The rust that could reveal alien life

Iron rusts. On Earth, this common chemical reaction often signals the presence of something far more interesting than just corroding metal—for example, living microorganisms that make their living by manipulating iron atoms. ...

What a missing signal tells us about alien worlds

When the James Webb Space Telescope detected potential biosignatures in the atmosphere of K2-18 b last year, the discovery sparked intense debate. Here was a sub-Neptune exoplanet 124 light years away, possibly harboring ...

Life in Space: A beginner's guide to life in the universe

Exploring one of science's most exciting frontiers, the book "Life in Space" bridges astrophysics and biology to uncover the conditions that make life possible—on Earth and beyond. Designed for students and general readers ...

How to spot life in the clouds on other worlds

Cloud cover is bad for picnics and for viewing stars through a telescope. But an exoplanet with dense or even total cloud cover could help astronomers search for signs of life beyond our planet.

Never mind rogue planets—their rogue moons could support life

At a young age, we're told how the sun warms Earth and makes life possible. That idea sticks with most of us for life. But when we want to understand things more thoroughly and we dig more deeply, we learn that Earth has ...

page 1 from 4