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How a nearby supernova left its mark on Earth life

When a massive star explodes as a supernova, it does more than release an extraordinary amount of energy. Supernovae explosions are responsible for creating some of the heavy elements, including iron, which is blasted out ...

How sweet is the Milky Way? Astrochemist is helping find out

Astrochemist Ryan Fortenberry, UM associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, collaborated with Ralf Kaiser, of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, to study the creation of a simple sugar acid in space-like conditions. ...

Those aren't Dyson spheres, they're HotDOGs

If there really are advanced alien civilizations out there, you'd think they'd be easy to find. A truly powerful alien race would stride like gods among the cosmos, creating star-sized or galaxy-sized feats of engineering. ...

Could stars hotter than the sun still support life?

Although most potentially habitable worlds orbit red dwarf stars, we know larger and brighter stars can harbor life. One yellow dwarf star, for example, is known to have a planet teaming with life, perhaps even intelligent ...

Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres

Most of the exoplanets we've discovered orbit red dwarf stars. This isn't because red dwarfs are somehow special, simply that they are common. About 75% of the stars in the Milky Way are red dwarfs, so you would expect red ...

Plants could still grow well under alien skies

Photosynthesis changed Earth in powerful ways. When photosynthetic organisms appeared, it led to the Great Oxygenation Event. That allowed multicellular life to evolve and resulted in the ozone layer. Life could venture onto ...

Scientists scan TRAPPIST-1 for technosignatures

If you are going to look for intelligent life beyond Earth, there are few better candidates than the TRAPPIST-1 star system. It isn't a perfect choice. Red dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1 are notorious for emitting flares and ...

Volcanoes may help reveal interior heat on Jupiter moon

By staring into the hellish landscape of Jupiter's moon Io—the most volcanically active location in the solar system—Cornell astronomers have been able to study a fundamental process in planetary formation and evolution: ...

Keeping mold out of future space stations

Mold can survive the harshest of environments, so to stop harmful spores from growing on future space stations, a new study suggests a novel way to prevent its spread.

Why are we so fascinated with aliens?

Robert Smith is convinced the aliens have won. "The invasion has happened—it's all over," says the University of Alberta space historian who teaches a course on the history of extraterrestrials.

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Astrobiology
In the hunt for alien life, is man truly 'the measure of all things?'
Astrobiology
Researchers start first low frequency search for alien technology in distant galaxies
Astrobiology
Astrobiologist explores likelihood of life originating on Earth
Astronomy
Professor proposes how a black hole in orbit around a planet could be a sign of an advanced civilization
Astronomy
The Wow! Signal deciphered—it was hydrogen all along, study says
Astrobiology
Exoplanets may contain more water than previously thought
Astrobiology
Rocks collected on Mars hold key to water and perhaps life on the planet: Researchers urge bringing them back to Earth
Astrobiology
Scientists find oceans of water on Mars. It's just too deep to tap.
Astrobiology
Study reports dim odds for finding alien civilizations
Astrobiology
New study suggests that our galaxy is crowded or empty—both are equally terrifying
Astrobiology
Scientists discuss why we might not spot solar panel technosignatures
Astrobiology
Study suggests cloud-to-ground lightning strikes may have generated building blocks for life on Earth
Astrobiology
The discovery of a new Earth-like planet could shed further light on what makes a planet habitable
Astrobiology
Has NASA found evidence of ancient life of Mars? An expert examines the latest discovery
Astrobiology
Perseverance rover discovers rock with potential signs of ancient life
Astrobiology
The ultraviolet habitable zone may set a time limit on the formation of life
Astrobiology
Effects of stellar magnetism could expand criteria for exoplanet habitability
Astrobiology
Signatures of life could survive near surfaces of the moons Enceladus and Europa, NASA experiment suggests
Astrobiology
Scientists unveil cosmic fingerprints of sulfur rings
Astrobiology
Increasing the understanding of early life on Earth could shape the search for life on other planets

Other news

Earth Sciences
Climate change will lead to wetter US winters, modeling study finds
Cell & Microbiology
Shedding light on a decades-old protein sorting mystery
Environment
Study offers new explanation for Siberia's permafrost craters
Plants & Animals
Presence of bacteria in soil makes flowers more attractive to pollinators, study shows
Astronomy
Turbulent solar wind originates in the sun's corona, study shows
Analytical Chemistry
New research could extend the lifetime of key carbon-capture materials
Analytical Chemistry
Simultaneous detection of uranium isotopes and fluorine advances nuclear nonproliferation monitoring
Earth Sciences
The unexpected role of magnetic microbes in deep-sea mining
Astronomy
Hubble finds that a black hole beam promotes stellar eruptions
Cell & Microbiology
A new AI model can predict substrate movement into and out of cells
Bio & Medicine
Scientists develop method to control timing of synthetic DNA droplet division
General Physics
Security protocol leverages quantum mechanics to shield data from attackers during cloud-based computation
Social Sciences
Team debunks research showing Facebook's news-feed algorithm curbs election misinformation
Ecology
Dead coral skeletons hinder reef regeneration by sheltering seaweed
Plants & Animals
Scientists uncover a critical component that helps killifish regenerate their fins
Planetary Sciences
NEID Earth Twin Survey discovers its first alien world
Archaeology
Unexpected discovery of early sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia
Planetary Sciences
Existence of an Earth-like planet around a dead sun offers hope for our planet's ultimate survival
Earth Sciences
Four billion years ago, but not so different: Plate tectonics likely looked closer to what we experience today
Plants & Animals
Genetic rescue for rare red foxes? Research uncovers options to restore Lassen red fox population

Could alien solar panels be technosignatures?

If alien technological civilizations exist, they almost certainly use solar energy. Along with wind, it's the cleanest, most accessible form of energy, at least here on Earth. Driven by technological advances and mass production, ...

Exploring extremes in the search for life on Mars

People might assume the search for life on Mars ended when NASA's first rovers sent back images of the planet's barren, inhospitable surface. However, as scientists broaden their understanding of the extreme conditions in ...

Scientists help unravel life's cosmic beginnings

Knowledge about the early forms of life in the universe that may have led to the development of life on Earth remains largely unknown. However, a group of scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are attempting ...