Scientists have discovered thousands of exoplanets, including dozens of terrestrial — or rocky — worlds in the habitable zones around their parent stars. A promising approach to search for signs […]
Biosignatures
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
A Comparison Of Exoplanet Spectroscopic Retrieval Tools
Over the last several years, spectroscopic observations of transiting exoplanets have begun to uncover information about their atmospheres, including atmospheric composition and indications of the presence of clouds and hazes. […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
The K Dwarf Advantage for Biosignatures on Directly Imaged Exoplanets
Oxygen and methane are considered to be the canonical biosignatures of modern Earth, and the simultaneous detection of these gases in a planetary atmosphere is an especially strong biosignature. However, […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
High resolution Spectra of Earth-Like Planets Orbiting Red Giant Host Stars
In the near future we will have ground- and space-based telescopes that are designed to observe and characterize Earth-like planets. While attention is focused on exoplanets orbiting main sequence stars, […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
High-resolution Spectra and Biosignatures of Earth-like Planets Transiting White Dwarfs
With the first observations of debris disks as well as proposed planets around white dwarfs, the question of how rocky planets around such stellar remnants can be characterized and probed […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Simulated Direct Imaging Detection of Water Vapor For Exo-Earths
Habitable planets are often defined as terrestrial worlds capable of maintaining surface liquid water. As a result, atmospheric water vapor can be a critical indicator of habitability. Thus, habitability-themed exoplanet […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Signs Of Life: New Field Guide Aids Astronomers' Search
A Cornell University senior has come up with a way to discern life on exoplanets loitering in other cosmic neighborhoods: a spectral field guide. Zifan Lin has developed high-resolution spectral […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Phosphine as a Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres
A long-term goal of exoplanet studies is the identification and detection of biosignature gases. Beyond the most discussed biosignature gas O2, only a handful of gases have been considered in […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Earliest Signs Of Life: Microbial Remains Found In Ancient Rocks
Scientists have found exceptionally preserved microbial remains in some of Earth’s oldest rocks in Western Australia – a major advance in the field, offering clues for how life on Earth […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Studying Microbial Mats to Understand Ancient Biosignatures
A recent study supported in part by the NASA Exobiology Program provides further details about lipid biomarkers in stromatolites. The research focuses on microbial mat communities in ponds at Guerrero […]