Introduction: Biomarkers for life on Earth are an important starting point to guide the search for life elsewhere. However, the search for life beyond Earth should incorporate technologies capable of […]
2017
Posted inMars, Press Release
Detailed Map of Potential Mars Rover Landing Site
Brown University researchers have published the most detailed geological history to date for a region of Mars known as Northeast Syrtis Major, a spot high on NASA’s list of potential […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
A Faster Biosensor For Your Tricorder
DGIST research team led by Professor CheolGi Kim has developed a biosensor platform which has 20 times faster detection capability than the existing biosensors using magnetic patterns resembling a spider […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general)
Astrobiology Has Arrived: A Personal Recollection
I am currently attending the Astrobiology Science Conference where the world’s astrobiologists all meet to showcase their results and share ideas. There was a time, barely 20 years ago, when […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Most Habitable Planets May Lack Dry Land
When it comes to exploring exoplanets, it may be wise to take a snorkel along. A new study, published in a paper in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Conferences and Meetings, Press Release
Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) Coverage
Keith’s note: This coming week I will be at the Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon). I will be tweeting about the meeting from @NASAWatch and @Astrobiology and posting updates at astrobiology.com. […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Conferences and Meetings, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Breakthrough Discuss Conference Closes with Full Day Dedicated to Newly Discovered Exoplanets and SETI
Day Two of Breakthrough Discuss opened with Michaël Gillon describing the discovery of TRAPPIST-1, which has seven temperate planets, including three in the habitable zone. The planets were discovered using […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Conferences and Meetings, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Breakthrough Discuss Opens with Lively Sessions Dedicated to the Search for Planets and Life in Our Cosmic Neighborhood
The first day of Breakthrough Discuss 2017 explored planets around nearby stars and their potential for life. Charles Alcock opened the conference with the statement that, “The far-fetched ideas of […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
The O2 A-band in Fluxes and Polarization of Starlight Reflected by Earth-like Exoplanets
Earth-like, potentially habitable exoplanets are prime targets in the search for extraterrestrial life. Information about their atmosphere and surface can be derived by analyzing light of the parent star reflected […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
NIR-Driven Moist Upper Atmospheres of Synchronously Rotating Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets
H2O is a key molecule in characterizing atmospheres of temperate terrestrial planets, and observations of transmission spectra are expected to play a primary role in detecting its signatures in the […]