NASA has stepped closer to allowing remote onboard computers to direct the search for life on other planets. Scientists from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have announced first results from new intelligent systems, to be installed in space probes, capable of identifying geochemical signatures of life from rock samples. Allowing these intelligent systems to choose both what to analyze and…
Tag: life on other planets
Earth climate models and the search for life on other planets
In a generic brick building on the northwestern edge of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center campus in Greenbelt, Maryland, thousands of computers packed in racks the size of vending machines hum in a deafening chorus of data crunching. Day and night, they spit out 7 quadrillion calculations per second. These machines collectively are known as NASA’s Discover supercomputer and they are…
Nearly barren Icelandic landscapes guide search for extraterrestrial life
New research on microbial lifeforms living in nearly barren volcanic landscapes in Iceland may help scientists understand how best to search for life on other planets. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-01-barren-icelandic-landscapes-extraterrestrial-life.html…
Alien life is out there, but our theories are probably steering us away from it
If we discovered evidence of alien life, would we even realize it? Life on other planets could be so different from what we’re used to that we might not recognize any biological signatures that it produces. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-01-alien-life-theories.html…
iLocater achieves first light, giving scientists clearer picture of nearby planets
Scientists are one step closer to discovering life on other planets. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-ilocater-scientists-clearer-picture-nearby.html…
Are there any aliens out there? We are close to knowing for sure
Next-generation telescopes and new ways of detecting life on other planets are transforming the search for extraterrestrials. We may finally be about to find out if aliens exist Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332450-800-are-there-any-aliens-out-there-we-are-close-to-knowing-for-sure/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Super salty, subzero Arctic water provides peek at possible life on other planets
In recent years, the idea of life on other planets has become less far-fetched. NASA announced June 27 that it will send a vehicle to Saturn’s icy moon Titan, a celestial body known to harbor surface lakes of methane and an ice-covered ocean of water, boosting its chance for supporting life. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-super-salty-subzero-arctic-peek.html…
Researchers Awaken Ancient Lifeforms Exposed By Thawing Ice Caps and Permafrost
“Researchers in a warming Arctic are discovering organisms, frozen and presumed dead for millennia, that can bear life anew,” reports the Washington Post: These ice age zombies range from simple bacteria to multicellular animals, and their endurance is prompting scientists to revise their understanding of what it means to survive… Mosses have forged a tougher path. They desiccate when temperatures plummet,…
Dried Earth microbes could grow on Mars with just a little humidity
Showing that salt-loving bacteria can double their numbers after absorbing damp air has implications for life on other planets. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dried-earth-microbes-could-grow-mars-just-little-humidity4…