https://phys.org/space-news/astrobiology en-us Astrobiology news stories about origin and evolution of life in the Universe The small footprint and dim light of white dwarfs, remnants of stars that have burned through their fuel, may make excellent backdrops for studying planets with enough water to harbor life. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-watery-planets-orbiting-dead-stars.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:46:04 EDT news637515961 Cornell University researchers have provided a simple and comprehensive—if less dramatic—explanation for bright radar reflections initially interpreted as liquid water beneath the ice cap on Mars' south pole. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-lake-mars-ice-cap.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Fri, 07 Jun 2024 14:00:01 EDT news636974701 The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has signed an agreement for the design and construction of ANDES, the ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-instrument-life-planets.html Astronomy Astrobiology Thu, 06 Jun 2024 12:51:06 EDT news636897061 As we discover more and more exoplanets—and the current total is in excess of 5,200—we continue to try to learn more about them. Astrobiologists busy themselves analyzing their atmospheres searching for anything that provides a sign of life. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-impact-ozone-exoplanet.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 04 Jun 2024 14:09:03 EDT news636728941 Universe Today has had the privilege of spending the last several months venturing into a multitude of scientific disciplines, including impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, planetary geophysics, cosmochemistry, meteorites, radio astronomy, extremophiles, organic chemistry, and black holes, and their importance in helping teach scientists and the public about our place in the cosmos. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-cryovolcanism-life-earth.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Fri, 31 May 2024 13:21:04 EDT news636380462 Important nutrients for the first living organisms on Earth may have come from space, according to new research from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-sulfur-molecules-space-seeded-early.html Astrobiology Thu, 30 May 2024 08:51:03 EDT news636277861 NASA is actively working to return surface samples from Mars in the next few years, which they hope will help us better understand whether ancient life once existed on the red planet's surface billions of years ago. But what about atmospheric samples? Could these provide scientists with better information pertaining to the history of Mars? https://phys.org/news/2024-05-martian-atmospheric-samples-red-planet.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 27 May 2024 11:19:04 EDT news636027541 There are three ways to look for evidence of alien technological civilizations. One is to look out for deliberate attempts by them to communicate their existence, for example, through radio broadcasts. Another is to look for evidence of them visiting the solar system. And a third option is to look for signs of large-scale engineering projects in space. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-dyson-spheres-astronomers-potential-candidates.html Astronomy Astrobiology Sat, 25 May 2024 14:40:01 EDT news635693874 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, solar energy on Earth is expanding rapidly. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-alien-solar-panels-technosignatures.html Astronomy Astrobiology Thu, 23 May 2024 14:50:01 EDT news635693843 While thousands of planets have been discovered around other stars, relatively little is known about them. A NASA catalog featuring 126 exotic, newly discovered worlds includes detailed measurements that allow for comparisons with our own solar system. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-international-planet-hunters-unveil-massive.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Thu, 23 May 2024 14:37:09 EDT news635693824 The discovery of a planet similar to Venus around a star in the neighborhood of the solar system raises hopes that astronomers may someday unlock the secret to why life appeared on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-earth-evil-twin-discovery-sized.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Thu, 23 May 2024 14:36:41 EDT news635693796 Ever since the tantalizing discovery of icy ocean worlds within our own solar system, such as Europa and Enceladus, scientists have been captivated by the possibility of life lurking beneath their frozen surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-exploring-depths-iron-secrets-life.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 21 May 2024 11:40:03 EDT news635510402 How did complex life emerge and evolve on the Earth and what does this mean for finding life beyond Earth? https://phys.org/news/2024-05-earth-multicellular-life-plate-tectonics.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 20 May 2024 14:09:03 EDT news635432941 Why is the warm gas-giant exoplanet WASP-107 b so puffy? Two independent teams of researchers have an answer. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-webb-case-inflated-exoplanet.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 20 May 2024 13:24:39 EDT news635430276 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 which life can flourish here on Earth—and expand their notions of what extraterrestrial life might look like—the search for life on Mars continues. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-exploring-extremes-life-mars.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 20 May 2024 11:18:02 EDT news635422681 A team led by University of Maryland chemists discovered a new way to create carbenes, a class of highly reactive yet notoriously short-lived and unstable molecules. Involved in many high-energy chemical reactions such as the creation of carbohydrates, carbenes are crucial precursors to the building blocks of life on Earth—and possibly in space. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-key-ingredient-life-space.html Astrobiology Thu, 16 May 2024 09:56:03 EDT news635072161 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 to change that. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-scientists-unravel-life-cosmic.html Astrobiology Mon, 13 May 2024 16:50:31 EDT news634837827 In 2018, very large organic molecules were discovered in ice particles on Saturn's moon Enceladus. It is still unclear whether they indicate the existence of life or were created in some other way. A recent study could help to answer this question. It is possible, that conditions that support or maintain life in extraterrestrial oceans could leave molecular traces in grains of ice. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-discovery-biomarkers-space-conditions-saturn.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 13 May 2024 12:06:40 EDT news634820794 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. To explore this possibility, scientists examine sediments preserved near these formations. The composition of these sediments holds clues about the early environmental conditions, the processes that shaped the planet over time, and even potential signs of past life. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-martian-sediments.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 13 May 2024 11:19:04 EDT news634817942 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 hand, Venus is a blistering planet with clouds of sulfuric acid and atmospheric pressure strong enough to squash a human being. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-deadly-venus-life-worlds.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Sun, 12 May 2024 13:50:02 EDT news634481085 Artificial intelligence (AI) has progressed at an astounding pace over the last few years. Some scientists are now looking towards the development of artificial superintelligence (ASI)—a form of AI that would not only surpass human intelligence but would not be bound by the learning speeds of humans. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-ai-blame-failure-contact-alien.html Astrobiology Sat, 11 May 2024 11:50:01 EDT news634473726 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. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-astronomers-dyson-spheres.html Astronomy Astrobiology Fri, 10 May 2024 11:20:04 EDT news634558802 Astrobiology is the field of science that studies the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. In practice, this means sending robotic missions beyond Earth to analyze the atmospheres, surfaces, and chemistry of extraterrestrial worlds. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-efforts-mars.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Fri, 10 May 2024 11:17:05 EDT news634558621 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 into space, and spacecraft observations of these geysers suggest that Enceladus has all the chemical building blocks necessary for life. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-life-enceladus.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Thu, 09 May 2024 13:44:33 EDT news634481067 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 leap forward in our understanding of habitable exoplanets. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-delves-ozone-exoplanetary-climate.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 08 May 2024 11:08:45 EDT news634385322 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 support life. Earth's atmosphere has changed radically over its 4.5 billion years. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-early-earth-life.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 07 May 2024 13:12:18 EDT news634306334 Recent reports of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope finding signs of life on a distant planet understandably sparked excitement. A new study challenges this finding, but also outlines how the telescope might verify the presence of the life-produced gas. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-webb-telescope-didnt-life-exoplanet.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Thu, 02 May 2024 11:00:01 EDT news633862922 A research team using the ChemCam instrument onboard NASA's Curiosity rover discovered higher-than-usual amounts of manganese in lakebed rocks within Gale Crater on Mars, which indicates that the sediments were formed in a river, delta, or near the shoreline of an ancient lake. The results were published today in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-earth-environment-ancient-mars.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 01 May 2024 10:28:03 EDT news633778080 Over the course of its elliptical orbit, the moon Enceladus is squeezed unevenly by Saturn's gravitational pull and deforms from a spherical shape into a football shape and back again. This cyclic stress causes a phenomenon called "tidal heating" within Enceladus and dissipates enough energy to maintain what is believed to be a global ocean underneath the moon's icy crust. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-enceladus-guts-strikeslip-motion.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 30 Apr 2024 11:16:12 EDT news633694568 While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, NASA's Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to "search for potential evidence of past life", according to the official mission objectives. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-nasa-rover-fossilized-life-mars.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:38:03 EDT news633191881