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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Our best proof of life on Mars yet? A deep dive into Cheyava Falls
A strange rock on Mars is different from anything we’ve seen before in the search for life.
A biosignature on Mars? Unpacking Perseverance's Cheyava Falls find
An interview with Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University, New York, one of the lead scientists involved in the discovery of possible biosignatures on Mars.
NASA: Perseverance found possible biosignatures in Martian rock
NASA’s Perseverance rover has identified a potential sign of past life on Mars — not a definitive detection, but perhaps the most compelling hint yet.
Rethinking the atoms of life
Astrobiologists aren't just looking at other worlds to search for life; they're looking back to ancient Earth and considering alternate biochemistries.
A test bed in the search for life
Updates from a Planetary Society STEP Grant-funded project.
The Fermi Paradox: Where are all the aliens?
The conditions for intelligent life to arise don't seem uncommon in the Cosmos. So where is everybody?
A possible sign of life on K2-18b? Here’s what it means — and why it's just the beginning
If dimethyl-sulfide truly exists on the planet K2-18 b, it could be a huge milestone in the search for life.
Are UFOs or UAPs real?
Something weird is happening — something that, even as an astronomer, I once struggled to explain.
Mars’ enduring role in the search for life
New discoveries underscore why we must keep exploring the red planet.
Could Europa Clipper find life?
For a mission that doesn’t aim to find alien life, Europa Clipper may come surprisingly close.
Connecting ancient life to other worlds
Looking to the past to guide the search for life.
Earthlings as aliens
Looking at life on Earth from another perspective.
Extraterrestrial artifacts
Could the Solar System host traces of other intelligent life?
Why the “habitable zone” doesn’t always mean habitable
The habitable zone is a useful concept in astrobiology, but it can sometimes paint an over-simplified picture of planetary habitability.
Mars may host oceans’ worth of water deep underground
The tentative discovery hints at an habitat where life could potentially thrive.
Eureka? Scientists’ first hints of life on other planets may not be so obvious
Knowing that you've found signs of life beyond Earth may not be as clear-cut and simple as one might think.
NASA discovers Mars rock with ancient potential for life
A single 3.5 billion-year-old rock shows signs of all the conditions life needs to thrive.
Your impact: June solstice 2024
Growing space salads and advocating for exploration
The best places to search for life in our Solar System
From Earth's neighboring planets to distant moons, these are the best places to look for alien life.
How astronomers search for life on exoplanets
Technologies for studying planets around other stars are advancing all the time. Along with those advancements come new ways to look for possible signs of life on those planets.