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Astrobiology news
Cosmic chemistry breakthrough: Largest aromatic molecule found in deep space
A team of chemists and astronomers have made a discovery in the field of astrochemistry: the identification of cyanocoronene, the largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) ever detected in space. This molecule, composed ...
Astronomy
19 hours ago
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Curious humpback whales approach humans and blow bubble 'smoke' rings
A team of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis has documented, for the first time, humpback whales producing large bubble rings, like a human smoker blowing smoke rings, during friendly ...
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
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Titan may be the liveliest place in the solar system
Every single organism on Earth, no matter the biome, the kingdom, the domain, whether it's an extremophile in a hot spring or some lithotroph buried in the crust, depends on water.
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
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Key building block for life discovered in planet-forming disk
Astronomers have found a rare form of methanol, a type of alcohol, in a planet-forming disk, providing a critical step in understanding how life beyond Earth may form. This result reveals vital details about the chemical ...
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2025
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What life on Europa needs
As the years go by, the chances of Europa hosting life seem to keep going down. But it's not out of contention yet.
Astrobiology
Jun 4, 2025
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Do the clouds of Venus really host life?
On the surface (you're welcome for the joke), Venus is not even close to being hospitable to life. But that's not the end of the story.
Astrobiology
Jun 4, 2025
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Future telescopes could detect life managing their planet atmospheres
The challenge in the search for habitable worlds is clear. We need to be able to identify habitable worlds and distinguish between biotic and abiotic processes. Ideally, scientists would do this on entire populations of exoplanets ...
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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Super-Earth discovered in habitable zone of sun-like star via TTV technique, paving way for 'Earth 2.0' searches
"Are we alone?" This ancient question has occupied humanity's mind for a long time. In 1995, the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star opened the door to exploring this profound mystery.
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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Taking a realistic look at terraforming Mars
A team of researchers with a variety of backgrounds and affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has taken a realistic approach to looking at the question of whether Mars could be terraformed. In their paper published ...
How likely is life on Mars?
Mars is by far the most Earth-like planet in the solar system… but that's not saying much.
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life
The search for life beyond Earth is a key driver of modern astronomy and planetary science. The U.S. is building multiple major telescopes and planetary probes to advance this search. However, the signs of life—called biosignatures—that ...
Astrobiology
Jun 2, 2025
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We need to be looking for life in 'continuous' habitable zones, say researchers
Exoplanet science is shifting from finding any detectable exoplanets we can to searching for those in their stars' habitable zones. NASA's proposed Habitable World Observatory and other similar efforts are focused on these ...
Astrobiology
Jun 2, 2025
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Uncovering the chemistry of interstellar space
Many people imagine the space between the stars as an empty, cold infinity. In reality, it is teeming with extraordinary molecules: More than 300 different types have already been discovered. For her Ph.D. thesis, chemist ...
Astronomy
Jun 2, 2025
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Shelved Europa Lander mission concept could be used to explore Enceladus instead
A team of engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has outlined the decade-long development and testing of what was originally known as the Europa Lander prototype—a partially autonomous robot designed to find out ...
Finding a better way to distinguish life from nonlife
The search for life on other worlds needs a way to sift through the chemistry of their atmospheres. If another species observed Earth to search for life, they'd look for "smoking gun" chemistry in the atmosphere. That includes ...
Astrobiology
Jun 2, 2025
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The habitability of Earth tells us the likelihood of finding life elsewhere
The hunt for habitable worlds has become a hot topic in astronomy. For decades, the search has been focused on planets in the "Goldilocks zone"; that narrow band around a star where water stays liquid, not too hot to boil ...
Astrobiology
May 30, 2025
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Venus shows why ozone isn't a good biosignature
Just because we can find ozone in the atmosphere of other planets doesn't mean there's life. Ozone is a sign of life on Earth, but its detection on Venus shows that it can also be produced abiotically. This indicates that ...
Astrobiology
May 30, 2025
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Is the bar higher for scientific claims of alien life?
The search for extraterrestrial life has long gone back and forth between scientific curiosity, public fascination and outright skepticism. Recently, scientists claimed the "strongest evidence" of life on a distant exoplanet—a ...
Astrobiology
May 28, 2025
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Cosmic ray research helps unravel lithium-7 origin
The origin of lithium (Li), the third element of the periodic table, has long been shrouded in mystery. This element, commonly found in cosmic rays as two stable isotopes, 6Li and 7Li, is crucial to understanding the origins ...
What are near-Earth asteroids made of? Researchers are about to find out
In the vast expanse of space, an estimated 1 million near-Earth objects (NEOs), also known as near-Earth asteroids, are constantly orbiting close to our planet. Every night, astronomers track NEOs and discover new ones, noting ...
Astrobiology
May 28, 2025
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Other news
Triassic reptiles took 10,000 mile trips through 'hellish' conditions, study suggests
Webb telescope images frigid exoplanet in strange orbit
Moons of Uranus surprise scientists in Hubble study
Fossils show colonies of reptiles lived communally 250 million years ago
Gifts from the sea: Molecules derived from coral may help fight harmful bacteria
Searching for life on Mars in the snow and ice
Curiosity rover finds large carbon deposits on Mars
Where are all the aliens?: Fermi's paradox explained
Secret koala population uncovered on the fringe of a major city
More than 300 potential targets uncovered for new antifungal drugs
Silicate clouds discovered in atmosphere of distant exoplanet
Smart virus trick enables cleaner vaccine production in insect cells
