Life
Europa Could be Pulling Oxygen Down Below the Ice to Feed Life
Jupiter's moon Europa is a prime candidate in the search for life. The frozen moon has a subsurface ocean, and…
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…
Even More Complex Organic Molecules Have Been Found in a Protoplanetary Disc. Was Life Inevitable?
Will we ever understand life's origins? Will we ever be able to put our finger on the exact moment and…
Does the Entire Planet Have a Mind of its Own?
What is humanity? Do our minds set us apart from the rest of nature and from the rest of Earth?…
NASA and HeroX are Crowdsourcing the Search for Life on Mars
NASA and HeroX have launched the Mars Spectrometry Challenge, which will reward a total of $30,000 for new ideas on…
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…