The Origins and Habitability Lab at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is a testing laboratory that brings together geologists, biologists, chemists and engineers to understand how geologic conditions might affect life in environments such as those on early Earth, Mars and the icy moons of the outer planets, as well as exoplanets. “A […]
Oxygen on Earth is a mystery. Until recently, scientists believed it was produced solely by photosynthesis – plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. But earlier this year, oceanographers discovered an entirely new source of oxygen. Deep in Earth’s oceans, they found that oxygen levels were much higher than […]
 "Does this mean there could be life on the Red Planet? – Firstpost")
Is there life on Mars? This question is asked again and again. Now scientists have discovered a reservoir of liquid water on the Red Planet. As we know, water is essential for the existence of all life. The findings are part of a new analysis of seismic data from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, a robotic […]
Reading time: 2 Minutes Megan Ansdell Not many people can say that they make a living searching for life on other planets, but the University of Hawaii Alumna Megan Ansdell can do that. Ansdell grew up in Kāneʻohe and earned a Doctoral thesis in Astrophysics at the UH Institute of Astronomy (IfA). Today, she works […]
Scientists have discovered evidence of a reservoir of liquid water present in the pores of the planet’s crust 11 to 21 kilometers below the surface of Mars. They assume that the amount of water is enough to cover the entire planet with an ocean about one and a half kilometers deep. The water, if it […]
Late 20th-century Soviet science fiction writers and brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky argued that the sole purpose of a spacefaring species’ life was to ensure the well-being of the universe by promoting sentience, consciousness, and even happiness. To which Dolls, one of their most compelling alien protagonists, grumbles: Yes, but what kind of consciousness? What […]
