The search for Earth-like planets around late-type stars using ultra-stable spectrographs requires a very precise characterization of the stellar activity and the magnetic cycle of the star, since these phenomena […]
2018
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Planets With Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have Life
In their search for life in solar systems near and far, researchers have often accepted the presence of oxygen in a planet’s atmosphere as the surest sign that life may […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Albedos, Equilibrium Temperatures, and Surface Temperatures of Habitable Planets
The potential habitability of known exoplanets is often categorized by a nominal equilibrium temperature assuming a Bond albedo of either 0.3, similar to Earth, or 0. As an indicator of […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Predicting the Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation Environment of Exoplanets Around Low-Mass Stars: the TRAPPIST-1 System
The high energy radiation environment around M dwarf stars strongly impacts the characteristics of close-in exoplanet atmospheres, but these wavelengths are difficult to observe due to geocoronal and interstellar contamination. […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Late Delivery of Nitrogen to Earth
Atmospheric nitrogen may be a necessary ingredient for the habitability of a planet since its presence helps to prevent water loss from a planet. The present day nitrogen isotopic ratio, […]
Posted inPress Release, Space Life Science
Understanding Aging and Muscle Loss in Space
In space, the human body loses muscle mass. Although living in microgravity requires no heavy lifting, this loss of muscle reduces physical performance. Decreased muscle mass could also prove particularly […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Undersea Maps Lead To Hydrothermal Vent And Species Discoveries
A spectacular new hydrothermal vent field, named JaichMatt, has been discovered during an expedition aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor.
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports, Status Report
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 15 December 2018: Back at Novolazarevskaya Station
“The camp at Lake Untersee is now closed, we pulled the last three tents down early yesterday morning and completed packing our cargo into the sea container with the remainder […]
Posted inImpact events, Press Release
Did Supernovae Kill Off Large Ocean Animals at Dawn of Pleistocene?
About 2.6 million years ago, an oddly bright light arrived in the prehistoric sky and lingered there for weeks or months. It was a supernova some 150 light-years away from […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Trails Left By Earth's First Land Animals
Our understanding of when the very first animals started living on land is helped by identifying trace fossils–the tracks and trails left by ancient animals–in sedimentary rocks that were deposited […]