How can we know if we"re looking at habitable exo-Earths or hellish exo-Venuses?
The differences between Earth and Venus are obvious to us. One is radiant with life and adorned with glittering seas, and the other is a scorching, glowering hellhole, its volcanic surface shrouded by thick clouds and visible only with radar. But the.....»»
Fossil fuel companies" projections won"t meet Paris Agreement climate goals
Decarbonization scenarios produced by BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Equinor are incompatible with Paris Agreement goals for a safe and habitable planet......»»
Which diet will help save our planet: Climatarian, flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan?
The food we consume has a massive impact on our planet. Agriculture takes up half the habitable land on Earth, destroys forests and other ecosystems and produces a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Meat and dairy specifically accounts.....»»
Five of the top discoveries aboard NASA"s Curiosity rover on Mars
Revealing the potentially habitable climate of ancient Mars is a key part of NASA's mission to explore and understand the unknown, to inspire and benefit humanity—and for 10 years, the Curiosity rover has been on the case at the Red Planet......»»
ESA Begins Designing Probe to Explore Deep Within Venus’ Hellish Atmosphere
The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning a new mission to Venus, where its EnVision probe could conduct detailed science that has never been possible before. First, engineers have to figure out how to keep the s.....»»
How ESA is getting its spacecraft ready to explore hellish conditions of Venus
Recently the European Space Agency revealed information about how it will test and prepare its EnVision craft for Venus's hellish conditions......»»
Tidal heating could make exomoons much more habitable (and detectable)
Within the solar system, most of our astrobiological research is aimed at Mars, which is considered to be the next-most habitable body beyond Earth. However, future efforts are aimed at exploring icy satellites in the outer solar system that could al.....»»
Two rocky super-Earths discovered just 33 light-years away
Researchers using NASA's TESS satellite have discovered two rocky exoplanets in a system in our cosmic backyard, located just 33 light-years from Earth......»»
Gaia Probe Reveals Stellar DNA and Unexpected "Starquakes"
Astronomers have unveiled the most detailed survey of the Milky Way, revealing thousands of "starquakes" and stellar DNA, and helping to identify the most habitable corners of our home galaxy. From a report: The observations from the European Space A.....»»
How NASA"s DAVINCI Mission Will Plunge Through Venus"s Hellish Atmosphere
"NASA's DAVINCI mission to Venus is scheduled for launch in 2029," reports Gizmodo, adding that a new paper "details this upcoming journey, a daring mission that could shed new light on the scorching hot planet's mysterious, and potentially habitable.....»»
ESA conducts first tests of exoplanet hunter Plato in space-like conditions
The ESA is working on a new exoplanet hunter mission called Plato, to be launched in 2026. Astronomers expect to discover Earth-sized planets within the habitable zone thanks to Plato's ability to spot smaller planets in larger orbits than current te.....»»
Our Sun Could Someday Reveal the Surfaces of Alien Earths
In the far future, we could reveal detailed views of distant worlds by turning our home star into a gravitational lens -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
How NASA’s DAVINCI probe will withstand the hellish conditions of Venus
Venus's acidic, high-pressure atmosphere is one of the most inhospitable places in our solar system -- and NASA is building a probe that can withstand it.....»»
These are the best places to search for habitable exomoons
Our solar system contains eight planets and more than 200 moons. The large majority of those moons have no chance of being habitable, but some of them—Europa and Enceladus, for example—are strong candidates in the search for life......»»
George Pérez, Legendary DC and Marvel Comic Book Artist, Dies at 67
George Pérez, the legendary DC and Marvel comic book artist who was a key figure for Avengers, Fantastic Four, New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and many more, has died at the age of 67.George Pérez, the legendary DC and Mar.....»»
The Devil"s Hole pupfish has paddled back from the brink in a hellish desert domain
How the Devil's Hole pupfish has survived for centuries in a spalike cistern cloistered by a barren rock mountain in Death Valley National Park remains a biological mystery......»»
Team finds younger exoplanets are better candidates when looking for other Earths
As the scientific community searches for worlds orbiting nearby stars that could potentially harbor life, new Southwest Research Institute-led research suggests that younger rocky exoplanets are more likely to support temperate, Earth-like climates......»»
Watch this massive eruption on the Sun that was big enough to envelop Earth
An astrophotographer captured a huge solar eruption over the weekend. Chuck Ayoub, who captured the eruption, believes it was roughly the same height as three Earths stacked on top of each other. Ayoub shared a video of the eruption on Instagram, Red.....»»
Small but mighty: Harnessing the power of algae to capture carbon
As a University of Arizona professor of astronomy and planetary sciences who studies planets orbiting other stars, Daniel Apai spends much of his time thinking about what makes worlds habitable......»»
How NASA"s Roman telescope could help find Earth-like planets by surveying space dust
A team of scientists found NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be able to measure a specific kind of space dust littered throughout dozens of nearby planetary systems' habitable zones, or the regions around stars where temperatures are mild.....»»
Confessions of a former fireball: How Earth became habitable
Researchers at Yale and Caltech have a bold new theory to explain how Earth transformed itself from a fiery, carbon-clouded ball of rocks into a planet capable of sustaining life......»»