Billions of years ago, it rained on Mars. The water collected in valleys and rivers, filled and spilled over the rims of craters, and was funneled into canyons, perhaps even […]
The transition from aquatic to terrestrial life has been one of the most significant evolutionary challenges. This decisive process in the evolution of life on Earth required a profound renewal […]
Observations have shown that planets similar to Neptune are rarely found orbiting Sun-like stars with periods up to ~4 days, defining the so-called Neptune desert region.
The prebiotic potential of ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus, while not well constrained, is vital in the search for potential life elsewhere.
Hydrothermal systems are widespread in our solar system. Identification of alteration mineral assemblages on Mars and potentially in ocean worlds such as Enceladus suggests the existence of extensive hydrothermal fluid-igneous […]
A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change by an international team of scientists, from the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea, […]
A poleward-thinning ice shell can drive circulation in the subsurface oceans of icy moons by imposing a meridional temperature gradient–colder at the equator than the pole–through the freezing point suppression […]
Hycean planets are hypothetical exoplanets characterized by H2O oceans and H2-rich atmospheres.
One underexplored aspect of microbial growth is the impact of toxic gases transported through the atmosphere. Ammonia is a gas that can supply essential nitrogen but also exert cellular toxicity.
Saturn’s magnetosphere contains trapped plasma and energetic charged particles which constantly irradiate the surface of Enceladus.
