Exploring the Clouds of Venus; It’s Not Fantasy, But it Will Take Specialized Spacecraft

By now, you’ve likely heard that scientists have found a potential sign of biological life on Venus. Through a series of radio telescope observations in 2017 and 2019, they were able to confirm the presence of phosphine gas high in the planet’s thick atmosphere. Here on Earth, the only way …read more

Continue reading Exploring the Clouds of Venus; It’s Not Fantasy, But it Will Take Specialized Spacecraft

Possible signs of life detected in Venus’ atmosphere

While most eyes are on Mars as the most likely place we might find life beyond Earth, perhaps we should be looking to our neighbor on the other side. High in the atmosphere of Venus, astronomers have made the startling discovery of a gas called phosphi… Continue reading Possible signs of life detected in Venus’ atmosphere

Bacterial colonies survive in space for years, could seed planets

A new experiment placing bacteria on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) has found that micro-organisms can survive in space for years, or even decades. The study lends weight to the idea that life could travel between planets.Continue… Continue reading Bacterial colonies survive in space for years, could seed planets

Bacteria that “eat” only air found in cold deserts around the world

A few years ago researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) discovered bacteria in Antarctica that could survive on nothing but air. Now the team has found that this handy ability might not be limited to the South Pole, with evidence turnin… Continue reading Bacteria that “eat” only air found in cold deserts around the world

New class of star discovered to be rich in key ingredient for life

Phosphorus is a key ingredient for life as we know it, but it’s strangely uncommon in the cosmos. Now astronomers have discovered a new type of star that’s very rich in phosphorus, which could imply that alien life is more common than we thought.Contin… Continue reading New class of star discovered to be rich in key ingredient for life

Scientists revive 100-million-year old microbes from deep underground

In what sounds like the opening scenes of a sci-fi disaster movie, scientists have managed to revive microorganisms that have laid dormant for over 100 million years. These microbes were discovered deep beneath the seafloor, where they’ve been slumberi… Continue reading Scientists revive 100-million-year old microbes from deep underground

New evidence linking high iron levels with shorter lifespan

Hot on the heels of a recently published genomic study correlating blood iron levels with healthy aging, more research is suggesting high systemic iron levels can be linked with reduced life expectancy. The current research does not prove a causal rela… Continue reading New evidence linking high iron levels with shorter lifespan

NASA funds SETI study to scan exoplanets for alien “technosignatures”

Given just how incomprehensibly, unfathomably big the universe is, chances are tiny that Earth is the only planet with life on it. But how would we find others? A new NASA grant has been awarded to aid the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI… Continue reading NASA funds SETI study to scan exoplanets for alien “technosignatures”

Extremophile microbes found thriving half a mile beneath the seafloor

Every time we think we’ve figured out the limits of where life can exist, we discover extremophile organisms thriving under conditions we’d previously ruled out. The latest example comes from studies of rock cores drilled from the floor of the Indian O… Continue reading Extremophile microbes found thriving half a mile beneath the seafloor