NASA's Curiosity rover snaps stunning selfie on Mars (photo) By Mike Wall published 16 November 20 NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has taken another selfie, just a few months before its six-wheeled cousin joins it on the Red Planet.
NASA's next Mars rover will land in less than 100 days By Mike Wall published 12 November 20 The life-hunting Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, which launched on July 30, is scheduled to land inside Jezero Crater on the afternoon of Feb. 18, 2021.
Mars: Mounting evidence for subglacial lakes, but could they really host life? By David Rothery published 8 November 20 The best place for life on Mars might be more than a kilometre below its surface!
Saturn's moon Titan has a weird organic chemical in its atmosphere By Meghan Bartels published 4 November 20 Saturn's moon Titan just keeps getting weirder — and more tantalizing when it comes to scientists' hopes for life beyond Earth.
More than half of all sunlike stars in the Milky Way may have a habitable planet By Mike Wall published 2 November 20 On average, each sunlike star in the Milky Way likely harbors between 0.4 and 0.9 rocky planets in its "habitable zone," researchers have found.
Aliens watching us? Scientists spot 1,000 nearby stars where E.T. could detect life on Earth By Mike Wall published 22 October 20 As humanity ramps up its search for alien life, we should keep in mind that E.T. might be hunting for us as well.
'Superflares' may make it hard for life to begin around dwarf stars By Mike Wall published 9 October 20 Powerful stellar eruptions could pose a serious challenge to the origin and evolution of life around the universe, a new study suggests.
Did NASA detect a hint of life on Venus in 1978 and not realize it? By Rafi Letzter published 6 October 20 What if scientists had started hunting for life on Venus in 1978?
If we want to find life on Saturn's moon Enceladus, we need to rule out Earthly hitchhikers By Meghan Bartels published 5 October 20 Want to find life in an exotic corner of the solar system like Saturn's icy moon Enceladus?
A better way to search for traces of life on Mars — and beyond! (op-ed) By Patrick Gasda published 29 September 20 Meet OrganiCam, an instrument that could detect biological molecules on other worlds.
Where to next in the outer solar system? Scientists have big ideas to explore icy moons and more. By Meghan Bartels published 24 September 20 If you had a few billion dollars and some of the most talented space scientists and engineers in the world, where would you go?
Earth life may have traveled to Venus aboard sky-skimming asteroid By Mike Wall published 24 September 20 If there is indeed life on Venus, it may have come from Earth — aboard an asteroid that scooped up microbes high in our skies.
Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus has fresh ice in unexpected place By Elizabeth Howell published 21 September 20 Saturn's geyser-spewing moon Enceladus may be even more active than scientists had thought.
'The Smallest Lights in the Universe' explores the possibilities of life on Earth and far beyond it By Meghan Bartels published 20 September 20 MIT astronomer Sara Seager has a quest: to find a second Earth. That scientific quest has developed and persisted against the backdrop of a personal life full of adventure, love and heartbreak.
After a tantalizing discovery at Venus, what could an astrobiology mission look like? By Meghan Bartels published 19 September 20 Suddenly, a mission to investigate whether Venus might be hospitable to life after all doesn't seem quite so outlandish.
Rocket Lab's plan to search for life on Venus in 2023 just got more exciting By Mike Wall published 16 September 20 Rocket Lab's life-hunting Venus mission in 2023 will be just the beginning, if all goes according to the company's plan.
Venus, once billed as Earth's twin, is a hothouse (and a tantalizing target in the search for life) By Nola Taylor Tillman published 15 September 20 As Earth's twin, Venus offers much in the search for life and habitable worlds.
Life on Venus? Breakthrough Initiatives funds study of possible biosignature detection By Mike Wall published 15 September 20 The main goals involve investigating the case for life on Venus and figuring out the best ways to hunt it down, if it is indeed there.
The phosphine discovered in Venus' clouds may be a big deal. Here's what you need to know. By Meghan Bartels published 14 September 20 A chemical you've likely never heard of has burst into the news thanks to scientists' announcement that they have detected phosphine, which they say may be a sign of life, in the clouds of Venus.
Strange chemical in clouds of Venus defies explanation. Could it be a sign of life? By Meghan Bartels published 14 September 20 Discovering life beyond Earth may well start with a sniff, a whiff of some chemical that scientists struggle to explain without invoking a strange, shadowy microbe.
