Life
One of Life’s Building Blocks can Form in Space
Peptides are one of the smallest biomolecules and are one of life's critical building blocks. New research shows that they…
Massive Rocky Planets Probably Don’t Have big Moons
The Moon has orbited Earth since the Solar System's early days. Anyone who's ever spent time at the ocean can't…
Nearby Supernovae Were Essential to Life on Earth
It's almost impossible to comprehend a supernova explosion's violent, destructive power. An exploding supernova can outshine its host galaxy for…
The Early Earth was Really Horrible for Life
Earth has had a long and complex history since its formation roughly 4.5 billion years ago. Initially, it was a…
Life on Earth Needed Iron. Will it be the Same on Other Worlds?
A lot has to go right for a planet to support life. Some of the circumstances that allow life to…
Did Cosmic Dust Deliver the Phosphorus Needed for Life?
Without phosphorus, there's no life. It's a necessary part of DNA, RNA, and other biological molecules like ATP, which helps…
Is That a Fossil on Mars? Non-Biological Deposits can Mimic Organic Structures
There's nothing easy about searching for evidence of life on Mars. Not only do we somehow have to land a…
Greenland’s Ice Sheet is Similar in Many Ways to the Solar System’s Icy Worlds and Can Teach Us How to Search for Life
Many regions on Earth are temperate, nutrient-rich, stable environments where life seems to thrive effortlessly. But not all of Earth.…
When Did Photosynthesis Begin?
Sometime around 2.4 billion years ago, a nascent planet Earth underwent one of the most dramatic changes in its history.…
Rogue Planets Could be Habitable
The search for potentially habitable planets is focused on exoplanets—planets orbiting other stars—for good reason. The only planet we know…