Our knowledge of planets’ orbital dynamics, which was based on Solar System studies, has been challenged by the diversity of exoplanetary systems. Around cool and ultra cool dwarfs, the influence […]
habitability
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Astrophysical Conditions for Planetary Habitability
With the discovery of hundreds of exoplanets and a potentially huge number of Earth-like planets waiting to be discovered, the conditions for their habitability have become a focal point in […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Fluctuating Orbital Tilt Does Not Preclude Possibility of Life
A fluctuating tilt in a planet’s orbit does not preclude the possibility of life, according to new research by astronomers at the University of Washington, Utah’s Weber State University and […]
Posted inLife Support Systems, Mars, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Mars Mimicking Chamber Explores Planetary Habitability
A research team in Spain has the enviable job of testing out new electromechanical gear for potential use in future missions to the “Red Planet.” They do it within their […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
New Hypothesis Explains Earth's Continued Habitability
Geologic cycles act as a climate control, releasing and absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide in a balance that helps keep the planet not too hot and not too cold. Researchers from […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Plant Biology
Photosynthetic Potential of Planets in 3:2 Spin Orbit Resonances
Photosynthetic life requires sufficient photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to metabolise. On Earth, plant behaviour, physiology and metabolism are sculpted around the night-day cycle by an endogenous biological circadian clock. The […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
New Technique Measures Mass and Possible Habitability of Exoplanets
To date, scientists have confirmed the existence of more than 900 exoplanets circulating outside our solar system. To determine if any of these far-off worlds are habitable requires knowing an […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Habitable Zones
The Habitable Epoch of the Early Universe
In the redshift range 100
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones
Final Signs of Life on Terrestrial Planets Near the End of Their Habitable Lifetimes
The biosignatures of life on Earth do not remain static, but change considerably over the planet’s habitable lifetime. Earth’s future biosphere, much like that of the early Earth, will consist […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Earth's Habitable Lifetime
Findings published today in the journal Astrobiology reveal the habitable lifetime of planet Earth – based on our distance from the sun and temperatures at which it is possible for […]