exoplanets
A Weird Chemical on Venus Hints at Possible ‘Presence of Life,’ Study Says
The detection of phosphine is “not robust evidence for life” on Venus, scientists say, but a biological origin for the signature has not been ruled out yet.
This Is the First Image of Planets Orbiting a Sun-Like Star in Deep Space
An international team of astronomers snapped this photo of a young star and its two gigantic planets from a distance of 300 light years.
Scientists Prepare to Search for Aliens Orbiting Dead Stars
“The next intriguing question would be whether life survived the star’s death or started all over again—a second genesis.”
Scientists Thought They Discovered a New Planet, Then It Disappeared
What looked like a Jupiter-sized planet a decade ago was actually the fallout of a cataclysmic space crash.
Nearly All Animal Life Evolved From This Gross Worm Creature, Including Us
Some 555 million years ago, this worm-like animal with a mouth and butt tunneled through the seafloor, originating the body plan that gave rise to humans and most other animals.
Heavy Metal Rains From the Sky of this Exoplanet
WASP-76b, located 640 light years away, is so absurdly hot that iron vapor condenses into rainstorms on its nightside.
The Next Generation of Super-Sensitive Alien Hunting Telescopes Is Coming
Scientists are building enormous new radio arrays capable of hearing leaks from alien broadcasts, if they exist.
NASA’s New Exoplanet Hunter Discovers Its First Planet Orbiting Two Stars
The TESS spacecraft spotted its first Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a star, as well as its first circumbinary planet detection.
New Oxygen-Hunting Technique Could Tell If Distant Planets Are ‘Alive or Not’
"Oxygen is one of the most exciting molecules to detect because of its link with life, but we don't know if life is the only cause of oxygen in an atmosphere.”
Humanity Just Launched a Satellite to See if Alien Worlds Are Habitable
CHEOPS, the first mission focused on measuring exoplanet sizes, blasted off on Wednesday morning from French Guiana.
Scientists Find Evidence of Water on Potentially Habitable ‘Super-Earth’
K2-18b is the "best candidate" to host alien life outside the solar system.
NASA Scientists Created a Super-Hot Exoplanet Atmosphere on Earth
A team heated a cloud of gas up to 2,000°F and blasted it with radiation to see what happens on giant planets that orbit very close to their stars.