A combination of a once-debunked 19th-century identification of a water-carrying iron mineral and the fact that these rocks are extremely common on Earth, suggests the existence of a substantial water […]
Penn State
Posted inAstrochemistry
Lightning And Subvisible Discharges Produce Molecules That Clean The Atmosphere
Lightning bolts break apart nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the atmosphere and create reactive chemicals that affect greenhouse gases. Now, a team of atmospheric chemists and lightning scientists have found […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Did Early Life Need Long, Complex Molecules To Make Cell-like Compartments?
Protocell compartments used as models for an important step in the early evolution of life on Earth can be made from short polymers. The short polymers, which better approximate the […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Models For Potential Precursors Of Cells Endure Simulated Early-Earth Conditions
Membraneless compartments–models for a potential step in the early evolution of cells–have been shown to persist or form, disappear, and reform in predictable ways through multiple cycles of dehydration and […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Sub-Neptune Sized Planet Validated With The Habitable-zone Planet Finder
A signal originally detected by the Kepler spacecraft has been validated as an exoplanet using the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF), an astronomical spectrograph built by a Penn State team and […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Looking For Aliens Who Might Be Looking For Us
Data from a massive search for cosmic radio emission released Feb 14. by the Breakthrough Listen Initiative–the most comprehensive survey yet of radio emissions from the Milky Way–has allowed astronomers […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
How Many Earth-like Planets Are Around Sun-like Stars?
A new study provides the most accurate estimate of the frequency that planets that are similar to Earth in size and in distance from their host star occur around stars […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Key Early Steps For Origin of Life Occur Under a Variety of Conditions
Potential precursors to life on Earth form from a variety of complex mixtures, according to a team of scientists who say this could point to the development of building blocks […]
Posted inBarnard's Star, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Habitable Zone Planet Finder Enables Discoveries Around Cool Stars
A new astronomical spectrograph built by a Penn State-led team of scientists provides the highest precision measurements to date of infrared signals from nearby stars, allowing astronomers to detect planets […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Search for Advanced Civilizations Finds Nothing Obvious
After searching 100,000 galaxies for signs of highly advanced extraterrestrial life, a team of scientists using observations from NASA’s WISE orbiting observatory has found no evidence of advanced civilizations in […]