Ocean moons of the outer solar system hint at ice volcanoes, hydrothermal vents, and the tantalizing chance of habitability.
life as we know it
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Subsurface Oceans Could Boost Exoplanet Habitability
Researchers have shown that oceans buried below layers of ice are more common than previously thought.
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Essential Ingredient for Life Found on Enceladus
Icy plumes from Saturn’s moon Enceladus contain phosphorus, part of the biochemistry of life—the first time the element has been found in a liquid environment beyond Earth.
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Nearby Volcano Planet Likely Fueled by Tidal Heating
A gravitational dance between a newly discovered exoplanet and its host star may be driving extreme volcanism on its surface.
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(Probablemente) No podremos decir si Marte tiene vida
Los equipos de última generación no siempre pueden identificar la vida que habita en los lugares más parecidos a Marte en la Tierra, lo que hace que los científicos se pregunten cómo se se podría hacer mejor en el Planeta Rojo.
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Exoplanets May Support Life in the Terminator Zone
A new study finds that the intersection between a searing dayside and a freezing nightside could be habitable.
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Asteroid Impacts Could Have Warmed Ancient Mars
Hydrogen released during large impacts might have boosted Mars’s surface temperature above freezing for thousands or even millions of years, enabling liquid water to flow over the Red Planet.
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Newly Discovered Salts May Exist on Icy Moons
For the first time in more than a century, scientists have identified new sodium chloride crystals. The discovery may reconcile puzzling spectroscopic images of Europa’s surface.
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We (Probably) Can’t Tell Whether Mars Has Life
State-of-the-art equipment can’t always identify life inhabiting the most Mars-like spot on Earth, leaving scientists wondering how to do better on the Red Planet.
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Marauding Moons Spell Disaster for Some Planets
In solar systems beyond our own, some moons might eventually collide with their host planets, new simulations suggest.