Topic: Astrobiology
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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What makes a planet livable? Five things scientists look for.
Scientists have so far detected at least 550 planets outside the solar system – and another 2,000-plus await confirmation. But how to pick out the ones that may be Earth-like havens for life? Here's what one team looks for in assessing any planet's potential habitability and its similarity to Earth's properties.
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Europa or bust? Maybe not. Top 9 priorities for planetary research missions
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Spitzer Space Telescope
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What's new with Titan? Five intriguing findings about Saturn's moon
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day 08/11
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Did life on Earth originate on Mars?
Rock samples gathered by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover suggest that the Red Planet could have supported microbial life at about the same time that life first appeared on Earth, meaning that any life on Mars, if there was any, could have predated, and possibly even seeded, life on Earth.
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'Vulcan' and 'Cerberus' are favorite names for Pluto's moons
The online poll for naming Pluto's moons – P4 and P5 – is now over and the winning names are 'Vulcan' and 'Cerberus.' This result, however, doesn't guarantee that P4 and P5 will actually get these names.
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Mars might still harbor life, say scientists
Liquid water might flow seasonally at some places on Mars, potentially supporting microbial life, say some researchers.
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Looks like Pluto will have a moon named 'Vulcan'
The votes are in for the SETI Institute's Pluto Rocks Poll, and, thanks in part to William Shatner, Mr. Spock's home planet is a clear winner.
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Naming Pluto's moon 'Vulcan' only logical, says William Shatner
William Shatner proposed 'Vulcan' as the name of one of Pluto's recently discovered moons, and more than 100,000 'Star Trek' fans seem to concur.
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Odd meteorite could be time capsule of a wetter Mars
Scientists have analyzed a meteorite found on Earth and suggest that it could come from Mars's crust at a time when the planet was still wet and volcanically active.
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Mars rover Curiosity soil analysis: why no news still isn't bad news
The Mars rover Curiosity has finished its first full soil analysis in Gail Crater, and its findings are consistent with those elsewhere on the planet. Researchers say the results form a 'baseline.'
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Will NASA's Mars rover find signs of life? A Q&A with a Curiosity astrobiologist.
NASA's Danny Glavin is among those leading the search for amino acids and nucleobases on the surface of Mars.
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Postcards from Mars reveal Martian bedrock (+video)
A panoramic view of Mars sent back to Earth from NASA's Curiosity rover shows a terrain scientists describe as similar to the Mojave Desert in Southern California. Curiosity will begin a four-day software upgrade over the weekend.
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Five myths about Mars
No planet in our solar system has been linked to more misconceptions than Mars, where NASA's Curiosity rover is scheduled to touch down on Sunday night. Here are the five most persistent myths about the Red Planet.
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NASA Mars rover: What if we find signs of life? (+video)
If NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, safely touches down on Sunday night, it will begin searching for organic molecules in the Red Planet's soil. What would happen if the rover found something?
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Will NASA's $2.5 billion Mars rover crash on Sunday? (+video)
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover faces a terrifying seven-minute plunge through the Red Planet's atmosphere using a first-of-its-kind landing system involving a supersonic parachute and a 'sky-crane' that will lower the rover to the Martian surface.
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Mars Curiosity rover to seek signs of life on Red Planet (+video)
In a week, if the landing goes as planned, NASA's Mars Curiosity rover will be looking for signs of methane and other organic compounds in the atmosphere and the soil, which could turn up new clues in the search for life there.
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Exoplanet Gliese 581g tops list of potentially habitable worlds
Located 20 light years away and discovered in 2010, the exoplanet Gliese 581g is considered the best candidate for having an Earthlike environment.
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Evidence for ancient life on Mars could be just below surface, new study finds (+video)
Researchers say that evidence of ancient life on Mars could take the form of simple organic molecules lying just beneath the Red Planet's surface, and that it could be detectable by NASA's newest rover, which is scheduled to touch down on the planet next month.
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Life on Saturn moon? Discovery of hidden ocean on Titan tantalizes. (+video)
Scientists already knew Titan has the building blocks for organic life in abundance. Now, the discovery of a underground sea with liquid water adds another intriguing element.
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Mars rover to try out new strategy for finding alien life
Unlike previous missions to the Red Planet, the Mars Curiosity rover will focus on Martian geology.
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Florida scientists reduced to holding bake sale to fund NASA
In an effort to rescue planetary science projects amid budget cuts, scientists in Florida are holding bake sales and car washes to sway legislators to protect NASA's budget.
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Forget 'Men in Black 3': Why aliens won't attack Earth
SETI hunter Jill Tarter says Sir Stephen Hawking is wrong about aliens coming to attack or colonize Earth. If aliens can get here, Tarter reasons, they'll be advanced enough not to need slaves, food or other planets,
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Intelligent space dinosaurs: How worried should we be?
An eminent chemist concluded an article in an academic journal with a fanciful note, positing the existence of advanced dinosaurs on other worlds. How plausible is his assertion?
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Thin layer of oxygen found on Dione may change search for alien life
After the Cassini probe's flyby over Saturn's frozen moon, Dione, scientists saw evidence of ionized oxygen molecules in its atmosphere. This could have interesting implications for astrobiology.
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How reflections on the moon could aid search for aliens
By studying "earthshine" – the reflection of the Earth on the Moon – scientists may have found a technique they can use to look for life elsewhere.
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Moon acts as mirror, reflecting telltale signs of life (+video)
So-called 'earthshine' observations may pave the way for a similar tool to help spot signs of alien life in the universe, scientists say.
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What makes a planet livable? Five things scientists look for.
Scientists have so far detected at least 550 planets outside the solar system – and another 2,000-plus await confirmation. But how to pick out the ones that may be Earth-like havens for life? Here's what one team looks for in assessing any planet's potential habitability and its similarity to Earth's properties.
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Why you should care about Lake Vostok
If scientists find life in Antarctica's Lake Vostok, an ancient freshwater body locked beneath two miles of ice, it will greatly boost hopes of the existence of life on other worlds.
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