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…
Tag: search for life
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.
How can we search for life as we don’t know it?
It's hard to look for signs of life beyond Earth. It's a little easier if we assume that life out there is like Earth life. But what if it…
A stinky noxious gas could point us toward alien life
Hold your noses! ET life might produce noxious gases in the form of #phosphine. Here’s why phosphine is an important marker in the search…
Chemicals on mineral surfaces may have jumpstarted life
Were metabolic pathways established before life emerged? New experiments observe life-like patterns self-propagating on #mineral surfaces.…
Looking for life by looking for metabolism
How can amino acids, lipids, and other metabolites help scientists with life detection in space? #Astrobiologists look at how our cells…