New theory proposes that humans — and analogous life beyond Earth — may represent the probable outcome of biological and planetary evolution UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Humanity may not be extraordinary ...

A new theory suggests windows of opportunity, not a series of improbable events may have helped humans gain a foothold in the universe. What are the odds of humanity emerging, well, anywhere?

The black star represents the position of the star. The colored lines are the orbits of two planets. The yellow one is the outer, and it is highly inclined. The inner one is the red one. As time ...

A new set of observations from the James Webb Space Telescope has captured intricate dusty structures surrounding a young, forming planet, offering unprecedented insights into the earliest stages of ...

How do terrestrial planets like Earth form and evolve to enable life to exist? This is what a recent study published in Nature hopes to address as a pair of scientists from the Southwest Research ...

A new study presents a compelling new model for the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes -- planets that are 1 to 4 times the size of Earth and among the most common in our galaxy. Using ...

An international team has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the tectonic evolution of terrestrial planets. Using advanced numerical models, the team systematically classified for the ...

New experimental research demonstrates that sub-Neptune exoplanets, the most common class discovered, could possess large quantities of liquid water. The study simulated early planetary conditions, ...

A recent studypublished in Naturepresents compelling evidence of ancient planetary material buried deep within Earth’s mantle. Researchers have uncovered two massive dense structures beneath Africa ...