Did lightning provide food for life’s beginning?
Lightning bolts can be deadly or destructive, but some researchers propose they might also have supplied essential elements for the first…
Category: Astrobiology
Could we find evidence for life in fool’s gold?
Scientists looked for biosignatures in fool's gold from a Mars-like environment . They found small filaments within the rock that may once…
How to spot colorful life on icy exoplanets
In recent decades, astronomers have discovered more than 5000 planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system, with nearly 9000 more…
When life detoxifies itself, it leaves behind a helpful sign
Scientists found that a methylated gas produced by life as a waste product of detoxification could serve as a remotely observable sign of…
How do we choose which planets to search for life?
Scientists used computer models to determine how likely a planet is to be habitable by its age, size, and distance from its sun.
Microbes entombed in ancient salts could help search for life on Mars
Geologists discovered microbes trapped in 830-million-year-old salt minerals similar to those found on Mars.
Discovery of a bacterium 10,000 times larger than normal surprises microbiologists
The living organisms that we see around us are made up of billions or even trillions of cells. Multicellular organisms are often considered…
Why did a bunch of asteroids hit the Earth billions of years ago?
The first cells of life on Earth had a lot to contend with. Conditions were harsh and unpredictable. The air was thick with volcanic gases.…
Future telescopes could search for alien farms
Simulations suggest that the light observed from a distant planet around another star might be able to show evidence of ammonia and nitrous…
A crater lake on Mars was racked by ancient flash floods
One picture from the surface of Mars can tell us an entire story about the history and formation of that place. Often, the similarities and…