Methane
Could Life Exist in Molecular Clouds?
Our search for life beyond Earth is still in its infancy. We're focused on Mars and, to a lesser extent,…
Wow. JWST Just Found Methane in an Exoplanet Atmosphere
If there's one chemical that causes excitement in the search for biosignatures on other worlds, it's methane. It's not a…
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…
Satellites can now see Exactly Where Methane is Being Dumped Into the Atmosphere
Methane is one of the most important greenhouse gases, despite the overwhelming interest in carbon dioxide emissions as the primary…
Dragonfly Mission has Some Ambitious Science Goals to Accomplish When it Arrives at Titan
As any good project manager will tell you, goals are necessary to complete any successful project. The more audacious the…
Cassini Saw Methane in Enceladus’ Plumes. Scientists Don’t Know How it Could be There Without Life
Even though the Cassini mission at Saturn ended nearly four years ago, data from the spacecraft still keeps scientists busy.…
With Funding From Jeff Bezos, MethaneSAT Picks Elon Musk’s SpaceX for 2022 Launch
Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are usually rivals on the final frontier, but they both have a role to…
If a Planet Has a Lot of Methane in its Atmosphere, Life is the Most Likely Cause
The ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope will launch soon. Once it's deployed, and in position at the Earth-Sun Lagrange Point…
Even If We Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tomorrow, it Would Take Decades for the Earth to Start Cooling Again
If—or hopefully when—we cut our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, we won't notice much difference in the climate. The Earth's natural…
Molecular Oxygen on Mars is Behaving Unusually Through the Seasons. A Sign of Life?
An atmospheric drama has been playing out on Mars lately. Up until now, the main actor has been methane, and…