Among the most intriguing types of exoplanet expected to be orbiting distant stars is the "water world," planets that are liquid to a far, far greater extent than on Earth. Astronomers have theorized the existence of such planets and several candidates have been put forward, though not confirmed. But the logic is strong enough for …
Many Complex Organic Compounds –Evolved Building Blocks of Life — Are Formed Where Stars Are Being Born
Recent reports about the detection of carbon-based organic molecules on Mars by the instruments of the Perseverance rover included suggestions that some of the organics may well have fallen from space over the eons, and were then preserved on the Martian surface. Given the cruciality of organics as building blocks of life --or even as …
Tantalizing Organic Compounds Found on Mars
When searching for signs of ancient life on Mars, NASA scientists increasingly focus on organic material -- the carbon-based compounds that are the building blocks of life. Organics were found by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, and now new papers report they have also been identified by the instruments of the Perseverance rover in …
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Where Might Plumes of Water Vapor Come From on Icy Moons?
It's been some years since Europa scientists agreed that the Jovian moon has a large global ocean beneath miles of ice. More recently, scientists have identified what they view as pockets of water surrounded by ice but much nearer the surface than the ocean below. And there has been research as well into what may …
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The Virtual Planetary Lab and Its Search for What Makes an Exoplanet Habitable, or Even Inhabited
For more than two decades now, the Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL) at the University of Washington in Seattle has been at the forefront of the crucial and ever-challenging effort to model how scientists can determine whether a particular exoplanet is capable of supporting life or perhaps even had life on it already. To do this, …
A Detailed New Mapping of Where Mars Once Had Plentiful Water
NASA's long-time motto for exploring Mars has been "Follow the water." That has changed some in recent years, as the presence of long-ago H2O has been confirmed in many locales around the planet. Moving on, the motto today is more "Follow the organics" -- the carbon-based building blocks of life -- in the search for …
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The James Webb Space Telescope Begins Looking at Exoplanets
The James Webb Space Telescope has begun the part of its mission to study the atmospheres of 70 exoplanets in ways, and at a depth, well beyond anything done so far. The telescope is not likely to answer questions like whether there is life on distant planet -- its infrared wavelengths will tell us …
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Icy Moons, And Exploring The Secrets They Hold
When it come to habitable environments in our solar system, there's Earth, perhaps Mars billions of years ago and then a slew of ice-covered moons that are likely to have global oceans under their crusts. Many of you are familiar with Europa (a moon of Jupiter) and Enceladus (a moon of Saturn) -- which have …
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Mars Was Once Wetter and Warmer And It Had Life-Essential Organic Carbon. Was There Enough for Life to Emerge?
In the early days of the Curiosity mission on Mars, scientists were excited by what they found in what was once a mud-flat they called Yellowknife Bay. After months of drilling and testing, the mission team concluded that the site once had the roughly neutral water, an array of chemicals that could support metabolism and …
NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars; an Update
NASA's Perseverance rover has been on Mars for fifteen months now and is about to begin its trek into the fossil delta of Jezero Crater. It's a big deal for the mission, because the delta is where water once flowed long enough and strongly enough to smooth, round and move large rocks. Since proof …
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Many Worlds 