Life In Planet
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This New Telescope Can Negate 'False-Positives' Of Alien Life Within Hours
The ELT could identify biosignatures on planets in our solar system as well as orbiting Proxima Centauri within hours.
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Alien Life May Survive on Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs, Study Finds
New research explores the possibility of alien life on planets orbiting white dwarfs. While these stellar remnants cool over time, their shrinking habitable zones may still allow biological processes like photosynthesis and UV-driven abiogenesis to occur. A model assessing a planet's energy reception over seven billion years indicates that life-sus...
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NASA's Webb Captures First Direct Images Of Carbon Dioxide Outside Solar System
This finding provides compelling evidence that the giant planets in HR 8799 formed through core accretion, a process similar to the formation of Jupiter and Saturn.
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Private Venus Mission Plans to Retrieve Cloud Samples for Life Research
A privately-led space mission is being developed to retrieve and analyse cloud samples from Venus. Scientists believe the planet’s sulfuric acid clouds might sustain organic molecules necessary for life. The mission, named Morning Star, involves deploying probes to collect mist from Venus' atmosphere. The collected samples would be returned to Ea...
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NASA SPHEREx Mission to Map Water Ice in the Milky Way for Life’s Origins
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, launching February 27, will search for water ice and frozen compounds in the Milky Way’s molecular clouds. By surveying over 9 million regions, the mission aims to understand how these compounds influence planet and star formation. Findings will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope, enhancing insights into...
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Newly Confirmed Super-Earth HD 20794 d May Support Life in Habitable Zone
A super-Earth, HD 20794 d, has been confirmed within a habitable zone 20 light years from Earth. The planet, first detected in 2022, has a mass six times that of Earth and orbits a sun-like star. Although its elliptical orbit affects temperature stability, its potential to sustain liquid water makes it a key target for upcoming space missions. Scie...
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NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
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Newly Discovered Oxygen Reaction Existed in Primitive Atmosphere, Sheds Light on Origin of Life
Scientists have uncovered a new way oxygen could form in carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres without the involvement of life. The discovery, led by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, shows that a reaction between helium ions and CO2 can produce molecular oxygen. This process challenges traditional methods of life detect...
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Organic Molecules in Space: A Key to Understanding Life's Cosmic Origins
Organic molecules, the building blocks of life, have been discovered across space—from interstellar clouds to asteroids and comets. Findings from missions like Rosetta, Hayabusa2, and Osiris-Rex reveal that these compounds existed long before the Sun formed. Scientists believe organic molecules survived planetary formation in protoplanetary disks...
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NASA's Perseverance Rover To Unveil Mysteries Of Red Planet After Challenging Climb
NASA's Perseverance Rover first landed in the Jezero Crater in February 2021.
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Venus Never Had Oceans or Conditions to Support Life, New Study Finds
Scientists from the University of Cambridge have concluded that Venus likely never had oceans or conditions to support life. Their study, published in Nature Astronomy, analysed atmospheric chemistry and volcanic activity. They found that volcanic gases lacked significant steam, indicating the planet's interior has always been dry. This research ha...
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Asteroid Ryugu Sample Was 'Rapidly Colonised' By Earth Bacteria: Study
The sample from the asteroid Ryugu was overrun with Earth-based life forms after they were brought to the planet, scientists have concluded in a study.
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Evidence of Hot Water on Mars Found in Ancient Meteorite From Early Days of Solar System
Evidence of ancient hot water activity on Mars has been found in a 4.45-billion-year-old zircon grain from the NWA7034 meteorite. The findings, detailed in Science Advances, reveal that hydrothermal systems were active on Mars during the Pre-Noachian period. Researchers suggest these systems, essential for life on Earth, could have made Mars habita...
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Scientists Discover New Electric Field in Earth’s Atmosphere Crucial for Life
Scientists have finally detected the long-predicted ambipolar electric field in Earth's atmosphere. Though weak, it plays a crucial role in shaping the planet’s upper atmosphere, impacting the polar wind and potentially contributing to Earth’s habitability. This discovery could help explain why Earth’s atmosphere has remained conducive to lif...
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China's Zhurong Rover Helps Find Evidence of Potential Ancient Shoreline on Mars
China's Zhurong rover has found what might be the shoreline of an ancient Martian ocean, offering fresh support for theories that Mars once had vast bodies of water. Studying images and radar data from Utopia Planitia, the largest impact basin on Mars, scientists identified geological features that resemble coastlines, including pitted cones, troug...
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This New Telescope Can Negate 'False-Positives' Of Alien Life Within Hours
The ELT could identify biosignatures on planets in our solar system as well as orbiting Proxima Centauri within hours.
-
Alien Life May Survive on Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs, Study Finds
New research explores the possibility of alien life on planets orbiting white dwarfs. While these stellar remnants cool over time, their shrinking habitable zones may still allow biological processes like photosynthesis and UV-driven abiogenesis to occur. A model assessing a planet's energy reception over seven billion years indicates that life-sus...
-
NASA's Webb Captures First Direct Images Of Carbon Dioxide Outside Solar System
This finding provides compelling evidence that the giant planets in HR 8799 formed through core accretion, a process similar to the formation of Jupiter and Saturn.
-
Private Venus Mission Plans to Retrieve Cloud Samples for Life Research
A privately-led space mission is being developed to retrieve and analyse cloud samples from Venus. Scientists believe the planet’s sulfuric acid clouds might sustain organic molecules necessary for life. The mission, named Morning Star, involves deploying probes to collect mist from Venus' atmosphere. The collected samples would be returned to Ea...
-
NASA SPHEREx Mission to Map Water Ice in the Milky Way for Life’s Origins
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, launching February 27, will search for water ice and frozen compounds in the Milky Way’s molecular clouds. By surveying over 9 million regions, the mission aims to understand how these compounds influence planet and star formation. Findings will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope, enhancing insights into...
-
Newly Confirmed Super-Earth HD 20794 d May Support Life in Habitable Zone
A super-Earth, HD 20794 d, has been confirmed within a habitable zone 20 light years from Earth. The planet, first detected in 2022, has a mass six times that of Earth and orbits a sun-like star. Although its elliptical orbit affects temperature stability, its potential to sustain liquid water makes it a key target for upcoming space missions. Scie...
-
NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
-
Newly Discovered Oxygen Reaction Existed in Primitive Atmosphere, Sheds Light on Origin of Life
Scientists have uncovered a new way oxygen could form in carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres without the involvement of life. The discovery, led by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, shows that a reaction between helium ions and CO2 can produce molecular oxygen. This process challenges traditional methods of life detect...
-
Organic Molecules in Space: A Key to Understanding Life's Cosmic Origins
Organic molecules, the building blocks of life, have been discovered across space—from interstellar clouds to asteroids and comets. Findings from missions like Rosetta, Hayabusa2, and Osiris-Rex reveal that these compounds existed long before the Sun formed. Scientists believe organic molecules survived planetary formation in protoplanetary disks...
-
NASA's Perseverance Rover To Unveil Mysteries Of Red Planet After Challenging Climb
NASA's Perseverance Rover first landed in the Jezero Crater in February 2021.
-
Venus Never Had Oceans or Conditions to Support Life, New Study Finds
Scientists from the University of Cambridge have concluded that Venus likely never had oceans or conditions to support life. Their study, published in Nature Astronomy, analysed atmospheric chemistry and volcanic activity. They found that volcanic gases lacked significant steam, indicating the planet's interior has always been dry. This research ha...
-
Asteroid Ryugu Sample Was 'Rapidly Colonised' By Earth Bacteria: Study
The sample from the asteroid Ryugu was overrun with Earth-based life forms after they were brought to the planet, scientists have concluded in a study.
-
Evidence of Hot Water on Mars Found in Ancient Meteorite From Early Days of Solar System
Evidence of ancient hot water activity on Mars has been found in a 4.45-billion-year-old zircon grain from the NWA7034 meteorite. The findings, detailed in Science Advances, reveal that hydrothermal systems were active on Mars during the Pre-Noachian period. Researchers suggest these systems, essential for life on Earth, could have made Mars habita...
-
Scientists Discover New Electric Field in Earth’s Atmosphere Crucial for Life
Scientists have finally detected the long-predicted ambipolar electric field in Earth's atmosphere. Though weak, it plays a crucial role in shaping the planet’s upper atmosphere, impacting the polar wind and potentially contributing to Earth’s habitability. This discovery could help explain why Earth’s atmosphere has remained conducive to lif...
-
China's Zhurong Rover Helps Find Evidence of Potential Ancient Shoreline on Mars
China's Zhurong rover has found what might be the shoreline of an ancient Martian ocean, offering fresh support for theories that Mars once had vast bodies of water. Studying images and radar data from Utopia Planitia, the largest impact basin on Mars, scientists identified geological features that resemble coastlines, including pitted cones, troug...
