Habitability
Europe Has Big Plans for Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
Saturn's moon, Enceladus, is a gleaming beacon that captivates our intellectual curiosity. Its clean, icy surface makes it one of…
Mars’ Gale Crater was Filled with Water for Much Longer Than Anyone Thought
Even with all we've learned about Mars in recent years, it doesn't stack up against all we still don't know…
Earth’s Long-Term Habitability Relies on Chemical Cycles. How Can We Better Understand Them?
We, and all other complex life, require stability to evolve. Planetary conditions needed to be benign and long-lived for creatures…
The LIFE Telescope Passed its First Test: It Detected Biosignatures on Earth.
We know that there are thousands of exoplanets out there, with many millions more waiting to be discovered. But the…
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…
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…
Another Explanation for K2-18b? A Gas-Rich Mini-Neptune with No Habitable Surface
Exoplanet K2-18b is garnering a lot of attention. James Webb Space Telescope spectroscopy shows it has carbon and methane in…
17 Known Exoplanets Could Have Oceans of Liquid Water
The search for life is tied to the search for liquid water. That's why astronomers are so keen on detecting…
What Would Happen to Earth if a Rogue Star Came Too Close?
Stars are gravitationally fastened to their galaxies and move in concert with their surroundings. But sometimes, something breaks the bond.…
Earth’s Past and Future Habitability Depends on Our Protection from Space Weather
A bewildering number of factors and variables led up to the planet we occupy today, where life finds a way…