Microbial Life
- All
- News
- Videos
-
78 Million Years Ago, An Asteroid Hit Earth, Then Life Started In Its Crater
Scientists have discovered that microbial life colonised the Lappajarvi impact crater in Finland shortly after a massive asteroid struck 78 million years ago.
-
Study Links Microbial Colonization to Ancient Meteorite Crater: What You Need to Know
A Swedish team has precisely dated microbial life in Finland’s Lappajärvi crater. Isotopic traces show bacteria colonized the hydrothermal system just a few million years after the meteorite impact, thriving for millions of years. The finding suggests impact craters on Earth and Mars may provide lasting habitats for life.
-
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Potential Signs of Life in Mars Rock Sample
NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered iron-rich minerals in Jezero Crater rocks that on Earth often link to microbial activity. The discovery suggests Mars’ lake basin may have been more hospitable than thought. Still, scientists caution that only Earth-based analysis can confirm whether these are true biosignatures.
-
NASA Mars Rover Finds Strongest Hints Yet Of Potential Signs Of Ancient Life
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has uncovered rocks in a dry river channel that may hold potential signs of ancient microscopic life, scientists reported Wednesday.
-
Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
-
Hundreds Of New Giant Viruses Discovered In Global Waters: Study
The study identified 230 new giant viruses and 530 novel functional proteins, shedding light on their interactions with marine microbes and potential biotechnological applications.
-
Europa Could Briefly Sustain Life When the Sun Becomes a Red Giant Star, Scientists Say
Scientists at Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute propose that Jupiter’s moon Europa could host life for up to 200 million years during the sun’s red giant phase. While Earth would be incinerated, Europa’s subsurface oceans might temporarily support microbial life, offering a final refuge in the solar system and expanding the search for biosigna...
-
Life on Mars? Studies Suggest Bacteria-Like Organisms Could Exist
New findings indicate that Mars' past conditions may have supported microbial life. Research draws parallels with extremophiles—microorganisms that thrive in extreme environments on Earth. Studies on bacteria like Helicobacter pylori suggest that if life exists on Mars, it might resemble resilient microbes found in human stomachs. Scientists cont...
-
Curiosity Rover Finds Evidence of Liquid Water on Mars, Expanding Habitability Timeline
Reports from NASA’s Curiosity rover reveal evidence of ancient liquid water on Mars, challenging previous models. Images from Gale Crater show wave-like ripples, similar to Earth’s lakebeds. Scientists suggest the findings indicate Mars once had a denser atmosphere, which allowed liquid water to exist longer than previously believed. This disco...
-
Mars Satellite Images Reveal Giant 'Kidney Beans,' Sparking Hints of Water and Life
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of frozen sand dunes in Mars' northern hemisphere, revealing unique formations halted by carbon dioxide frost during winter. Unlike Earth's desert dunes, which shift with wind, these Martian dunes remain stationary until spring thaw releases their icy grip. Scientists study these features to unders...
-
Mars' Hidden Methane Deposits Could Be Underneath the Crust, Host Alien Life
Scientists have identified regions on Mars where conditions might support microbial life beneath the surface. Seasonal methane variations and Earth-based studies of similar environments suggest underground habitats such as Acidalia Planitia could hold the key. Methanogens, microbes that produce methane, thrive in extreme conditions on Earth, like s...
-
New Study Reveals Incredible Microbial Life Deep Under Earth’s Surface
A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances has revealed the extensive microbial life thriving beneath Earth's surface. The research led by Emil Ruff uncovers diverse ecosystems at depths of up to 4,375 metres, challenging previous assumptions about energy limitations in deep environments. It also suggests that Earth's subsurface microbes ...
-
New Clues Point To Possible Alien Life Beneath Mars' Surface
By analyzing data from various Mars missions, the team has identified a subsurface zone, between 4.3 and 8.8 kilometres deep, where conditions could support microbial activity.
-
New Chemical Models Might Reveal Whether Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter Contain Life
Recent studies aim to determine the habitability of Saturn's moon Enceladus using improved chemical models. These tools simulate how organic compounds interact with icy environments under extreme conditions. The research, led by Charity Phillips-Lander and Florent Bocher, focuses on phenomena such as organic-doped ice pores, replicating conditions ...
-
NASA’s Viking Mission May Have Destroyed Martian Life with Water Experiments
In 1975, NASA’s Viking mission tested Martian soil for microbial life using liquid water. A recent theory suggests this approach may have destroyed microbes adapted to Mars' dry, salt-driven conditions. Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch proposes revisiting our assumptions about life on Mars and prioritising methods suited to its hyperarid enviro...
-
78 Million Years Ago, An Asteroid Hit Earth, Then Life Started In Its Crater
Scientists have discovered that microbial life colonised the Lappajarvi impact crater in Finland shortly after a massive asteroid struck 78 million years ago.
-
Study Links Microbial Colonization to Ancient Meteorite Crater: What You Need to Know
A Swedish team has precisely dated microbial life in Finland’s Lappajärvi crater. Isotopic traces show bacteria colonized the hydrothermal system just a few million years after the meteorite impact, thriving for millions of years. The finding suggests impact craters on Earth and Mars may provide lasting habitats for life.
-
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Potential Signs of Life in Mars Rock Sample
NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered iron-rich minerals in Jezero Crater rocks that on Earth often link to microbial activity. The discovery suggests Mars’ lake basin may have been more hospitable than thought. Still, scientists caution that only Earth-based analysis can confirm whether these are true biosignatures.
-
NASA Mars Rover Finds Strongest Hints Yet Of Potential Signs Of Ancient Life
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has uncovered rocks in a dry river channel that may hold potential signs of ancient microscopic life, scientists reported Wednesday.
-
Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
-
Hundreds Of New Giant Viruses Discovered In Global Waters: Study
The study identified 230 new giant viruses and 530 novel functional proteins, shedding light on their interactions with marine microbes and potential biotechnological applications.
-
Europa Could Briefly Sustain Life When the Sun Becomes a Red Giant Star, Scientists Say
Scientists at Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute propose that Jupiter’s moon Europa could host life for up to 200 million years during the sun’s red giant phase. While Earth would be incinerated, Europa’s subsurface oceans might temporarily support microbial life, offering a final refuge in the solar system and expanding the search for biosigna...
-
Life on Mars? Studies Suggest Bacteria-Like Organisms Could Exist
New findings indicate that Mars' past conditions may have supported microbial life. Research draws parallels with extremophiles—microorganisms that thrive in extreme environments on Earth. Studies on bacteria like Helicobacter pylori suggest that if life exists on Mars, it might resemble resilient microbes found in human stomachs. Scientists cont...
-
Curiosity Rover Finds Evidence of Liquid Water on Mars, Expanding Habitability Timeline
Reports from NASA’s Curiosity rover reveal evidence of ancient liquid water on Mars, challenging previous models. Images from Gale Crater show wave-like ripples, similar to Earth’s lakebeds. Scientists suggest the findings indicate Mars once had a denser atmosphere, which allowed liquid water to exist longer than previously believed. This disco...
-
Mars Satellite Images Reveal Giant 'Kidney Beans,' Sparking Hints of Water and Life
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of frozen sand dunes in Mars' northern hemisphere, revealing unique formations halted by carbon dioxide frost during winter. Unlike Earth's desert dunes, which shift with wind, these Martian dunes remain stationary until spring thaw releases their icy grip. Scientists study these features to unders...
-
Mars' Hidden Methane Deposits Could Be Underneath the Crust, Host Alien Life
Scientists have identified regions on Mars where conditions might support microbial life beneath the surface. Seasonal methane variations and Earth-based studies of similar environments suggest underground habitats such as Acidalia Planitia could hold the key. Methanogens, microbes that produce methane, thrive in extreme conditions on Earth, like s...
-
New Study Reveals Incredible Microbial Life Deep Under Earth’s Surface
A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances has revealed the extensive microbial life thriving beneath Earth's surface. The research led by Emil Ruff uncovers diverse ecosystems at depths of up to 4,375 metres, challenging previous assumptions about energy limitations in deep environments. It also suggests that Earth's subsurface microbes ...
-
New Clues Point To Possible Alien Life Beneath Mars' Surface
By analyzing data from various Mars missions, the team has identified a subsurface zone, between 4.3 and 8.8 kilometres deep, where conditions could support microbial activity.
-
New Chemical Models Might Reveal Whether Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter Contain Life
Recent studies aim to determine the habitability of Saturn's moon Enceladus using improved chemical models. These tools simulate how organic compounds interact with icy environments under extreme conditions. The research, led by Charity Phillips-Lander and Florent Bocher, focuses on phenomena such as organic-doped ice pores, replicating conditions ...
-
NASA’s Viking Mission May Have Destroyed Martian Life with Water Experiments
In 1975, NASA’s Viking mission tested Martian soil for microbial life using liquid water. A recent theory suggests this approach may have destroyed microbes adapted to Mars' dry, salt-driven conditions. Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch proposes revisiting our assumptions about life on Mars and prioritising methods suited to its hyperarid enviro...
