As 2013 draws to a close, Astrobiology Magazine highlights the year's top stories. At number 6 is the expansion of the Extrasolar Planets Catalog to now over 1,000 planets. The milestone was reached October 22, and their current count of planets discovered beyond our solar

A new study finds that the mass of an exoplanet can be determined solely by looking at the starlight that passes through the planet’s atmosphere.

MAVEN stands for “Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution”, and the mission will examine the upper portion of Mars’ thin, mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere in order to determine how the climate of the Red Planet has changed over time.

In a recent event at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, astronauts and cosmonauts who have flown for three different space agencies (United States, Russia, and Japan) discussed asteroid detection and deflection.

The Extrasolar Planets Catalog now has over 1,000 planets listed in their database. The milestone was reached October 22, and their current count of planets discovered beyond our solar system now sits at 1,010.

How long can civilization last? That question has long been asked by astronomers searching for intelligent alien life, and recently was the focus of a symposium in the Library of Congress.

What is life? In this interview, Gerry Joyce of the Scripps Research Institute reveals why it’s been so hard for scientists to come up with a definition that encompasses the multiple dimensions of life as we know it.

A rover named Zoë recently traveled to the dry, harsh terrain of Chile's Atacama Desert. Equipped with a drill, cameras, spectrometers and other sensors, Zoë spent two weeks analyzing the soil from above and below the surface, providing valuable data for future missions to Mars.

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

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.