Posts by 

Paul Scott Anderson

Waves on other planets vary widely, new MIT study suggests

A new study from MIT suggests that waves on other planets should vary greatly. Scientists are looking at the lakes and seas of Saturn's moon Titan for clues.

How much water on exoplanets does life need?

Astronomers think water is essential to life as we know it. So how much water on exoplanets does life need? A new study suggests 20-50% of Earth's water.

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.