Last update:

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 ...

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 ...

More news

Astrobiology
Another building block of life can handle Venus' sulfuric acid
Astrobiology
Can the 'hard steps' in the evolutionary history of human intelligence be recast with geological thresholds?
Astronomy
How a nearby supernova left its mark on Earth life
Astrobiology
How sweet is the Milky Way? Astrochemist is helping find out
Astrobiology
Potential indicators of life on other planets can be created in a lab
Astrobiology
Those aren't Dyson spheres, they're HotDOGs
Astrobiology
Advanced civilizations will overheat their planets within 1,000 years, researchers suggest
Astrobiology
Could stars hotter than the sun still support life?
Astrobiology
Life might thrive on the surface of Earth for an extra billion years
Astrobiology
Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres
Astrobiology
Plants could still grow well under alien skies
Astrobiology
Could interstellar quantum communications involve Earth or solve the Fermi paradox?
Astrobiology
Volcanoes may help reveal interior heat on Jupiter moon
Astrobiology
Detailed model suggests organic matter on Mars was formed from atmospheric formaldehyde
Astrobiology
Scientists scan TRAPPIST-1 for technosignatures
Astrobiology
Projecting what Earth will look like 1,000 years from now could assist in search for advanced civilizations
Space Exploration
Keeping mold out of future space stations
Astrobiology
Could comets have delivered the building blocks of life to ocean worlds like Europa, Enceladus and Titan?
Astrobiology
Why are we so fascinated with aliens?
Astrobiology
Life on alien planets probably wouldn't experience day and night—here's how that may change evolution

Other news

Plants & Animals
Researchers discover genetic reason for the red, yellow and orange bills of Australian finches
Molecular & Computational biology
A causal theory for studying the cause-and-effect relationships of genes paves the way for targeted treatments
Plants & Animals
Mountaineering mice shed light on evolutionary adaptation
Evolution
Evolutionary anthropologist presents hypothesis about why humans are dominating the world over other animals
Archaeology
Earliest evidence of Ephedra use found in 15,000-year-old Moroccan burial
Biotechnology
Artificial receptors made from coronavirus DNA open up new avenues for research
General Physics
Experiment reveals how Earth's magnetic field influences flow in planet's core
Astronomy
Astronomers use JWST and ALMA to explore the structure of a giant spiral galaxy
Condensed Matter
Quantum vortices confirm superfluidity in supersolid
Plants & Animals
Vampire bats' metabolism mirrors that of blood-sucking insects, biologists find
Evolution
Ancient unicellular organism indicates embryonic development might have existed prior to animals' evolution
Earth Sciences
Climate change is contributing to drought in the American West even without rainfall deficits, scientists find
General Physics
Scientists calculate predictions for meson measurements
Plants & Animals
Coyotes are thriving despite human and predator pressures, large-scale study finds
Economics & Business
Asset owners could drive investment in climate change mitigation, research suggests
Environment
New PFAS testing method could make water testing more affordable, portable and accessible
Plants & Animals
Australian dragon study reveals surprising link between motor systems control and sleep rhythms
Molecular & Computational biology
Novel AI framework incorporates experimental data and text-based narratives to accelerate search for new proteins
Mathematics
Hard in theory, easy in practice: Why graph isomorphism algorithms seem to be so effective
Biochemistry
Gamma radiation converts methane into complex organic molecules and could explain the origin of life

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 ...

Tracing the origins of organic matter in Martian sediments

Although Mars presents a barren, dusty landscape with no signs of life so far, its geological features such as deltas, lakebeds, and river valleys strongly suggest a past where water once flowed abundantly on its surface. ...

What deadly Venus can tell us about life on other worlds

Even though Venus and Earth are so-called sister planets, they're as different as heaven and hell. Earth is a natural paradise where life has persevered under its azure skies despite multiple mass extinctions. On the other ...

Astronomers are on the hunt for Dyson spheres

There's something poetic about humanity's attempt to detect other civilizations somewhere in the Milky Way's expanse. There's also something futile about it. But we're not going to stop. There's little doubt about that.

Looking for life on Enceladus: What questions should we ask?

Does life exist beyond Earth? One of the most compelling places to consider this possibility is Enceladus, a moon of Saturn with a liquid water ocean encased in a frozen shell. There, plumes of water spray from ice fractures ...

New study delves into ozone's influence on exoplanetary climate

In the quest for life beyond our solar system, a new study delves into the atmospheric dynamics of planet Proxima Centauri b, illuminating ozone's pivotal role in shaping planetary climates. This research signifies a significant ...

What can early Earth teach us about the search for life?

Earth is the only life-supporting planet we know of, so it's tempting to use it as a standard in the search for life elsewhere. But the modern Earth can't serve as a basis for evaluating exoplanets and their potential to ...