Earth may have won a cosmic chemistry lottery. Researchers found that during the planet’s earliest formation, oxygen had to be in an extremely narrow “Goldilocks zone” for two life-essential elements, ...

Many fields represented This work is part of the AEThER (Atmospheric Empirical, Theoretical, and Experimental Research) project, which was founded and is led by Shahar. The group brings together ...

For life to develop on a planet, two chemical elements are needed in sufficient quantities: phosphorus and nitrogen. Phosphorus is vital for the formation of DNA and RNA. Nitrogen is an essential ...

In addition to shaping the interior of rocky planets, molten rock located deep within these planets may also contribute to the creation of a planet’s magnetic fields, which protect the entire planet ...

Astronomers have narrowed down the cosmic search for life, identifying fewer than 50 rocky planets among thousands of known exoplanets that may have the right conditions to support life. Using new ...