Interstellar Thread of Key Piece in the Origin-of-Life Puzzle Revealed by Astronomers
ALMA and Rosetta map the journey of phosphorus Phosphorus, present in our DNA and cell membranes, is an essential element for life as we know…
Astrobiology
In Search for Alien Life, Scientists Develop New Method to Detect Oxygen on Exoplanets
New Technique Could Speed Search for Life in Outer Space Scientists have developed a new method for detecting oxygen in exoplanet atmospheres that may accelerate…
A Wrecking Ball in the HR 5183 System – Massive Gas Giant Exoplanet With Eccentric Orbit
A study supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program provides new insight into the potential habitability of stellar systems that contain giant planets in…
NASA Team Studying the Building Blocks of Life Will Analyze 50-Year-Old Apollo Moon Soil – Here’s Why
New Generations, Equipped with New Technologies, Prepare to Analyze 50-Year-Old Samples in the New Year Fortunately for today’s scientists, Apollo-era leaders had the foresight to…
Smelly and Poisonous Molecule May Be a Sure-Fire Sign of Extraterrestrial Life
A sign that aliens could stink: A molecule that’s known for its smelly and poisonous nature on Earth may be a sure-fire sign of extraterrestrial…
Extreme Solar Events and the Search for Habitable Exoplanets
Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars outside the Solar System Some exoplanets are thought to have liquid water on their surface and therefore the potential…
First Evidence of Bio-Essential Sugars in Meteorites
Sugar Delivered to Earth From Space Researchers from Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, JAMSTEC, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center investigated meteorites and found ribose and…
Depleted Organic Matter in Banded Iron Formations Provides Clues for Extraterrestrial Life Biosignatures
Examining how banded iron formations (BIFs) became depleted in organic matter. A new study supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology program is providing details…
Sulfur and the Emergence of the First Life on Earth
Mapping the bonds and vibrational modes of molecules containing sulfur isotopes is helping to shed light on the chemical reactions that took place in Earth’s…
NASA Aquatic Rover, Designed to Search for Alien Life, Goes for a Drive Under the Ice
A little robotic explorer will be rolling into Antarctica this month to perform a gymnastic feat — driving upside down under sea ice. BRUIE, or…
Photos Show Evidence of Life on Mars: Insect- and Reptile-Like Fossils & Living Creatures
[Update 11/29/19: Ohio University has withdrawn this article.] Analysis of images from Mars rovers shows insect- and reptile-like fossils, creatures according to Ohio University entomologist….
New Clues to Origin of Life on Earth From Meteorite Discovery
An international team has found sugars essential to life in meteorites. The new discovery adds to the growing list of biologically important compounds that have…
High-Performance Camera to Help Detect Extraterrestrial Life, Dark Matter Can Count Single Photons
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made one of the highest-performance cameras ever composed of sensors that count single photons,…
“They’re out There” – Exoplanet Axis Study Boosts Hopes of Complex Life
“They’re out there,” goes a saying about extraterrestrials. It would seem more likely to be true in light of a new study on planetary axis…
Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life Takes Mars Scientists on Expedition to Australia
As any geologist worth his or her salt will tell you, there are rocks, and then there are rocks. Next July, NASA and the European…
NASA Astrobiology Has Discovered a Ring of Material Around Star HD 191098
Researchers supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program have discovered a ring of material around the star HD 191098 that resembles our solar system’s…
NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover Will Hunt for Evidence of Life on Mars in Microscopic Fossils
Scientists with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover have discovered what may be one of the best places to look for signs of ancient life in Jezero…
Mineral That Could Preserve Signs of Past Life Spotted at Future Mars Landing Spot
Using orbital instruments to peer into Jezero crater, the landing site for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, researchers found deposits of hydrated silica, a mineral that’s…