http://www.astrobio.net/latestnews_rss/news.xml Exciting news Readings ,updated daily en-us Wed, 22 May 2013 15:33:00 -0400 Copyright:(C) 2013 Astrobio, http://www.astrobio.net/latestnews_rss/news.xml http://www.astrobio.net/ A new study shows that RNA may have a more varied role in the cells of ancient organisms on the early Earth. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5495&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5495&task=detail Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Astrobiologists have discovered ancient pockets of water that have been isolated deep underground for billions of years. The water is trapped in rocks that are similar to rocks known to be on Mars, and it contains abundant chemicals known to support http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5494&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5494&task=detail Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 The NASA Astrobiology Program is now outlining the new 2013 Astrobiology Roadmap, which charts future directions for astrobiology research and technology development at the organization. The process has begun with a series of webinars and online discussions, and a call is out to the astrobiology http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5492&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5492&task=detail Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Scott Hubbard helped guide the Kepler mission when he served as director of NASA Ames Research Center. Here he explains how NASA might bring the planet-hunting spacecraft back http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_interview&id=5491&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_interview&id=5491&task=detail Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Scientists have published the first global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan. The new map is a valuable tool for studying the moon, which is a prime target of interest for astrobiology in our solar http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5489&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5489&task=detail Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet using a new method that relies on Einstein's special theory of relativity. The new method can't be used to hunt for Earth-sized worlds using current technology, but it does have some advantages over other popular techniques. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5487&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5487&task=detail Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 The Icebreaker Life mission to Mars, currently being developed, would drill down about 3 feet and scan the ice shavings for organic biomarkers - molecules that are too complex to be produced non-biologically and could be conclusive evidence of life. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5476&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5476&task=detail Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Using infrared pictures from ground-based telescopes, astronomers have collected precise information about the composition of four planets orbiting a bright star. The technique is one of many methods being examined for use in studying exoplanet http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5486&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5486&task=detail Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Scientists involved in NASA's Kepler mission reported today that the telescope is in "safe mode" and no longer able to make observations. While not officially "dead," this may be the end of the road for the telescope that has discovered thousands of exoplanets, many of them http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5488&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5488&task=detail Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Astronomers have found the building blocks for Earth-sized planets in the atmospheres of burned-out stars. The pair of white dwarfs is being polluted by asteroid-like http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5485&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5485&task=detail Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 At a recent NASA conference, a panel of exoplanet scientists held a lively discussion about some of the most important issues facing the search for and understanding of planets orbiting far-distant stars. In the final part of this series, the panel discussion wraps up with more questions and http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_debate&id=5475&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_debate&id=5475&task=detail Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 A new study finds that water inside the Moon's mantle may have come from the same source that supplied most of the water on Earth. The findings provide new clues about the formation of the Moon the early history of planet http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5484&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5484&task=detail Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Astronomers have made the longest observation yet of a hot Jupiter. By observing the HAT-P-2 system for six days, scientists have uncovered new details of the strange and distant world. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5479&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5479&task=detail Sat, 11 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 The first humans to live on Mars might not identify as astronauts, but farmers. Growing food on Mars might be one of the most vital, challenging and labor-intensive tasks at hand, experts say. A report from the Humans 2 Mars conference in Washington D.C. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5483&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5483&task=detail Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Scientists gathered at NASA Headquarters this week to discuss how Earth's climate compares to other locations in our solar system and beyond. By highlighting the similarities and contrasts between alien environments, we may gain a better understanding about changes in our home planet's climate. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5481&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5481&task=detail Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 If NASA is to land humans on Mars by the 2030s, as President Barack Obama has directed, there's not much time to settle on a plan and develop the technologies required, agency officials said Monday, May 6. A report from the Humans 2 Mars conference in Washington http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5480&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5480&task=detail Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 A new study on Mt. Sharp, the landing site for NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, could have important implications for understanding the habitability of ancient http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5477&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5477&task=detail Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Explore Mars and the George Washington University Space Policy Institute present the The Humans to Mars (H2M) Summit, 6-8 May 2013 at the Lisner Auditorium of the George Washington University in Washington, DC. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_retrospection&id=5478&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_retrospection&id=5478&task=detail Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 At a recent NASA conference, a panel of exoplanet scientists held a lively discussion about some of the most important issues facing the search for and understanding of planets orbiting far-distant stars. In part nine of this series, the audience asks questions and makes comments about the http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_debate&id=5474&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_debate&id=5474&task=detail Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 In 1908, a powerful explosion occurred in a remote region of Siberia near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. The blast left no crater, but it is thought to have been caused by a meteorite or comet exploding in the atmosphere. Now, scientists may have discovered samples from the meteorite http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5473&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5473&task=detail Sun, 05 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 From May 3 through June 8, 2013, NASA will be testing the newest scientific rover in the highest part of Greenland. GROVER will collect data that will help scientists understand changes in the massive ice http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5472&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5472&task=detail Sat, 04 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Scientists have discovered tiny fossils in rocks around Lake Superior, Canada, that provide the first evidence of organisms eating each other. The study provides insight into Earth's ancient biosphere, and might indicate what our planet used to smell like. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5470&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5470&task=detail Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 A recent study explores how atmospheric pressure on Earth-like worlds could impact their ability to possess liquid water on their http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5471&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5471&task=detail Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Newly discovered fossils from 10 million years after Earth's largest mass extinction show that the ancestors of dinosaurs may have appeared much earlier than previously http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5469&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5469&task=detail Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Astronomers are using a clever technique to study stars that are too far away to measure directly, and the planets they host. The method involves comparing the small, relatively cool stars to closer stars that are easier to http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5468&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5468&task=detail Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 At a recent NASA conference, exoplanet scientists held a lively discussion about issues facing the search for and understanding of planets orbiting far-distant stars. In part eight of this series, the panelists debate whether the many press releases about the possible habitability of new-found http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_debate&id=5465&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_debate&id=5465&task=detail Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Scientists have provided new information about the relationship between oxygen in Earth's early atmosphere and the sulfur cycle. The study could shed light on how oxygen accumulated in Earth's atmosphere - an event that had profound implications for life on our http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5466&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5466&task=detail Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 A new study indicates that brinicles, sometimes called "sea stalactites," could have played a role in the origin of life. The findings might have implications in understanding life's potential on icy moons in our solar system. http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5464&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5464&task=detail Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 A new study suggests that technology advances in the next decade could allow astronomers to detect biosignatures in the atmospheres of planets around dead http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5463&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_news&id=5463&task=detail Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Some alien worlds orbiting red dwarf stars might resemble giant eyeballs. Researchers are now proposing experiments to simulate these distant planets and see how capable they are of supporting http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5462&task=detail http://www.astrobio.net/index.php?option=com_exclusive&id=5462&task=detail Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400