Some exoplanets shine brighter than others in the search for life beyond the solar system. New NASA research proposes a novel approach to sniffing out exoplanet atmospheres. It takes advantage […]
Biosignatures
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
A Review of Exoplanetary Biosignatures
We review the field of exoplanetary biosignatures with a main focus upon atmospheric gas-phase species. Due to the paucity of data in Earth-like planetary atmospheres a common approach is to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Traces of Methyl Chloride Found Around Infant Stars And Comet 67P
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have detected the faint molecular fingerprint of methyl chloride – a chemical commonly produced by industrial and biological processes here on Earth […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
On Signatures of Clouds in Exoplanetary Transit Spectra
Transmission spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres have been used to infer the presence of clouds/hazes. Such inferences are typically based on spectral slopes in the optical deviant from gaseous Rayleigh scattering […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Exoplanet Biosignatures: A Framework for Their Assessment
Finding life on exoplanets from telescopic observations is the ultimate goal of exoplanet science. Life produces gases and other substances, such as pigments, which can have distinct spectral or photometric […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Exoplanet Biosignatures: A Review of Remotely Detectable Signs of Life
In the coming years and decades, advanced space- and ground-based observatories will allow an unprecedented opportunity to probe the atmospheres and surfaces of potentially habitable exoplanets for signatures of life. […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Influence of Aerosols, Clouds, and Sunglint on Polarization Spectra of Earthshine
Ground-based observations of the Earthshine, i.e., the light scattered by Earth to the Moon, and then reflected back to Earth, simulate space observations of our planet and represent a powerful […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
False Negatives for Remote Life Detection on Ocean-bearing Planets: Lessons From the Early Earth
Ocean-atmosphere chemistry on Earth has undergone dramatic evolutionary changes through its long history, with potentially significant ramifications for the emergence and long-term stability of atmospheric biosignatures. Though a great deal […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Modeling pN2 Through Geological Time: Implications for Planetary Climates and Atmospheric Biosignatures
Nitrogen is a major nutrient for all life on Earth and could plausibly play a similar role in extraterrestrial biospheres. The major reservoir of nitrogen at Earth’s surface is atmospheric […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Could Earth's Light Blue Color Be a Signature of Life?
In 1990, Voyager 1 captured the most distant portrait of our planet ever taken, revealing that from beyond Pluto’s orbit, Earth appears as nothing more than a “pale blue dot.” […]