Recently, transmission spectroscopy in the atmospheres of the TRAPPIST-1 planets revealed flat and featureless absorption spectra, which rule out cloud-free hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Earth-sized planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 likely have either a […]
2019
Posted inPress Release, Radiation
Rotifer Studies In Space
With the spacewalk season on hold until next year, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano took his time to prepare the orbital home for new, tiny and incredibly resistant passengers. Rotifers, commonly […]
Posted inMars, Press Release
New Map Of Water Ice on Mars
A new paper published in Geophysical Research Letters will help by providing a map of water ice believed to be as little as an inch (2.5 centimeters) below the surface. […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Press Release
Experts on Earth Could Support Astronaut-Scientists on Mars, if They Team Up from the Start
A scene that first played out on the Moon in 1972 happened again, years later, in Hawaii. While exploring the lunar surface, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt spotted […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Climate Bistability Of Earth-like Exoplanets
Before about 500 million years ago, most probably our planet experienced temporary snowball conditions, with continental and sea ices covering a large fraction of its surface. This points to a […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Mass-Metallicity Trends in Transiting Exoplanets from Atmospheric Abundances of H2O, Na, and K
Atmospheric compositions can provide powerful diagnostics of formation and migration histories of planetary systems. We investigate constraints on atmospheric abundances of H2O, Na, and K, in a sample of transiting […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Searching For Water Ice In The Coma Of Interstellar Object 2I/Borisov
Interstellar Objects (ISO) passing through our Solar System offer a rare opportunity to probe the physical and chemical processes involved in solid body and planet formation in extrasolar systems. The […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Water Is Common Yet Scarce In Exoplanets
The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet formation and has implications for the search for water […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Breathing New Life Into The Rise Of Oxygen Debate
New research strongly suggests that the distinct ‘oxygenation events’ that created Earth’s breathable atmosphere happened spontaneously, rather than being a consequence of biological or tectonic revolutions. The University of Leeds […]
Posted inPlant Biology, Press Release
Constraints on Aquatic Photosynthesis for Terrestrial Planets Around Other Stars
Aquatic photosynthesis plays a major role in carbon fixation and O2 production on Earth. In this paper, we analyze the prospects for oxygenic photosynthesis in aquatic environments on Earth-analogs around […]