The lifecycle of a steam world
Scientists studied exoplanets with high water contents and found that they initially have outer vapor layers, which then cool and shrink…
Category: What might life look like elsewhere in the Universe?
What might life look like elsewhere in the Universe? How do we search for life?
Hot spring rocks could help find life on Mars
NASA researchers found that the shape of rocks near hot springs influences the preservation of chemical fossils that could be detectable on…
Machine learning helps find other Earths
Astronomers used an algorithm on stars with known exoplanets to identify 44 systems with potential Earth-like planets, 8 of which they…
How did Venus’s Ishtar highlands form?
Researchers modeled tectonic and magmatic processes on Venus. They determined that its highlands formed when molten rock rose, melting its…
What’s a Super-Earth made of?
Astronomers observed a super-Earth with properties requiring surface water or a steam atmosphere. It challenges the paradigm that rocky…
Astronomers find distant galaxies with neural networks
Researchers developed a computer algorithm that correctly predicted the light emission characteristics of ancient faraway galaxies based on…
Exoplanets with weird orbits might be more habitable
Astronomers modeled the ideal climatic and atmospheric conditions for exoplanets and found that planets with non-circular orbits had more…
Could life survive in the plumes of Enceladus?
Researchers showed that simple microorganisms could survive rapid boiling in conditions mimicking the geysers of water shooting out of…
How complex life arose under extreme stress
Scientists discovered molecules that helped the first complex life forms build strong cell membranes to withstand extreme environments.
Could tardigrades survive on Mars?
Researchers found tiny, indestructible “water bears” survived exposure to high levels of toxic salts similar to those found in Martian…