It's calculated that, thanks to rapid inflation, the universe may contain more than 1 googol (10^100) stars, and if this is the case then more complex, life-sustaining RNA structures are more than just probable, they're practically inevitable.
The discovery of Metallosphaera sedula - the bacteria that eats meteorites not only invites speculation on how terrestrial life could survive off world, it offers insight into how early biology could have received key nutrients through space rocks.
We get excited when we detect water on another world, which so far hasn’t happened often. But this study shows that the presence of water, though tantalizing and worth pursuing scientifically, guarantees nothing.
Largest documented asteroid breakup in the asteroid belt during the past two billion years caused enormous amounts of dust to spread through the solar system. The blocking effect of this dust lead to cooler temperatures which in turn caused diversification.
New computational analysis finds that more than two dozen human zinc finger transcription factors, previously thought to control activity of similar genes across species have in fact human-specific roles and could help explain the evolution.
A research into how life evolved on Earth has shown that water alone does not guarantee life – nor does the presence of oxygen gas. And that two other major biosignatures, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide could be needed.
A team of scientists has re-created some of the first steps of life in the lab, testing whether life could emerge on other ocean worlds.
The preservation of trace fossils, suggests that multicellular organisms that could move around to reach food resources may already have existed 2.1 billion years ago, more than 1.5 billion years older than previously thought.
NASA has announced a new space telescope mission dedicated to understanding the origins of life and the universe. The space agency is aiming for a 2023 launch.
