New book gives insider's view of cosmic search for life
Whether life exists anywhere besides Earth is a burning question that, at long last, may soon be answered.
Whether life exists anywhere besides Earth is a burning question that, at long last, may soon be answered.
Astrobiology
Apr 16, 2024
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22
Billions of years ago, Mars was home to abundant water, and its Gale crater contained a lake. Gradually, the climate changed, drying the red planet and creating the dusty desert world we know today.
Planetary Sciences
Mar 22, 2024
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In searching for life in the universe, a field known as astrobiology, scientists rely on Earth as a template for biological and evolutionary processes. This includes searching for Earth analogs, rocky planets that orbit within ...
Astrobiology
Oct 19, 2023
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Scientists have discovered a simple and reliable test for signs of past or present life on other planets—"the holy grail of astrobiology."
Astrobiology
Sep 25, 2023
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Astronomers are currently searching for signs of life in the "habitable zones" of nearby stars, which is defined as the band around a star where liquid water can potentially exist. But a recent paper argues that we need to ...
Astrobiology
Apr 10, 2023
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33
Tomonori Totani, an astrobiologist with the University of Tokyo is proposing that the search for life beyond Earth be expanded to the study of space dust. In his paper published in the journal International Journal of Astrobiology, ...
Robotic rovers are currently exploring the surface of Mars. Part of a rover's mission is to survey the planet for signs of life. There might be nothing to find—but what if there is, and the rovers just can't "see" it?
Planetary Sciences
Feb 25, 2023
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43
The ongoing search for signs of life on Mars relies in part on terrestrial analogs—places on Earth closely resembling the past or current geology and climate of the red planet that can be readily explored.
Astrobiology
Feb 8, 2023
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9
The study of exoplanets, worlds which orbit stars other than our sun, is currently being transformed by the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We will shortly gain our first insight into conditions on rocky, potentially ...
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2022
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8
An international team of researchers has found evidence indicating that despite the hostile environmental conditions on Mars, the equipment used by rovers on its surface should be capable of detecting evidence of life if ...