Carbon is critical to life, as far as we know. So anytime we detect a strong carbon signature somewhere like Mars, it could indicate biological…
Lake is dominated by bacteria from a single ‘extremophile’ genus. A few specialist microbes survive conditions analogous to those of Mars’ early history, reports a…
The type of carbon detected is associated with biological processes on Earth. Curiosity scientists offer several explanations for the unusual carbon signals. After analyzing powdered…
NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, and since then has roamed Gale Crater taking samples and sending the results back home…
Martian meteorite’s organic materials origin not biological, formed by geochemical interactions between water and rock. The search for life on Mars can teach us about…
No longer solely in the realm of science fiction, the possibility of interstellar travel has appeared, tantalizingly, on the horizon. Although we may not see…
A remarkable link between the number of nearby exploding stars, called supernovae and life on Earths has been discovered. Evidence demonstrates a close connection between…
During long portions of the past 2.4 billion years, the Earth may have been more inhospitable to life than scientists previously thought, according to new…
Researchers at the University of Oxford uncover the importance of iron for the development of complex life on Earth – which also may hint at…
One of the strangest things in the cosmos might be – us. Among the thousands of planets confirmed to be in orbit around other stars,…
A new study shows it’s theoretically possible. The hypothesis could be tested soon with proposed Venus-bound missions. It’s hard to imagine a more inhospitable world…
The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has spotted significant amounts of water at the heart of Mars’ dramatic canyon system, Valles Marineris. The water, which…
Report led by MIT scientists details a suite of privately-funded missions to hunt for life on Earth’s sibling planet. With multiple rovers landed and a…
Strange ‘eggshell planets’ are among the rich variety of exoplanets possible, according to a study from Washington University in St. Louis. These rocky worlds have…
Scientists warn, without good biosecurity measures ‘alien organisms’ on Earth may become a reality stranger than fiction. Published in international journal BioSciences, a team of…
When it comes to the future of space exploration, a handful of practices are essential for mission planners. Foremost among them is the concept of…
Could life survive around the nearest stars? In collaboration with the Breakthrough Initiative, Saber Astronautics, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Professor Peter Tuthill is leading…
Mars explorers searching for signs of ancient life could be fooled by fossil-like specimens created by chemical processes, research suggests. Rocks on Mars may contain…
