A new ocean planet, a planet with carbon dioxide, and new discoveries about life chances on Mars:
What may be an ocean planet has been discovered in the region of the Constellation Draco… Also, the James Webb Space Telescope has found “unequivocal” evidence of carbon dioxide on a Jupiter-like gas giant at 700 light years away…
The Webb’s ability to identify a planet’s specific chemical composition at that distance means researchers can focus on those exoplanets among the thousands spotted that are most likely to host carbon-based life…
Meanwhile, with NASA’s Artemis 1 Moon mission nearing blastoff, some analysts point to the far side of the Moon as a good place to base a radio telescope: that would see even further than the Webb
News, “News from the search for extraterrestrial life 2” at Mind Matters News (August 27, 2022)
Progress? We now need the Artemis Accords to divvy up nations’ rights re Moon exploration — and the far side might host a telescope better than the Webb.
Takehome: One reason for hope for finding life elsewhere in the universe is that the universe appears to be fine-tuned for life. What the universe won’t do is tell us where the life is.
You may also wish to read: News from the search for extraterrestrial life I: Super-Earths that might have life, choosing life forms to take to Mars, and self-replicating robots… NASA is looking at developing a swarm of tiny robots to look for extraterrestrial life on oceanic worlds like Europa or Enceladus. (August 20, 2022)