Posts by 

Paul Scott Anderson

Can we find alien life in groups of similar planets?

A new study from Japan suggests we could search for a sign of alien life by looking for suspiciously similar planets close together.

Huge ancient sandstorm on Mars revealed in rippled sediments

Dust storms are common on Mars. But ripples in blocks of bedrock have revealed evidence of a more intense sandstorm on Mars about 3.5 billion years ago.

Why do Jupiter’s large moons outnumber Saturn’s?

Jupiter's large moons - Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa - number four. But Saturn has just one large moon, Titan. Why? It may be the planets' magnetic fields.

There’s less ice in moon’s shadows than 1st thought

Ice in moon’s shadows is scarce, NASA’s ShadowCam finds, with only small, scattered deposits instead of the abundant ice once expected.

Walking robots on Mars could speed up life search

Researchers in Europe are testing a prototype for walking robots on Mars or the moon. Robots like this would be faster and more autonomous than current rovers.

45 best planets for life revealed in real-life ‘Project Hail Mary’

Where should we look for possible alien life? Researchers at Cornell University have identified the 45 best planets for life in a real-life 'Project Hail Mary.'

Lightning on Jupiter is 100 times more powerful than Earth’s

Researchers using data from the Juno spacecraft have found that lightning on Jupiter can be 100 times more powerful than on Earth, and maybe even much more.

Rubies on Mars? Rover finds fluorescent gems for 1st time

Are there rubies on Mars? NASA's Perseverance rover has found tiny fluorescent gems in pebbles that appear to be rubies or sapphires.

Moons of rogue planets habitable for billions of years?

Could moons of rogue planets support life? A new study led by researchers in Germany shows they could, if they have hydrogen atmospheres.

NASA’s new exoplanet mission shows 1st images to the public

NASA's new exoplanet mission - called SPARCS - has taken its 1st light images. It will monitor low-mass stars to see if their planets could be habitable.