Articles by: Amanda Doyle

Dark stars could be responsible for our existence.

Dark stars: The first stars in the universe

By All About Space magazine, Amanda Doyle published 13 July 21

These cosmic creators, powered by dark matter, could be responsible for our existence, along with the appearance of today's universe.

Detecting Life's Influence on Planetary Atmospheres

By Amanda Doyle published 30 August 18

How the presence of oxygen and other disequilibrium gases could signpost life.

Ultraviolet Radiation from Low-Mass Stars Could Render Planets Uninhabitable

By Amanda Doyle published 18 May 18

Rare Metals on Mars and Earth Point to Colossal Impacts

By Amanda Doyle published 1 May 18

New research has revealed that a giant impact on Mars more than four billion years ago would explain the unusual amount of "iron loving" elements in the Red Planet.

Meteorite's Origins Point To Possible Undiscovered Asteroid

By Amanda Doyle published 4 January 18

Ancient Lake On Mars Was Hospitable Enough To Support Life

By Amanda Doyle published 26 September 17

Mars' Gale Crater, once home to a flowing river and a lake, had the right conditions for life in ancient times, according to a new study looking at three years of data from NASA's Curiosity rover.

Microbes Set the Stage for First Animals

By Amanda Doyle published 8 April 17

It is thought that animal life first arose during the Ediacaran Period, between 635 and 541 million years ago, but these organisms bore little resemblance to the animals we know today.

Gamma ray burst hitting Earth illustration

How Deadly Would a Nearby Gamma-Ray Burst Be?

By Amanda Doyle published 24 October 16

First Signs Of Animal Life On Earth May Be From Microbes

By Amanda Doyle published 20 September 16

exoplanets, search for life, super-earths, mini-neptunes, biomarkers

New Method Finds Best Exoplanet Candidates for Telescope Time

By Amanda Doyle published 21 July 15

Clearwater Lakes double impact crater in Quebec, Canada, seen from space.

Surprise! Canadian Double Crater Formed by 2 Separate Impact Events

By Amanda Doyle published 13 March 15

In an unlikely scenario, the impacts that created the craters that became Canada's two Clearwater Lakes apparently occurred almost 200 million years apart.

Alien Life Could Use Endless Array of Building Blocks

By Amanda Doyle published 29 January 14

Life on other planets could draw from thousands of amino acids to build proteins, not just the limited ones used on Earth.

Alien Life May Thrive in Impact Craters

By Amanda Doyle published 13 November 13

Did Life on Earth Begin with Autocells?

By Amanda Doyle published 10 October 13

Alien Life Hunt Looks to Earth's Underground Microbes

By Amanda Doyle published 31 July 13

Alien Life Could be Detectable on Planets Around Dying Stars

By Amanda Doyle published 28 February 13

The upcoming James Webb Telescope could be the ideal instrument.

Artist's conception of the view of a hypothetical planet around a distant red giant star.

Where Will Doomed Earth's Last Organisms Live?

By Amanda Doyle published 20 December 12

In a few billion years, Earth will be sterilized by a bloated, red giant sun.

Colors of Alien Planet May Hint at Habitability

By Amanda Doyle published 9 November 12

The colors of planets beyond the solar system could indicate whether or not they're friendly to life.

Does Neptune's Moon Triton Have a Subsurface Ocean?

By Amanda Doyle published 6 September 12

Liquid water could slosh beneath the frigid moon's icy shell.