Life
If We Want To Find Life-Supporting Worlds, We Should Focus on Small Planets With Large Moons
There's no perfect way of doing anything, including searching for exoplanets. Every planet-hunting method has some type of bias. We've…
Toxic Perchlorate on Mars Could Make Life More Interesting
The search for life in the Universe has fascinated humans for centuries. Mars has of course been high on the…
Could Life Exist in Water Droplet Worlds in Venus’ Atmosphere?
It's a measure of human ingenuity and curiosity that scientists debate the possibility of life on Venus. They established long…
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…
What Can Europa’s Surface Tell Us About the Thickness of Its Ice?
You can tell a lot about a planetary body just by looking at its surface, especially if it has craters.…
Could Earth Life Survive on a Red Dwarf Planet?
Even though exoplanet science has advanced significantly in the last decade or two, we're still in an unfortunate situation. Scientists…
Cyborg Jellyfish Could Help Explore Oceans Autonomously
Earth's oceans are—like space—a largely unexplored frontier. Relatively few humans have explored either place, using specialized life-support equipment. Unlike space,…
Juno Measures How Much Oxygen is Being Produced by Europa
If the periodic table listed the elements in order of their importance to life, then oxygen might bully its way…
Cosmic Dust Could Have Helped Get Life Going on Earth
The early Earth didn't have many chemicals needed for life on its surface, but they were present in asteroids and…
Dying Stars Could Have Completely New Habitable Zones
Aging stars that become red giants increase their luminosity and can wreak havoc on planets that were once in the…