biosignatures
What Can Early Earth Teach Us About the Search for Life?
Earth is the only life-supporting planet we know of, so it's tempting to use it as a standard in the…
Did You Hear Webb Found Life on an Exoplanet? Not so Fast…
The JWST is astronomers' best tool for probing exoplanet atmospheres. Its capable instruments can dissect the light passing through a…
Life Might Be Difficult to Find on a Single Planet But Obvious Across Many Worlds
If we could detect a clear, unambiguous biosignature on just one of the thousands of exoplanets we know of, it…
If Exoplanets Have Lightning, it’ll Complicate the Search for Life
Discovering exoplanets is almost routine now. We've found over 5,500 exoplanets, and the next step is to study their atmospheres…
TESS Has Found Thousands of Possible Exoplanets. Which Ones Should JWST Study?
JWST has demonstrated how well it can analyze the atmosphere of exoplanets, revealing carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sulfur compounds.…
Are We Alone? The Answer Might Be in Space Dust That’s All Around Us
When it comes to looking for extraterrestrial life "out there" astronomers scan distant planets. They also look for technosignatures at…
Here are Four Ways JWST Could Detect Alien Life
There are many ways that the James Webb Space Telescope could search for life. Here are four promising ones.
If we Detect This gas on Other Planets, it’s a Good Sign There’s Life There
Here is an idea that likely never crossed the mind of most space enthusiasts - a gas emitted from broccoli…
NASA has Built a Collection of Instruments That Will Search for Life Inside Europa and Enceladus
Scientists at NASA JPL and Colorado University have created a new instrument for finding signs of life, called the Ocean…
It’s Not Conclusive, But Methane is Probably the Best Sign of Life on Exoplanets
When the James Webb Space Telescope aims at exoplanet atmospheres, it'll use spectroscopy to identify chemical elements. One of the…