Last week, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) announced they had found something intriguing on a distant exoplanet called K2-18 b: a potential whiff of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a molecule that, on Earth, is produced almost exclusively by microscopic marine life. The exoplanet, located about 120 light-years away, orbits within the habitable zone […]
Scientists Find Giant Organic Molecules on Mars as Old as Life on Earth
A team of scientists just discovered the longest organic molecules yet seen on Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun and and a tantalizing venue for humankind’s search for life beyond Earth. Mars today is inhospitable, with significant temperature fluctuations, a thin atmosphere, and an apparent dearth of liquid water on the planet’s surface. But […]
If Aliens Spot Us First, What Signs of Intelligence Will They See?
Having yet to discover any evidence of extraterrestrial life, it’s difficult to theorize about the kinds of beings that might exist beyond the reaches of our telescopes. Could there be an Earth-like planet with human-like beings and technology searching for us as ardently as we’re searching for them? Although a planet with life and technology […]
This Clever Trick Could Help Us Spot Life on Mars
Rovers sent to Mars have so far failed to detect life, likely because it doesn’t exist on the Red Planet. But we can’t say for certain, so the search must continue, using ever-evolving techniques—including this out-of-the-box idea from a team of scientists. As detailed in a study published today in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space […]
Briny Residue Scooped From Asteroid Bennu Holds Clues to Life’s Cosmic Origins
Asteroid Bennu not only held water at some point in its distant past but also contains briny residue that harbors some of the crucial building blocks for life, according to a team of scientists that studied samples of the space rock. The brine contains compounds that have never been previously observed in asteroid samples, including […]