habitability

Astronomers have found evidence that some stars boast unexpectedly strong surface magnetic fields, a discovery that challenges current models of how they evolve. In stars like our sun, surface magnetism is linked to stellar spin, a process…

How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery. "Super-Earth" LP 890-9c (also named SPECULOOS-2c) is providing important insights about…

Tunnels deep underground in North Yorkshire are providing a unique opportunity to study how humans might be able to live and operate on the Moon or on Mars. Researchers at the University of Birmingham have launched the Bio-SPHERE project in…

The climate crisis presents a huge challenge to all people on Earth. It has led many scientists to look for exoplanets, planets outside our solar system that humans could potentially settle. The James Webb Space Telescope was developed as…

The search for extraterrestrial life just got more interesting as a team of scientists including Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Christopher Glein has discovered new evidence for a key building block for life in the subsurface ocean of…

Newly discovered deposits of layered ice in craters scattered around Mars' southern hemisphere provide insights into how the planet's orientation controlled the planet's climate over the past 4 million years, according to a new study. The…

Water is essential for life on Earth and other planets, and scientists have found ample evidence of water in Mars' early history. But Mars has no liquid water on its surface today. New research from Washington University in St. Louis…

Stars scattered throughout the cosmos look different, but they may be more alike than once thought, according to Rice University researchers. New modeling work by Rice scientists shows that "cool" stars like the sun share the dynamic…