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ScienceSpaceOur Galaxy Might Be Teeming With Habitable Exomoons
There are eight planets in our Solar System (sorry Pluto), but collectively, these planets host over 175 moons, one or two of which may even harbor life. Indeed, our galaxy, based on what we observe here, could be bursting with exomoons, a significant number of which may be capable of fostering life, according to new … Continued
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Tech News
New Scale Pinpoints Most Life-Friendly Alien Planets
Researchers at the University of Washington’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory have devised a new habitability index for judging how suitable alien planets might be for life. The point of the exercise is to help scientists prioritize future targets for close-ups from NASA’s yet-to-be-launched James Webb Space Telescope and other instruments. The top prospects on their list … Continued
Alan Boyle—Universe Today -
io9
Here’s More Evidence That Galactic Super-Civilizations Don’t Exist
Earlier this year, a scan of 100,000 galaxies showed no signs of alien mega-civilizations, dashing the hopes of those longing for a close encounter of the extra-terrestrial kind. A follow-up analysis of the data suggests it’s even worse than we thought, concluding that advanced galaxy-spanning civilizations don’t exist in the local universe. ‘Dysonian SETI’ is … Continued
Paul Gilster—Centauri Dreams -
io9
NASA Is Seriously Revving Up The Search For Alien Life
A few weeks ago, NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan made news by saying, “I think we’re going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we’re going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years.” It was a bold statement, but NASA is now backing those words with … Continued
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io9
A Scan Of 100,000 Galaxies Shows No Sign Of Alien Mega-Civilizations
A pioneering infrared scan of 100,000 galaxies by Penn State astronomers has failed to detect any signs of galaxy-spanning extraterrestrial supercivilizations. This result, though very preliminary, may be a sign that aliens aren’t capable of conquering entire galaxies. Above: A false-color image of the mid-infrared emission from the Great Galaxy in Andromeda, as seen by … Continued
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io9
This Image Is Why Everyone’s So Excited About A NASA Mission To Europa
NASA wants to visit Jupiter’s moon Europa. Why’s that exciting? In a word: Water. As this visualization shows, the icy moon may look tiny next to our own planet, but it’s got 2- to 3-times as much H2O as we have here on Earth. That “little” moon is packing quite the store of water — … Continued
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io9
A Warm Seafloor On Enceladus Makes It A Prime Candidate For Life
A new analysis of Cassini spacecraft data points to the distinct possibility that Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus exhibits hydrothermal activity on its seafloor. It’s a discovery that significantly bolsters the moon’s status as a potentially habitable object. Enceladus has been an intriguing object of study ever since plumes of escaping water vapor were discovered in … Continued
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io9
If We Ever Meet Aliens, They’ll Probably Be Robots
If you’re trying to be the most dominant life form in the cosmos, biology will only slow you down. Photo Credit: Ronny R via flickr | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Over at Motherboard, Maddie Stone asked philosopher Susan Schneider and director of NASA’s SETI program Seth Shostak to weigh in on the subject of artificial intelligence … Continued
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io9
To Learn How Aliens Think, We Must First Learn About Their Biology
Should E.T. finally give Earth a ring, it’s not only important to understand what the message says but why it is being sent, a speaker at a talk about extraterrestrials urged this week. This requires understanding about alien social behavior, which, one analyst argues, is an extension of alien biology. Above: Extraterrestrials in “Close Encounters … Continued
Elizabeth Howell – Universe Today -
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What Do Extreme Ecosystems Tell Us About The Nature Of Life?
Our planet has some pretty intense environments, ranging from dense ice to molten rock — and they all play host to some form of life. What do extremophiles —creatures that live in unimaginable conditions — tell us about the very nature, and limits, of life? Extremophiles allow us to quantify what evolution is capable of … Continued
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io9Bill Nye Explains Why The Search For Alien Life Could End On Europa
Science guy Bill Nye says the two logical places to search for alien life in our solar system are Mars and Europa, the smallest of Jupiter’s four moons. Why Europa? Nye gets into some details in this interview with Big Think, but here’s the gist: Water. Water water. Water, water water water water; water water … Continued
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io9
Oceans May Be Critical For Life To Arise In Habitable Zones
It’s generally agreed that liquid water and a stable atmosphere are the minimal requirements for life. But new research shows that oceans play a vital role in stabilizing and moderating climates on Earth-like planets. Mars is a good example of what the astrobiologists from the University of East Anglia are talking about. It’s a planet … Continued
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io9
This Potentially Habitable Super-Earth Is Just 16 Light Years Away
An international team of astronomers has announced the discovery of a potentially-habitable Super-Earth around the nearby red dwarf star Gliese 832. Located 16 light-years from Earth, it’s considered one of the closest and best habitable-world candidates so far. Gliese 832-c features a brief orbital period of 36 days and a mass at least five times … Continued
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io9
A New Mantra, ‘Follow the Methane,’ May Advance Search For Alien Life
Astronomers have developed a powerful new tool that could boost the search for extraterrestrial life. Above: Extrasolar planet HD189733b rises from behind its star in this artist’s concept. The new work presented here shows this planet has 20 times more methane than previously thought. Image Credit: ESA To date, that search has been largely limited … Continued
Shannon Hall – Universe Today -
io9
An Ocean On Pluto’s Moon? Scientists Will Keep An Eye Out For Cracks.
It’s a lot of speculation right now, but the buzz in a new NASA study is Pluto’s largest moon (Charon) could have a cracked surface. Above: Pluto and some of its moons, as viewed from the surface of one of the moons. Pluto is the large disk at center. Charon is the smaller disk to … Continued
Elizabeth Howell – Universe Today -
io9
The Most Extreme Environments Where Alien Life Could Be Found
There may be as many as 100 million habitable worlds in the Milky Way. But just what, exactly, are the requirements for life? And what are the environmental extremes that life can handle? A new checklist for the habitability of exoplanets attempts to answer these questions. Astrobiologists have a really vague and sweeping way of … Continued
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io9
Solar Winds From Red Dwarfs May Be Sterilizing Habitable Zone Planets
Red dwarfs stars, the most common stars in the galaxy, are bathing planets in their habitable zones with potentially deadly stellar winds, a finding that could have an impact on finding life beyond Earth. About 70% of stars are red dwarfs, or M-type stars, which are cooler and smaller than the sun. Any red dwarf … Continued
Irene Klotz — Discovery News
