Posts by 

Paul Scott Anderson

New study says rain on ancient Mars fed rivers and lakes

Did it rain on ancient Mars? A new study suggests that heavy precipitation - rain or snow - helped form rivers that fed into lakes billions of years ago.

Want to find alien life? Look for patterns of energy

To search for alien life - even exotic life beyond our imagination - a new study suggests looking for "patterns of energy" instead of just organic molecules.

New discovery of carbonates on Mars could solve big mystery

The Curiosity rover has found deposits of carbonates on Mars. It's evidence for an ancient carbon cycle and could explain what happened to Mars' atmosphere.

Life on K2-18b? Exciting new results met with skepticism

New observations by the Webb Space Telescope have reignited the debate about possible life on K2-18b, a potentially habitable exoplanet 124 light-years away.

Rare Tatooine world has a weird orbit around brown dwarfs

Astronomers have discovered a Tatooine world that orbits 2 brown dwarfs (failed stars). But strangely, the planet orbits the brown dwarfs at a 90 degree angle.

Is there life on Titan? If so, it’s very rare

Could there be microbial life on Titan? New research suggests that despite being rich in organics, Titan might only be able to support a few pounds of microbes.

Not all mudball meteorites are weak, new study shows

The Aguas Zarcas mudball meteorites, which landed in Costa Rica in 2019, were stronger than expected. A new study shows that not all mudballs are weak.

Hydrothermal activity on Mars? Rover finds tantalizing new clues

NASA's Perseverance rover has found silica-rich rocks, including - for the 1st time - quartz. It's compelling evidence of ancient hydrothermal activity on Mars.

Hubble reveals weird Uranus in new 20-year study

The Hubble Space Telescope's 20-year study of Uranus has yielded new insights about the enigmatic ice giant's atmosphere and how it might compare to exoplanets.

Birthplaces of new planets are more varied than once thought

Researchers using the ALMA observatory have found that protoplanetary disks - the birthplaces of new planets - vary in size much more than previously thought.

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