https://phys.org/space-news/astrobiology en-us Astrobiology news stories about origin and evolution of life in the Universe In searching for life in the universe, a field known as astrobiology, scientists rely on Earth as a template for biological and evolutionary processes. This includes searching for Earth analogs, rocky planets that orbit within their parent star's habitable zone (HZ) and have atmospheres composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. However, Earth's atmosphere has evolved considerably over time from a toxic plume of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and traces of volcanic gas. Over time, the emergence of photosynthetic organisms caused a transition, leading to the atmosphere we see today. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-combination-oxygen-methane-reveal-presence.html Astrobiology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 13:05:04 EDT news616939501 A landmark discovery by a collaborative team led by the Planetary Science Institute's Alexis Rodriguez has unveiled evidence of sedimentary plains created by aquifer drainage within Martian collapse formations termed chaotic terrains. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-biosignatures-ancient-mars-mud-lake.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 18 Oct 2023 10:29:03 EDT news616843741 One of the most exciting findings from NASA's Dawn mission is that Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter, hosts complex organics. The discovery of aliphatic molecules, which consist of carbon and hydrogen chains, in conjunction with evidence that Ceres has abundant water ice and may have been an ocean world, means this dwarf planet might have once harbored the main ingredients associated with life as we know it. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hypervelocity-impact-probe-dwarf-planet.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:07:46 EDT news616676863 The smallest flowering plant on Earth might become a nutritious foodstuff for astronauts in the future, as well as a highly efficient source of oxygen. To help test their suitability for space, floating clumps of watermeal—individually the size of pinheads—were subjected to 20 times normal Earth gravity aboard ESA's Large Diameter Centrifuge by a team from Mahidol University in Thailand. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hypergravity-odyssey-earth-tiniest.html Space Exploration Astrobiology Fri, 06 Oct 2023 13:54:03 EDT news615819241 A small team of biologists, environmental scientists and chemists at Queen Mary University of London, U.K., has found via modeling, that it might be possible for different types of plants to grow on Earth-like rocky planets. In their paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the group describes how they modeled photosynthetic antenna, taking into account possible scenarios on planets in other star systems and the results of their experiments. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-photosynthetic-antenna-earth-like-rocky-planets.html Astrobiology Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:20:04 EDT news615546949 Barnard's Star is a small red dwarf just six light-years from Earth. Despite its proximity, it was only noticed in 1916 when E. E. Barnard found it had a particularly high proper motion. It had appeared in photographic plates taken by Harvard Observatory in the late 1800s, but as a small dim star, no one took notice of it. Since its discovery, Barnard's Star has been one of the most studied red dwarfs. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-world-largest-radio-telescope-scanned.html Astronomy Astrobiology Mon, 02 Oct 2023 12:43:04 EDT news615469381 Magnetotactic bacteria can form magnetofossils like magnetic nanocrystals as observed in the Martian meteorite ALH84001, which held a special place in the field of astrobiology primarily in the early 90s. While the flourishing of interest in magnetotactic bacteria has waned over time, a resurgence of magnetosome formation has led to a renaissance of magnetotactic bacteria (abbreviated as MTB) in astrobiology. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-renaissance-magnetotactic-bacteria-astrobiology.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 02 Oct 2023 09:50:01 EDT news615458522 In 1960, while preparing for the first meeting on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), legendary astronomer and SETI pioneer Dr. Frank Drake unveiled his probabilistic equation for estimating the number of possible civilizations in our galaxy—aka The Drake Equation. A key parameter in this equation was ne, the number of planets in our galaxy capable of supporting life—aka "habitable." At the time, astronomers were not yet certain other stars had systems of planets. But thanks to missions like Kepler, 5,523 exoplanets have been confirmed, and another 9,867 await confirmation. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-extraterrestrial-life-light-years-earth-average.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:09:07 EDT news615204541 Astronomers are working hard to understand biosignatures and how they indicate life's presence on an exoplanet. But each planet we encounter is a unique puzzle. When it comes to planetary atmospheres, carbon is a big piece of the puzzle because it has a powerful effect on climate and biogeochemistry. If scientists can figure out how and where a planet's carbon comes from and how it behaves in the atmosphere, they've made progress in solving the puzzle. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-life-volcanoes.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:05:04 EDT news615204301 To safeguard Earth's biosphere, scientists have turned toward Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the hope that it may help to protect biodiversity. Yet this hope has been challenged by AI's appetite for water and energy rooted in AI's need for big data, iterative computations and algorithmic perfection. For example, during its learning phases, GPT-3 consumes energy at a scale approaching hundreds of megawatt-hours. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-biotechnospheres-planetary-intelligence-extraterrestrial-civilizations.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 27 Sep 2023 11:40:01 EDT news615029739 Gigatons of greenhouse gas are trapped under the seafloor, and that's a good thing. Around the coasts of the continents, where slopes sink down into the sea, tiny cages of ice trap methane gas, preventing it from escaping and bubbling up into the atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-seafloor-space-bacterial-proteins-climate.html Astrobiology Tue, 26 Sep 2023 12:13:04 EDT news614949181 In 1960, Freeman Dyson proposed how advanced civilizations could create megastructures that enclosed their system, allowing them to harness all of their star's energy and multiplying the habitable space they could occupy. In 2015, the astronomical community was intrigued when the star KIC 8462852 (aka Tabby's Star) began to dim inexplicably. While an analysis of the star's light curve in 2018 revealed that the dimming pattern was more characteristic of dust than a solid structure, Tabby's Star focused attention on the concept of megastructures and their associated technosignatures. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-megastructures-planets-habitable-worlds.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:27:09 EDT news614939223 Scientists have discovered a simple and reliable test for signs of past or present life on other planets—"the holy grail of astrobiology." https://phys.org/news/2023-09-life-mars-planets-ai.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 25 Sep 2023 15:00:01 EDT news614852481 Fungi in space have been a plot point in Star Trek: Discovery, but they are also a very real problem for astronauts and space stations. United Nations co-sponsored testing by a team from Macau in China subjected fungi to hypergravity with ESA's fast-spinning centrifuge. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-gravity-space-fungi.html Space Exploration Astrobiology Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:15:04 EDT news614870101 In the quest to address fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life, space has been an important frontier for human exploration. Microbes, among the earliest forms of life to appear on Earth, have survived the ravages of time, withstood inhospitable conditions and shaped the planet in unique ways, prompting research and intrigue about the plausibility that somewhere, some sort of microbial life might exist beyond Earth. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-microbes-aid-extraterrestrial-life.html Astrobiology Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:27:00 EDT news614867216 Space scientists have discovered a new process to test for life on Mars and on Earth, using cutting-edge technology to sequence DNA using the tiniest possible sample of DNA mass. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-life-mars.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 25 Sep 2023 11:45:39 EDT news614861135 You've heard this story before. An advanced alien race comes to Earth. They offer peace and prosperity, but they hold a dark secret. One that could destroy humanity. That dark secret has varied over the years, from stealing our water, books on culinary advice, or communism, but the result is always the same. First contact with advanced extraterrestrials goes very badly for us. But in reality, how bad could it be? That's the question a new study examines using game theory and Hobbesian philosophy. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-contact-humanity.html Astrobiology Thu, 21 Sep 2023 13:06:03 EDT news614520361 In 1960, legendary physicist Freeman Dyson published his seminal paper "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation," wherein he proposed that there could be extraterrestrial civilizations so advanced that they could build megastructures large enough to enclose their parent star. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-small-hot-dyson-spheres-paper.html Astronomy Astrobiology Thu, 21 Sep 2023 13:00:04 EDT news614520001 Purdue University scientist Briony Horgan is leading NASA's Mars rover into unfamiliar territory as the mission turns toward its next opportunity to find ancient signs of life on the red planet. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mars-region-nasa-rover-environment.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:58:31 EDT news614433509 The first use of a novel method of analyzing Mars' gravitational force supports the idea that the planet once had an extensive northern ocean. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-mars-gravity-analysis-ancient-ocean.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:51:03 EDT news614433061 Life on a faraway planet—if it's out there—might not look anything like life on Earth. But there are only so many chemical ingredients in the universe's pantry, and only so many ways to mix them. A team led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has exploited those limitations to write a cookbook of hundreds of chemical recipes with the potential to give rise to life. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-recipes-life-distant-inhabited-planets.html Astrobiology Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:41:28 EDT news614346085 When I was a college student, I worked at the Charlevoix Astronomical Observatory in Québec. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-universe-backyards.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:11:03 EDT news614344261 In an age of ever-growing numbers of exoplanets circling other stars, it's natural that astronomers search for signatures of advanced civilizations. Such signatures may have biological or technological origins. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-astronomers-chemicals-planet-atmosphere-advanced.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:28:28 EDT news614269704 The National Academies' latest decadal survey, "Thriving in Space," released Sept. 12, provides a roadmap for biological and physical sciences research, from the low orbit of Earth to the surface of Mars, through 2033. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-qa-decadal-survey-agenda-biological.html Space Exploration Astrobiology Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:04:04 EDT news614268241 A much anticipated NASA report on UFOs calls for better tracking and scientific understanding of unexplained phenomena that captivate the public and have raised concerns about military security. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ufos-tracked-skies.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Mon, 18 Sep 2023 14:47:04 EDT news614267222 Data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has shown that an exoplanet around a star in the constellation Leo has some of the chemical markers that, on Earth, are associated with living organisms. But these are vague indications. So how likely is it that this exoplanet harbors alien life? https://phys.org/news/2023-09-hints-life-distant-planet.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Sat, 16 Sep 2023 12:30:01 EDT news613913061 The first early humans to use fire had no inkling of what it would lead to. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-aliens-terraforming-worlds.html Astrobiology Thu, 14 Sep 2023 13:10:08 EDT news613915801 A large team of scientists with a wide variety of backgrounds has joined together to suggest that a data-driven approach to search for life elsewhere in the universe should replace methods now in use. In their paper posted on the arXiv preprint server, the group explains how a data-driven approach could help prevent human-centered biases from overlooking potential signs of life. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-data-driven-approach-life-planets.html Astrobiology Planetary Sciences Thu, 14 Sep 2023 11:50:01 EDT news613905816 Uncovering the organic (carbon-based) chemistry in interstellar space is central to understanding the chemistry of the universe in addition to the origin of life on Earth and the possibilities for life elsewhere. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-carbon-atoms-diffuse-interstellar-ice.html Astronomy Astrobiology Thu, 14 Sep 2023 11:00:02 EDT news613907893 In the past few decades, several phenomena have led to excited speculation in the scientific community that they might indeed be indications that there is extraterrestrial life. It will no doubt happen again. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-youve-alien-life.html Astrobiology Tue, 12 Sep 2023 14:21:05 EDT news613747261