The minerals identified by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provide more evidence that the planet may have once been habitable.
life as we know it
Posted inNews
Impacts Might Have Made Ancient Mars Briefly Hospitable to Life
A bombardment of the Red Planet 4 billion years ago could have created hot springs that allowed life to flourish.
Posted inScience Updates
Planetary Caves' Role in Astronaut Bases and the Search for Life
2nd International Planetary Caves Conference; Flagstaff, Arizona, 20–23 October 2015
Posted inNews
New NOVA TV Show Explores Coevolution of Rocks and Life
Mineralogist Robert Hazen and other scientists probe connections between living organisms and rocks in "Life's Rocky Start," which premieres tonight on PBS stations around the United States.
Posted inScience Updates
Where Curiosity Has Taken Us
The Curiosity rover, one of NASA's flagship missions, analyzes Martian geology, geochemistry, climatology, and radiation to assess whether Mars could have supported microbial life.
Posted inNews
Atmospheres Can Collapse on the Dark Sides of Planets
Planets that orbit close to their stars might lose their atmospheres along with any chance of life, but new models show a way in which these planets may retain their atmospheres and habitability.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Curiosity Rover Finds Organic Molecules on Martian Surface
Scientists assess the present and past habitability of Mars from organic compounds detected at Gale Crater.
Posted inNews
Astrobiology Hearing Ranges Beyond Life as We Know It
Space research has made strides identifying where extraterrestrial life might reside but not what kind of life, if any, it could be, scientists told Congress last week.
Posted inOpinions
Craters Could Make Great Impacts on Mars Exploration
Future robotic missions to Mars hoping to peer beneath its surface in search of signs of life should target recent impact craters, where falling meteorites have done the drilling for them.
Posted inNews
NASA Selects Science Instruments for Europa Mission
The instruments chosen for a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa include cameras, spectrometers, magnetometers, and an ice-penetrating radar.