Detailed observations of Saturn’s moon Titan have now spanned 30 years, covering an entire solar orbit for this distant world. Dr Athena Coustenis from the Paris-Meudon Observatory in France has analysed data gathered over this time and has found that the changing seasons of Titan affect it more than previously thought. An artist’s impression [continue reading]
Humanity has landed a rover on Mars. Now, say scientists, it’s time to land a boat on Titan. This outlandish scenario could become reality, according to engineers presenting their proposals today (27 September 2012) at the European Planetary Science Congress. Paddle concept for TALISE probe. This rendering of the proposed TALISE probe shows one possible [continue reading]
Life thrives on Planet Earth. In even the most inhospitable places – the freezing Antarctic permafrost, sun-baked saltpans in Tunisia or the corrosively acidic Rio Tinto in Spain – pockets of life can be found. Some of these locations have much in common with environments found on Mars, as discovered by orbiters and rovers [continue reading]
A drilling project into the Chesapeake Bay impact crater has found evidence that the subsurface may become more habitable after a large impact. An incoming asteroid is trouble whether you’re a dinosaur or a Bruce Willis fan. But microbes living deep underground may actually welcome the news, according to a recent study of an ancient [continue reading]
A team of scientists from Japan are suggesting that the asteroid impact that killed dinosaurs may have also spread life from Earth throughout the galaxy. 65 million years ago, a 10km-wide asteroid smashed into the Earth and brought the 165 million-year reign of the dinosaurs to an end. It also spewed billions of tonnes of [continue reading]
In 1976, the National Aeronautical Space Agency (NASA) launched the Viking program, sending space probes to Mars to determine whether there was life on the red planet. Thirty-six years later the debate about life on Mars is not over, but research conducted in part at the University of Southern California (USC) offers more proof that [continue reading]