Astrobiology
Organic Material Found in an Ancient Meteorite
NASA researchers have discovered organic material inside a meteorite the recently fell in Canada's Tagish Lake. The meteorite is especially…
How Did Early Bacteria Survive Poisonous Oxygen?
Oxygen makes up 21% of the Earth's atmosphere, and we need it to breathe. But early organisms would have found…
The Early Earth’s Atmosphere was Similar to Titan
The thick organic haze that shrouds Titan is similar to what we had here on Earth billions of years ago;…
Bacteria Found Deep Underground
Princeton researchers have discovered a colony of bacteria that lives more than 3 km (2 miles) underground. This bacteria lives…
Hardy Microbes Might Be Happy on Mars
Is there life on Mars? If it's there, it's probably microscopic, and really tough; able to handle cold temperatures, low…
Electrical Dust Storms Could Make Life on Mars Impossible
New research is suggesting that planet-wide dust storms on Mars could create a snow of corrosive chemicals toxic to life.…
Squadrons of Planet Hunters Could Find Life
The Hubble Space Telescope demonstrated that the best viewing is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Over the years, a series of…
Desert Varnish Might Be a Clue for Life on Mars
Rocks in the desert can form a shiny coating known to geologists as desert varnish. This varnish forms over thousands…
Lichen Can Survive in Space
Scientists have found that hardy bacteria can survive a trip into space, and now the list of natural astronauts includes…
Let’s Find Life
A recent conversation on the Bad Astronomy/Universe Today forum got me thinking. Member "parallaxicity" wanted to know where the next…