Could “Fools’ Gold” have helped build the first proteins?
How and why humans exist are questions that have challenged different cultures ever since the dawn of civilization. Many scientists have…
Category: Astrobiology & Space Science
If there was oxygen on a far away planet, how would we know?
Scientists use computer models to simulate what oxygen would look like on far away planets and found a chemical signature that helps us tell…
Do humans need to be altruistic to make it to Mars?
Altruism, in principle, is selfless action for the well-being of others. Altruism may help us achieve our space exploration goals. Space…
Early Martian life may have used sulfur as an energy source
Using an environment on Earth that simulates early Mars conditions, researchers found an abundance of bacteria that get their energy from…
How biology writes its signature
In recent decades the search for extraterrestrial life has seen major advancements in technology and methodology. The search for…
How would we establish a society on Mars?
Humans are not built for Mars. Or rather, Mars isn't built for us, yet. Understanding the sacrifices such a massive undertaking needs is…
Ancient Microbes reveal Earth’s response to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs
Scientists study organic material from the Chicxulub crater to identify the microbes that lived within it, to understand what happened to…
A new way to look for signs of ancient life on Earth and Mars
The Mars 2020 mission involves sending a rover, named Perseverance, to Mars to look for evidence of past life on that planet. Perseverance…
How does life handle the harshness of space?
Experiments on the International Space Station found that lichens, a combination of algae and fungi, survived in space-like, flight, and…
Strange microbes found living in caves of sulfuric acid
Researchers studying a sulfuric acid cave in Italy are among the first to describe organisms found living in gypsum, an acidic mineral…