Hydrocarbons play key roles in atmospheric and biogeochemistry, the energy economy, and climate change. Most hydrocarbons form in anaerobic environments through high temperature or microbial decomposition of organic matter. Microorganisms […]
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Life May Have Thrived On Earth 3.5 Billion Years Ago
Three and a half billion years ago Earth hosted life, but was it barely surviving, or thriving? A new study carried out by a multi institutional team with leadership including […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Common Table Salt May Have Been Crucial For The Origin of Life
One of the most fundamental unexplained questions in modern science is how life began. Scientists generally believe that simple molecules present in early planetary environments were converted to more complex […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A Simple Chemical Process May Have Led To The Origin Of Life On Earth
Research has shown that reactions of alpha-hydroxy acids, similar to the alpha-amino acids that make up modern proteins, form large polymers easily under conditions presumed prevalent on early Earth. These […]
Posted inMars, Press Release
Early Mars May Have Been A Warm Desert With Occasional Rain
The climate of early Mars is a subject of debate. While it has been thought that Mars had a warm and wet climate, like Earth, other researchers suggested early Mars […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
15 New Planets Confirmed Around Cool Dwarf Stars
Scientists report the existence of 15 new planets — including one ‘super-Earth’ that could harbor liquid water — orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system. These stars, known as […]
Posted inMars, Press Release
Meteorite Reveals Mars Had a Dense Atmosphere 4 Billion Years Ago
Researchers have performed numerical simulations and compared the results to the composition of the ancient Martian atmosphere trapped in an old meteorite. The researchers have concluded that, 4 billion years […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Earth-like Planets More Likely to Orbit Sun-like stars – Not Lower-mass Stars
Simulations by researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tsinghua University indicate that Earth-like planets are more likely to be found orbiting Sun-like stars rather than lower-mass stars that are […]