Astrobiology Archives

Gypsum’s crystalline facies and sample handling. Images of the studied twinned selenite crystal and of the sample preparation and handling for optical microscopy, SEM-EDX, and LIMS analyses. (A) Smal crystal selenite (SC) and decimeter-sized twinned arrow-head selenite (TS) crystals show the darker re-entrant angle of the crystals (dashed black lines). (B) Large petrographic thin section of the re-entrant angle of the twinned selenite crystal marked in the blue rectangle in (A). It shows very turbid (vTL), turbid (TL) and limpid laminations (LL). (C) Small petrographic thin section of turbid laminae fixed on the LIMS sample holder with copper tape. (D) Gold coated sample on the LIMS sample holder.

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could spot microbial fossils on Mars

Formation of super-Earths proven limited near metal-poor stars

In July 2024, NASA's Perseverance rover found "leopard spots" on a reddish rock called "Cheyava Falls" in Mars' Jezero Crater. Scientists suggest these spots might indicate that chemical reactions in the rock billions of years ago could have supported microbial life. Other explanations are also being explored.

Perseverance Rover Uncovers Intriguing Rock on Mars with Potential Signs of Ancient Life

Artist's concept of an exoplanet in the process of being terraformed.

Alien Terraforming Could Be Detected by Earth’s Telescopes, Study Reveals

Watery planets orbiting dead stars may be good candidates for studying life — if they can survive long enough

This simulated perspective oblique view shows Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano not only on Mars but in the entire solar system. The volcano measures some 600 km across.

In a significant first, researchers detect water frost on solar system’s tallest volcanoes

Artist rendering of the view on a Hycean world.

Distant Planet’s Potential Life Signal Challenged, But Hope Remains

Earth’s Oxygen Evolution Unraveled: Key Insights for Assessing Life on Other Planets

The drawing on the left depicts Enceladus and its ice-covered ocean, with cracks near the south pole that are believed to penetrate through the icy crust. The middle panel shows where authors believe life could thrive: at the top of the water, in a proposed thin layer (shown yellow) like on Earth’s oceans. The right panel shows that as gas bubbles rise and pop, bacterial cells could get lofted into space with droplets that then become the ice grains that were detected by Cassini.

New Study Reveals Potential for Detecting Life on Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter

This view of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa was captured by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft during the mission’s close flyby on Sept. 29, 2022. Credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing: Kevin M. Gill CC BY 3.0 Full Image Details

NASA’s Juno Mission Measures Oxygen Production at Europa

University of Cincinnati graduate student Andrea Corpolongo, left, and Associate Professor Andy Czaja pose in front of a telescope at the Cincinnati Observatory. They serve on the NASA science team exploring Mars with the Perseverance rover.

Three years later, search for life on Mars continues

Is oxygen the cosmic key to alien technology?

$Dramatic plumes spray water ice and vapor from many locations along the famed "tiger stripes" near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The tiger stripes are four prominent, approximately 84-mile- (135-kilometer-) long fractures that cross the moon's south polar terrain. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute$