Why This Star-Packed Region of Space Is Likely Devoid of Life
Globular clusters are among the most fascinating celestial phenomena in the galaxy, packing a hideous amount of stars…
The Discovery of Complex Organic Molecules on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Is a Huge Deal
Using data collected by NASA’s late-great Cassini space probe, scientists have detected traces of complex organic…
New Evidence Points to Icy Plate Tectonics on Europa
Jupiter’s moon Europa features a warm subterranean ocean covered in ice. For years, scientists have wondered if certain…
Periodic Table of Exoplanets Neatly Classifies Over 3,700 Known Worlds
Astronomer Abel Méndez from the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico has put together a…
Warm Water Has Existed on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus for Potentially Billions of Years
If you were to fly over Enceladus’ southernmost regions, you’d witness a remarkable sight. With surprising frequency,…
Hubble Observations Suggest Water May Be Abundant on Outer TRAPPIST-1 Planets
From the moment that seven Earth-sized planets were discovered in orbit around TRAPPIST-1—an ultracool dwarf star…
Our Atmosphere Is Leaking Oxygen and Scientists Don't Know Why
It’s nothing to lose sleep over—really, I promise—but Earth’s atmosphere is leaking oxygen. Atmospheric oxygen levels…
There's Growing Evidence That Venus Was Once Habitable
If you could hop in a time-traveling spacecraft, go back three billion years and land any place in our solar system,…
How Often Does Life Emerge in the Universe?
Since the 1960s, the Drake Equation has been used to predict how many communicative extraterrestrial civilizations…
Life in Red Dwarf Systems May Be Rarer Than We Thought
Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the galaxy. But new research suggests that life within these systems may…
Astronomers Might Have Just Solved a Key Mystery About the Origin of Life
If a massive solar storm struck the Earth today, it could wipe out our technology and hurl us back to the dark ages.…
Our Solar System Could Remain Habitable Long After Earth Is Destroyed
In a few billion years, the oceans will boil away and the atmosphere will burn up as our sun expands into a red giant.…
How Salty Alien Oceans Can Influence a Planet's Ability to Foster Life
A new computer simulation shows that alien worlds with super salty oceans may be even more hospitable to life than…
New Solution to Fermi Paradox Suggests Alien Life Goes Extinct Early
We have yet to discover a single trace of alien life, despite the extremely high probability that it exists somewhere.…
The Bizarre Way Jupiter Helped Life Evolve on Earth
Jupiter, that blustery ball of noxious gas, is probably the last place that comes to mind when you hear the words “life…
Everything You Need to Know About Cassini's Final Enceladus Flyby
An important chapter in our exploration of the solar system concludes tomorrow, when NASA’s Cassini probe makes its…
This Stormy Star Means Alien Life May Be Rarer Than We Thought
There’s a red dwarf about 35 light-years from here that’s spewing powerful, life crushing solar flares into space.…
Ancient Mars Was Wetter and Warmer Than We Ever Realized
New data collected by the Curiosity rover shows that Mars was once quite Earth-like, featuring river deltas, lakes, and…
New Scale Pinpoints Most Life-Friendly Alien Planets
Researchers at the University of Washington’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory have devised a new habitability index for…