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Astrobiology news
Early Mars rocks reveal at least three separate water episodes
When NASA's Perseverance rover reached the inner edge of Mars' Jezero Crater in September 2023, mission scientists were surprised by what they found. The geologic area, called the "Margin Unit," stretches along the shoreline ...
Astrobiology
6 hours ago
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Scientists simulate cosmic crashes to test whether icy moons gain or lose their ability to sustain life
Many of the moons orbiting Saturn, Uranus and Neptune likely conceal oceans of liquid water beneath miles of icy shell. Because life as we know it needs water, these buried oceans rank among the most promising places to search ...
Astrobiology
Sep 19, 2026
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A glimpse of the solar system's origins: Striking details on the molecules inside a meteorite
Researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory have teamed up to get a fresh look at the complex makeup of meteorites and glimpse into our solar system's past.
Astrobiology
Sep 17, 2026
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Could the clues to ancient alien civilizations be hiding in moon dust?
Most of our experience with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has focused on capturing radio signals that alien species have sent out, whether intentionally or unintentionally. That creates a huge "synchronicity" ...
Astrobiology
Sep 15, 2026
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Series of reactions reveals how complex carbon chemistry can begin in frigid space
Before there was Earth, there was chemistry. In the unimaginable cold, dark clouds where stars and planets are born, carbon molecules assemble into more complex forms—starting a chemical journey that could eventually deliver ...
Astrobiology
Sep 14, 2026
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Asteroid Ryugu's dust reveals nitrogen's slow concentration into complex molecules
Nitrogen is a key ingredient in the biomolecules that form the building blocks of life. Yet as an unbonded gas, it is far more likely to drift into space than to lock itself into solid compounds, making it difficult for astronomers ...
Tiny salt crevices could act as miniature 'Greenhouses' for Martian microbes
We've been searching for life on Mars for a long time, but so far we've come up empty. The fundamental problem is a Catch-22 involving two of the key ingredients for life. Life as we know it needs liquid water and reasonable ...
Astrobiology
Sep 9, 2026
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If alien civilizations use hyper-efficient computers, they will have a distinct energy signal we can detect
Love it or hate it, artificial intelligence is likely here to stay. Its ravenous need for computational power has overwhelmed chip manufacturers and power companies alike. While our current AI obsession is likely a bubble ...
Astronomy
Sep 9, 2026
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Giant impacts may strip small icy moons of subsurface oceans
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists used simulations to understand the role disruptive impacts play on icy moons with subsurface oceans in our solar system. A recent paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy ...
Astrobiology
Sep 8, 2026
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How studying astronauts could help tackle aging on Earth
Astronauts who undergo long-duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station often return with health problems that resemble some age-related conditions in people on Earth.
Space Exploration
Sep 8, 2026
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Early Earth's auroral belts may have formed a natural ion-beam reactor for prebiotic chemistry
We usually think of auroras as beautiful lights in the night sky. I see them as visible traces of a connection between the sun, Earth's magnetic field and the atmosphere. This led me to an origin-of-life question: Could the ...
Young sunlike system reveals comets may carry water toward forming planets
Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have found evidence of exocomets—comets in other solar systems—orbiting a young star similar to our sun. The observations point to a possible mechanism for how water might be transported ...
Astrobiology
Sep 2, 2026
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More than 120 molecular species found in giant cloud near Milky Way's center
Astronomers have discovered a second interstellar cloud near the center of the Milky Way that is extraordinarily rich in complex molecules, including several molecules associated with prebiotic chemistry. The newly studied ...
Peptides can form well-defined structures in harsh, Venus-like conditions
When exploring solar system bodies for signs of past or present life, scientists have mainly focused on planets that have (or had) a liquid surface similar to Earth's. However, mounting evidence suggests that the ingredients ...
Astrobiology
Aug 31, 2026
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Manganese's emission lines shine a light on galactic evolution
In a new study, a team of astronomers has identified wavelengths of light that could be useful for tracing the chemical evolution of the universe. Using computational modeling to simulate how electrons interact with manganese ...
Astronomy
Aug 31, 2026
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Discovery reveals rapid pathways to complex aromatic molecules in space
A team of researchers led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Chemistry has uncovered a faster way large carbon-based molecules may form in space, helping solve a long-standing mystery about how some of the ...
Astrobiology
Aug 27, 2026
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Mars rovers give scientists a ground‑level view of the red planet—peek inside their NASA control room
Lights blink on as I enter the Rover Operations Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, at 7:30 a.m. I'm the first to arrive, even though I already feel late.
Astrobiology
Aug 27, 2026
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Venus's mysterious clouds may hide an exceptionally strong light absorber
Venus appears pale yellow in visible light, but ultraviolet images reveal dramatic dark and bright patterns moving with the planet's upper sulfuric acid clouds. Scientists have known about these markings for roughly a century, ...
Astrobiology
Aug 27, 2026
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Why some lava-covered exoplanets retain atmospheres for billions of years
Stanford researchers have offered an explanation for why some sizzling, lava-covered worlds nestled tightly around their stars can retain their atmospheres. At such close quarters, intense stellar radiation should strip away ...
Astrobiology
Aug 26, 2026
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ALMA uncovers sulfur for the first time around a rare class of supergiant star
Astronomers have discovered a chemically rich collection of sulfur-bearing molecules surrounding the rare massive star HD 87643. The observations include the first detection of sulfur monoxide and sulfur dioxide around a ...
More news
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Scientists advance space agriculture for future moon and Mars missions
Other news
Scientists teleport quantum states across 100 parallel optical channels
Scientists reveal how our cells conduct emergency repairs for DNA
Engineered nanoparticles sensitize gliomas to radiotherapy
A newly discovered mechanism helps cells prevent errors during DNA replication
Alien world chemistry found inside meteorite that struck New Jersey home
Are we missing the universe's 'noosignatures?'
Six massive landslides discovered on icy Pluto
Lemur uses opera singer's trick to belt out forest songs
Under stress, bacterial RNA and proteins tell different stories
A 'rebellious' exoplanet orbits in the opposite direction of its star
