Astrobiology
How ‘badass’ microbes move in after volcanoes erupt
How ‘badass’ microbes move in after volcanoes erupt New research explores how microbes colonize new habitats after catastrophic events like volcanic eruptions. A team of ecologists and planetary scientists from the University of Arizona conducted field research in Iceland following a series of eruptions of the Fagradalsfjall volcano, collecting samples from lava flows, rainwater, aerosols, […]
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Can scientists detect life without knowing what it looks like? Research using machine learning offers a new way
Can scientists detect life without knowing what it looks like? Research using machine learning offers a new way Scientists have found that carbon-rich meteorites like Bennu contain many of life’s building blocks, including amino acids and organic molecules, but no evidence of life itself. A new study called LifeTracer uses machine learning to analyze the […]
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Europa Clipper Captures Uranus With Star Tracker Camera
Europa Clipper Captures Uranus With Star Tracker Camera Europa Clipper, a NASA spacecraft, captured an image of Uranus on November 5, 2025, while testing its star-tracking camera. The spacecraft was about 2 billion miles away from Uranus at the time of the capture, and is currently en route to the Jupiter system to study the […]
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Scientists detected a potential biosignature on Mars – an astrobiologist explains what these traces of life are, and how researchers figure out their source
Scientists detected a potential biosignature on Mars – an astrobiologist explains what these traces of life are, and how researchers figure out their source Astrobiologists have detected a potential biosignature on Mars, specifically in the form of iron-rich minerals arranged in a distinctive pattern in a rock sample called Sapphire Canyon. The minerals found in […]
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New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life
New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life The search for life beyond Earth is challenging due to the difficulty in interpreting biosignatures and determining habitability. A new approach called the quantitative habitability framework has been developed to identify potentially habitable planets or moons and interpret potential biosignatures by modeling how […]
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NEO Surveyor Instrument Enclosure Inside Historic Chamber AxA0
NEO Surveyor Instrument Enclosure Inside Historic Chamber AxA0 NASA The instrument enclosure of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor is prepared for critical environmental tests inside the historic Chamber A at the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in December 2024. Wrapped in silver thermal blanketing, the 12-foot-long (3.7-meter-long) angular structure was […]
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Gas hunt may reveal signs of alien life on distant planets
Gas hunt may reveal signs of alien life on distant planets Researchers have identified a promising new way to detect life on faraway planets. Their approach hinges on worlds that look nothing like Earth and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials. In a new Astrophysical Journal Letters paper, the researchers describe these gases, […]
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Why is Mars red? The mystery may finally be solved
Why is Mars red? The mystery may finally be solved Scientists may finally have the answer to the question of why Mars is red. Mars has captivated scientists and the public alike for centuries. One reason is the planet’s reddish hue, earning the fourth rock from the sun its best-known nickname—the “Red Planet.” But what […]
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