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Posts by
Paul Scott Anderson
Will the Webb telescope be able to detect life signs at nearby exoplanets?
The Webb Telescope is Hubble's successor, due to launch in 2021. A new study says it'll be powerful enough to search for life signatures in the atmospheres of the 7 Earth-sized planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, just 39 light-years away.
September 2, 2019
Why does Mars’ methane vary across a single Martian day?
Previous studies showed that methane in Mars' atmosphere varies across the Martian seasons. New research shows daily fluctuations. It's fascinating because, on Earth, methane gas is tied to microbial life.
August 31, 2019
Wow! What if 1 in 4 sunlike stars has an Earth?
According to a new study by astronomers based on data from the Kepler Space Telescope, 1 in 4 sunlike stars should have a planet that's approximately Earth-sized, orbiting in the star's habitable zone.
August 23, 2019
Where does Mars’ methane come from? Not wind
On Earth, methane gas is often associated with microbial life. Scientists find methane in Mars' atmosphere, too. Could it be life-related? We still don't know, but a new study shows wind erosion is likely not the cause.
August 20, 2019
Meet WASP-121b, a hot ‘heavy metal’ exoplanet
For the first time, heavy metal gases like magnesium and iron have been detected floating away from an exoplanet, a planet orbiting a distant sun. Why? Because the planet - which is about as big as Jupiter - is orbiting perilously close to its star.
August 18, 2019
Did these tardigrades survive crash-landing on the moon?
When Israel's Beresheet lunar spacecraft crashed in April 2019, there were thousands of microscopic, dehydrated tardigrades - water bears - aboard.
August 14, 2019
Can snowball planets support life?
Snowball planets are rocky worlds with frozen oceans. They were thought to be lifeless. But a new study suggests some might have land areas near their equators warm and wet enough to support life.
August 11, 2019
A mega-tsunami on ancient Mars?
It's likely Mars was once a water world with rivers, lakes and maybe even an ocean. New research lends support to the possibility that an asteroid slammed into Mars' ocean 3.5 billion years ago, creating a vast tsunami.
August 8, 2019
A closer look at Io’s weird volcanoes
Io's volcanoes have fascinated scientists since the Voyager 1 spacecraft first discovered them nearly 40 years ago. Now a comprehensive new report - based on ground-based studies - unveils new mysteries about the most volcanically active world in our solar system.
August 5, 2019
Check out this cool video map of known exoplanets
This short video, just over a minute long, takes you on a journey from 1991, when no exoplanets were known, to today's 4,003+ known exoplanets. Why the plus? According to the NASA Exoplanet Archive, the number of known exoplanets has already jumped up to 4,031 and counting!
August 3, 2019
