Astrobiology

Researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi have uncovered evidence that water flowed beneath Mars' surface billions of years ago, potentially sustaining habitable conditions longer than previously thought. Analysis of ancient sand dunes in Gale Crater, studied by NASA's Curiosity rover, shows minerals left by groundwater. These findings suggest subsurface environments could have protected microbial life after surface water vanished.

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Scientists have developed a test based on the reactivity of amino acids that could identify alien life differing from Earth-based organisms. The approach analyzes molecular energy differences to distinguish living from non-living samples with high accuracy. This tool may aid future missions to Mars or Saturn's moons.

A fresh look at data from NASA's Cassini mission indicates that Saturn's largest moon, Titan, likely lacks a vast subsurface ocean and instead features a slushy interior with isolated pockets of liquid water. This finding challenges earlier assumptions and could reshape the search for life on icy worlds. Researchers published their results on December 17 in the journal Nature.

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A new study suggests that billions of years ago, Earth's young atmosphere naturally generated sulfur-based molecules essential for life, challenging previous assumptions. Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder simulated ancient conditions and found production of amino acids like cysteine and taurine. This discovery implies that the planet may have been pre-stocked with life's building blocks before organisms emerged.