Ammonia (NH3) in a terrestrial planet atmosphere is generally a good biosignature gas, primarily because terrestrial planets have no significant known abiotic NH3 source. The conditions required for NH3 to […]
biosignature
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Oxygen False Positives On Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun-Like Stars
Oxygen is a promising exoplanet biosignature due to the evolutionary advantage conferred by harnessing starlight for photosynthesis, and the apparent low likelihood of maintaining oxygen-rich atmospheres without life.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Study Warns Of 'Oxygen False Positives' In Search For Signs Of Life On Other Planets
In the search for life on other planets, the presence of oxygen in a planet’s atmosphere is one potential sign of biological activity that might be detected by future telescopes. […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
The Curious Case of Argon
In the modern search for life elsewhere in the Universe, we are broadly looking for the following: the planets similar to Earth – physical indicators of habitability, and the manifestation […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Assessment of Isoprene as a Possible Biosignature Gas in Exoplanets with Anoxic Atmospheres
Research for possible biosignature gases on habitable exoplanet atmosphere is accelerating. We add isoprene, C5H8, to the roster of biosignature gases. We found that formation of isoprene geochemical formation is […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Organic Molecules Found In 3.5 billion-year-old Rocks
A research team including the geobiologist Dr. Helge Missbach from the University of Cologne has detected organic molecules and gases trapped in 3.5 billion-year-old rocks. A widely accepted hypothesis says […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Detectability Of Biosignatures On LHS 1140 b
Terrestrial extrasolar planets around low-mass stars are prime targets when searching for atmospheric biosignatures with current and near-future telescopes. The habitable-zone Super-Earth LHS 1140 b could hold a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune
Methane As A Dominant Absorber In The Habitable-zone Sub-Neptune K2-18 b
In their Letter, Tsiaras et al.1 reported the detection of water vapour in the atmosphere of K2-18 b, an exoplanet of 7 to 10 Earth masses located in the habitable […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Spectropolarimetry Of Primitive Phototrophs As Global Surface Biosignatures
Photosynthesis is an ancient metabolic process that began on the early Earth, offering plentiful energy to organisms that utilize it, to the extent that they can achieve global significance. The […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
KELT-11 b: Abundances Of Water And Constraints On Carbon-bearing Molecules From The Hubble Transmission Spectrum
In the past decade, the analysis of exoplanet atmospheric spectra has revealed the presence of water vapour in almost all the planets observed, with the exception of a fraction of […]