI researchers double-check 1 million objects for signs of alien signals
Astrobiology
How a twin Earth could detect Earth
Astrobiology
Life-bearing water arrived on Earth later rather than sooner, meteorite analysis suggests
Astronomy
High-resolution imaging of Dyson sphere candidate reveals no radio signals
Space Exploration
Is there life out there? The existence of other technological species is highly likely
Astrobiology
Pristine asteroid samples reveal secrets of the ancient solar system

Other news

Optics & Photonics
Scientists unlock new dimension in light manipulation, ushering in a new era in photonic technology
Nanophysics
Advancing light-to-electricity energy conversion: New method extends lifespan of plasmonic hot holes
General Physics
Dialing in the temperature needed for precise nuclear timekeeping
Astronomy
AI recognizes the mass of the most energetic particles of cosmic radiation
Environment
Eat grass-fed beef, help the planet? Research says not so simple
Cell & Microbiology
Engineered E. coli could be used to produce biodegradable plastics
Plants & Animals
First documented sighting of a group of bowhead whales in Canada's Churchill River Estuary
Cell & Microbiology
Cells' mechanical force key to survival in cellular competition, study reveals
Paleontology & Fossils
A 15-million-year-old fossilized freshwater fish with preserved stomach contents is a newly discovered species
Soft Matter
Supercritical water's structure decoded: Analysis finds no molecular clusters, just fleeting bonds
General Physics
Study reveals the illusion of 'dazzle' paint on World War I battleships
Nanophysics
Light-powered artificial neurons mimic brain-like oscillations
Condensed Matter
The first observation of amplified spontaneous emission from electron-hole plasma in 2D semiconductors
Polymers
Machine learning enables customized plastics that could reduce environmental impact
Biochemistry
Micro metal-movers: Biochemists are one step closer to better cancer treatments
Evolution
How big brains and flexible skulls led to the evolution of modern birds
Cell & Microbiology
Slow, silent 'scream' of epithelial cells detected for first time
Plants & Animals
Iguanas floated one-fifth of the way around the world to colonize Fiji, genetic analysis indicates
Plants & Animals
Unique dove species is the dodo of the Caribbean and in similar danger of dying out
Astronomy
JWST captures its first direct images of carbon dioxide outside solar system

How well could Earth life survive on exoplanets?

Astronomers have found some pretty wild exoplanets. Some are balls of lava the temperature of hell, one is partially made of diamond, and another may rain molten iron. However, not all exoplanets are this extreme. Some are ...

Could ocean worlds support life?

There might be a type of exoplanet without dry land. They're called "Hycean" worlds, a portmanteau of "hydrogen" and "ocean." They're mostly or entirely covered in oceans and have thick hydrogen atmospheres.

Do aliens exist? We studied what scientists really think

News stories about the likely existence of extraterrestrial life, and our chances of detecting it, tend to be positive. We are often told that we might discover it any time now. Finding life beyond Earth is "only a matter ...

Planets without plate tectonics could still be habitable

It has been thought that plate tectonics were a significant factor in the shaping of our planet and the evolution of life. Mars and Venus don't experience such movements of crustal plates, but then the differences between ...

Dormancy: Life's first survival strategy?

The early Earth was an extreme place. Asteroids pommeled the surface. Volcanoes spewed lava and carbon dioxide. The thick, toxic atmosphere lacked oxygen. Yet, in this turmoil, life emerged.