Earth is unique in several important ways: It is the only planet where life is known Granite has been discovered nowhere except on Earth Granite now forms the continents of Earth The first minute fragments of rocks (zircons) were formed inside … Continue reading
Living organisms surviving in open space supports the idea of ‘panspermia’ – life spreading from one planet to another, or even between solar systems. The life in this case was lichen but it seems possible that organisms could colonise planets … Continue reading
The search for liquid water beyond the Earth is important in the struggle to understand the origin of life. Data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have revealed Saturn’s moon Titan probably contains a layer of liquid water under its ice shell. Researchers … Continue reading
New experimental results imply that organic compounds are natural by-products of protoplanetary disk evolution and should be important ingredients in the formation of all planetary systems, including our own. Complex organic compounds, including many important to life on Earth, are … Continue reading