Topic: Astrobiology

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

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.
Europa or bust? Maybe not. Top 9 priorities for planetary research missions

The National Research Council has just unveiled planetary scientists' space-mission wish-list for the next 10 years. Tight federal budgets will provide the reality check. Here's a sampler of missions the panel recommends NASA undertake this decade.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Spitzer Space Telescope
What's new with Titan? Five intriguing findings about Saturn's moon

This year the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has performed eight flybys of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Here are some of this year's eye-popping discoveries associated with Cassini's observations of Titan.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day 08/11

All Content

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,
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ESA Mars probe finds evidence of ancient Martian ocean

The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft detected sediments on Mars' northern plains that are reminiscent of an ocean floor, in a region that has also previously been identified as the site of ancient Martian shorelines, the researchers said.
Microsoft billionaire launches new space venture

Stratolaunch Systems continues a trend for Paul Allen, who has funded several different spaceflight and astronomy efforts over the years.
Humongous plane to serve as flying launch pad for space tourists

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced plans to construct a giant aircraft to launch rockets into orbit, eventually for paying passengers.
Mars explorer 'Curiosity' set for Saturday launch

NASA's Mars explorer Curiosity, the most capable robotic rover ever built for taking the measure of a planet, is to launch Saturday morning. Curiosity will analyze the layered terrain in Gale Crater to read in its rocks the history of the environment there.
Mars science lab 'Curiosity' to launch 'extraterrestrial real-estate appraisal'

After a decade of "following the water," planetary scientists want to see if water co-existed with other critical environmental conditions that could have allowed simple forms of life to emerge.
How NASA's Curiosity Mars rover could help future searches for life

NASA's new Mars rover, dubbed Curiosity, is designed to investigate Mars's chemical environment, paving the way for future missions to search for past or present life on the Red Planet.
Jodie Foster helps in search for alien civilizations

Jodie Foster, who portrayed a scientist working for the SETI Institute in the 1997 science-fiction film 'Contact,' has donated to help revive the ailing project, which was forced to close some of its radio telescopes earlier this year.
Scientists find 'best evidence' yet for liquid water now on Mars

NASA's ongoing quest to 'follow the water,' in hopes of finding hints of life on Mars, has uncovered seasonally-appearing dark streaks that researchers call 'the best evidence we have to date of liquid water occurring today' – that is, not in the ancient past – 'on Mars.'
SETI puts E.T. on hold

SETI has temporarily halted one of its chief alien-hunting tools, the Allen Telescope Array, citing lack of funding.
Color me black? Alien planets with two suns sprout dark trees.

If Tatooine had trees, would they be black? Scientists say that a planet with two suns might have black or gray plants, not green. Why is that?
Europa or bust? Maybe not. Top 9 priorities for planetary research missions

The National Research Council has just unveiled planetary scientists' space-mission wish-list for the next 10 years. Tight federal budgets will provide the reality check. Here's a sampler of missions the panel recommends NASA undertake this decade.
Alien fossils found in meteorite? Scientists urge skepticism.

Alien fossils have been discovered in meteorites from outer space, claims a NASA astrobiologist. Other scientists are urging caution.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Spitzer Space Telescope
What's new with Titan? Five intriguing findings about Saturn's moon

This year the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has performed eight flybys of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Here are some of this year's eye-popping discoveries associated with Cassini's observations of Titan.
Hey, space hounds! Here's our top space stories of 2010. What are yours?

A burping black hole, water in weird places, and whopper-size new planets are some top space stories of 2010. If you have different discoveries on your list, post them in the comments section.
Nine places on Earth that mimic Mars terrain

Scientists say that Mars went through three ages, and the first age may have been habitable for life as we know it. Each stage on Mars can be found at nine different locations around the planet Earth today.
Arsenic microbe in Mono Lake may reshape hunt for extraterrestrial life

Scientists have found a microbe in Mono Lake, California, that uses arsenic as a fundamental building block, changing the definition of 'life as we know it' and the search for extraterrestrial life.
Almost 500 alien planets, and counting

By the end of this month, astronomers expect to have found 500 planets beyond our solar system. The current count is 494, including one that may be inhabitable by humans.