The search for habitable worlds
Scientists identified 47 near-Earth stars as the most likely to have rocky planets with ideal surface temperatures for life.
Tag: exoplanets
Is Earth’s water why intelligent life evolved here?
A Columbia University scientist argued that the existence of humans provides strong evidence that intelligent life is more likely to evolve…
Searching for planets in a galaxy far away
Researchers surveyed over 20,000 stars thought to come from a nearby galaxy and found that no more than 1% harbored close-orbiting,…
Are aliens receiving radio signals from Earth?
Scientists calculated the maximum distance at which extraterrestrials with modern human-level technology could detect radio signals from…
These gases could signify intelligent life beyond Earth
Astronomers proposed that the industrial gases nitrogen trifluoride and sulfur hexafluoride could provide measurable signs of advanced…
Scientists observe a changing exoplanet orbit
Astronomers conducted a multifaceted study of the exoplanet TrES-1 b and found that its orbit is shifting, possibly due to an unseen…
Stellar flares could masquerade as life on exoplanets
Astronomers tested whether energy bursts from stars could artificially elevate typical “biosignature” gases on exoplanets.
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…
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…
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…