High dispersion spectroscopy of brown dwarfs and exoplanets enables exciting science cases, e.g., mapping surface inhomogeneity and measuring spin rate. Here, we present L band observations of HR 8799 c […]
Biosignatures
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Baseline Requirements For Detecting Biosignatures with the HabEx and LUVOIR Mission Concepts
A milestone in understanding life in the universe is the detection of biosignature gases in the atmospheres of habitable exoplanets. Future mission concepts under study by the 2020 decadal survey, […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Atmospheric Seasons Could Signal Alien Life
The hunt for life in these places, which are impossible to visit in person, will begin with a search for biological products in their atmospheres. These atmospheric fingerprints of life, […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Surface and Temporal Biosignatures
Recent discoveries of potentially habitable exoplanets have ignited the prospect of spectroscopic investigations of exoplanet surfaces and atmospheres for signs of life. This chapter provides an overview of potential surface […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Disequilibrium Biosignatures Over Earth History and Implications for Detecting Exoplanet Life
Chemical disequilibrium in planetary atmospheres has been proposed as a generalized method for detecting life on exoplanets through remote spectroscopy. Among solar system planets with substantial atmospheres, the modern Earth […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
A New Atmospheric Disequilibrium Could Help Detect Life on Other Planets
As NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and other new giant telescopes come online they will need novel strategies to look for evidence of life on other planets. A University of […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Life Beyond the Solar System: Remotely Detectable Biosignatures
For the first time in human history, we will soon be able to apply the scientific method to the question “Are We Alone?” The rapid advance of exoplanet discovery, planetary […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Atmospheric Beacons of Life from Exoplanets Around G and K Stars
The current explosion in detection and characterization of thousands of extrasolar planets from the Kepler mission, the Hubble Space Telescope, and large ground-based telescopes opens a new era in searches […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Atmospheric Beacons Guide NASA Scientists In Search For Life
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 […]
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 […]