Browsing Tag
astrobiology
15 posts
Are there thunderstorms on Mars? A planetary scientist explains the red planet’s dry, dusty storms
Mars doesn’t get rain like Earth does, but dust storms are common on the red planet. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of…
Are we the Martians? The intriguing idea that life on Earth began on the red planet
Seán Jordan, Dublin City University How did life begin on Earth? While scientists have theories, they don’t yet…
Beyond the habitable zone: Exoplanet atmospheres are the next clue to finding life on planets orbiting distant stars
Some exoplanets, like the one shown in this illustration, may have atmospheres that could make them potentially suitable…
Could life exist on Mars today? Here’s what the latest evidence says
Part of the ancient lake delta in Jezero Crater on Mars. JPL-Caltech Seán Jordan, Dublin City University and…
Biosphere 2’s latest mission: Learning how life first emerged on Earth – and how to make barren worlds habitable
Biosphere 2 is a research facility located near Tucson, Ariz. Katja Schulz/Flickr, CC BY Scott Saleska, University of…
A rocky planet in its star’s ‘habitable zone’ could be the first known to have an atmosphere – here’s what we found
Hannah Wakeford, University of Bristol and Ryan MacDonald, University of St Andrews New research using Nasa’s powerful JWST…
NASA’s rover finds potential sign of life on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered potential biosignatures in a Martian rock sample, indicating the presence of iron-rich minerals and organic carbon, which suggests a past habitable environment that may have been sustained by microbial life.
This Rock Is Older Than the Solar System
Containing the building blocks of DNA and stardust older than the Sun, the Murchison meteorite offers an unprecedented glimpse into the origins of our solar system and life itself.
Did Cosmic Rays Decide the Shape of Your DNA?
The very twist of your DNA might be a direct consequence of a fundamental asymmetry in the universe, delivered to the primordial Earth by high-energy cosmic rays.
Study: Mars self-regulated as a desert planet
New research suggests a negative feedback loop involving carbon-trapping rocks may have doomed Mars to become a self-regulating desert planet with only fleeting periods of habitability.