A Mission to Dive Titan’s Lakes
Titan is among the most captivating worlds in the solar system for several compelling reasons. It possesses a hydrological cycle powered by methane, rather than water. It is the solar system’s second-largest moon,…
What is the most promising place to find Martian life?
Several years ago, NASA’s Curiosity rover detected traces of methane in the Martian atmosphere at levels significantly higher than the usual background. However, a few months later, the methane vanished, only to reappear…
China aims to be the first to bring samples from Mars.
China‘s space agency may become the first to bring Martian samples to Earth, with a mission targeting a return of rocks and sediment by 2031. In the November issue of National Science Review,…
The Ryugu asteroid sample was colonized by terrestrial life
Panspermia is the hypothesis suggesting that life can endure and spread between planetary bodies, offering an alternative pathway for the emergence of life on planets within a solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial…
There was Hot Water on Mars
In their early history, Earth and Mars were strikingly similar. Around four billion years ago, both planets boasted vast, warm seas. However, while Earth managed to preserve its oceans, Mars saw its waters…
The Milky Way: An exception among similar galaxies
Recent studies challenge the long-standing scientific practice of using the Milky Way as a universal model for galaxy formation, suggesting our home galaxy may not be as representative as previously believed. “The Milky…
Humanoid robot for the Chang’e 8 lunar mission
China’s ambitious mission to explore resource technologies at the moon’s south pole is gaining momentum, with the intriguing possibility of featuring a humanoid element. Wang Qiong, the chief designer of the Chang’e 8…
How Life Could Live Under the Ice on Mars
Although no direct evidence of life has been discovered on Mars, a recent NASA study suggests that microbes might survive beneath frozen water on the planet’s surface. Using computer modeling, the researchers demonstrated…
New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our universe and beyond
A new theoretical model offers a way to estimate the likelihood of intelligent life emerging in our universe—and in any hypothetical universes beyond. This approach has similarities to the well-known Drake Equation, devised…
Roman telescope to search for alien planets in distant stars.
In a pristine environment at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, scientists have successfully installed a key component onto the Roman Space Telescope. The Roman Coronagraph Instrument, designed to block out starlight,…