extraterrestrial life

Scientists find planet with potential for life

by
ice world

An exoplanet in its star’s habitable Goldilocks zone is now suspected of having a liquid water ocean and an atmosphere. The planet, called LHS 1140 b, is about 1.7 times the size of Earth and is located about 48 light-years away. This distant world, first discovered in 2017, now turns out to be a rocky … Read more

Hydrothermal vents on the seafloor of ‘ocean worlds’ could support life, says a new study

by
Artistic rendering of seafloor vents on Enceladus

We’ve all seen the surreal images in nature documentaries showing hydrothermal vents on the frigid ocean floor – roaring black plumes of superheated water – and the life forms that cling to them. Now, a new study by researchers at UC Santa Cruz suggests that the lower-temperature vents, which are common on Earth’s seafloor, could … Read more