
Microbial life might drift in the atmospheres of failed stars
7 October 2019
Brown dwarfs are too large to be planets and too small to be stars, but they have gaseous atmospheres that may have all the ingredients needed for life

7 October 2019
Brown dwarfs are too large to be planets and too small to be stars, but they have gaseous atmospheres that may have all the ingredients needed for life

23 March 2018
On missions to Mars and beyond, astronauts will have to grow their own food. Urine has been shown in space simulations to keep wheat and soy alive over 20 years

14 February 2018
When hydrogen and oxygen combine in a planet’s atmosphere, they can ignite into a ball of fire and then leave behind liquid water oceans that would be good for life

31 January 2018
First seen in October 2017, the space rock 'Oumuamua looks like a skyscraper tumbling through space – and challenges our ideas of how planetary systems form

11 January 2018
Reflected light from a star’s flares may help us find otherwise invisible worlds. These exoplanets could be hit by powerful blasts, but may still host life

24 July 2017
On watery worlds that lack days and nights because one face always points toward their star, tides may help life emerge – and algal blooms might be the giveaway