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Caption:“At this time in Mars’ history, we think CO2 is everywhere, in every nook and cranny, and water percolating through the rocks is full of CO2 too,” Joshua Murray says.

Mars and Earth were sister planets in many ways, with early similar conditions. Why did Mars die? The leading explanation isn’t universal.

The threats Mars astronauts face — and how NASA is working to solve them.

“When you feel the isolation setting in at times, you have to reframe your mindset.”

Scientists might be looking for Martian life in the wrong place.

Motility was suggested as a promising “biosignature” as early as the 1960s, but the technology was insufficient — until now.

Whenever someone waxes poetic about terraforming alien worlds, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the ethical implications of the proposal.

In the early stages of our Solar System, there were three life-friendly planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only Earth thrived. Here’s why.

The case for why NASA should pivot to searching for current — not ancient — signs of life.

Valles Marineris is the Solar System’s grandest canyon, many times longer, wider, and deeper than the Grand Canyon. What scarred Mars so?

Well-preserved ancient plants and other finds at the Clarkia fossil beds hint at what kind of evidence any Martian life may have left behind.

If the past is any guide, things are going to take off quickly.

The recent discovery of a large cave on the Moon highlights the importance of caves not just for future space explorers but astrobiology as well.

Life may have arisen far earlier — and more rapidly — than previously thought.

Comparing Elon Musk’s Mars rocket to NASA’s new ride.

To know how to protect its astronauts, NASA needs to first understand the threat.

Chemical changes inside Mars’ core caused it to lose its magnetic field. This, in turn, caused it to lose its oceans. But how?

Watching for changes in the Red Planet’s orbit over time could be new way to detect passing dark matter.

These missions will put us one step closer to the ultimate goal: crewed trips to Mars.

A long view of biological survival might point us to new possibilities for finding life elsewhere in the Universe.

Ancient currents seemed to move in concert with a 2.4 million-year dance between the Red Planet and Earth.

Sophisticated rovers have found the conditions for Martian life, as well as the building blocks of life, but never life itself. AI can help.

Earth, the only rocky planet with a large, massive satellite, is greatly affected by the Moon. Destroying it would cause 7 major changes.

NASA gave three robots plans for a moon shelter, and the robots figured out how to build it.

“I study the mineral kingdom — and its secrets could lead us to alien life.”

It could cut the time needed to reach Mars in half.

See the 3 biggest space stories from October 16-22, 2023.

Mars, the red planet, was a world we knew almost nothing about until our first spacecraft visited it. In just ~50 years, how far we’ve come!

The Earth that exists today wasn’t formed simultaneously with the Sun and the other planets. In some ways, we’re quite a latecomer.

A next-generation instrument on a delayed rover may be the key to answering the question of life on Mars.