Latest news with #Earth-like
News18
2 days ago
- Science
- News18
Research On Origins Of Life On Earth, Mars May Pick Up Steam From Ladakh's Hot Springs
Last Updated: A team of Indian scientists has made a pivotal observation linking Puga Valley's unique geothermal activity to the chemistry of early life In the stark, icy high-altitude environment of Ladakh, a natural hot spring located in the Puga Valley is facilitating potentially groundbreaking scientific discoveries. These discoveries could significantly alter our understanding of life's origins on Earth and help in detecting biosignatures on other planets like Mars. A team of Indian scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has made a pivotal observation linking the valley's unique geothermal activity to the chemistry of early life. Traditional theories regarding the origin of life on Earth often focus on silica-based environments. However, the Indian team, led by Dr Amritpal Singh Chaddha, Dr Sunil Kumar Shukla, and Dr Anupam Sharma, has shifted focus to the role of carbonates, especially calcium. They noted rapid carbonate precipitation in the Puga Valley's extreme hot spring environment. Their interdisciplinary study, published in the prestigious journal ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, presents empirical evidence that natural travertine (calcium carbonate deposits) from the Puga Hot Spring can trap and preserve prebiotic organic molecules. The scientists analysed the high-altitude hot spring travertine using advanced techniques such as microscopy, GC-MS-MS, Raman, XRD, IR, and stable isotope geochemistry. They discovered preserved amino acid derivatives, formamide, sulphur compounds, and fatty acids encapsulated within calcite. These findings are crucial because they suggest that calcium carbonate acted as a 'potential natural template for origin-of-life chemistry under extreme Earth-like conditions", effectively concentrating and stabilising organic precursors essential for life. The extreme environment of Puga Valley, with its unique geothermal activity and high UV radiation, is hypothesised to have acted as a real-world 'prebiotic reactor and preservation site". This provides tangible, real-world evidence for phenomena previously explored only in laboratory settings. The insights gained from Puga are not limited to Earth's early history; they have significant implications for astrobiology. Conditions in Puga are thought to be similar to those on early Mars, where comparable hot springs and hydrothermal systems might have supported nascent life. This research, conducted under BSIP's newly formed Earth and Planetary Exploration Group (EPEG), will significantly aid future planetary exploration missions, including those by ISRO, in identifying true biosignatures. By enhancing the understanding of natural biomolecule preservation mechanisms, it also influences the development of new materials and life-detection technologies crucial for astrobiology and synthetic biology, potentially rewriting the playbook for the search for extraterrestrial life. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
DW
20-07-2025
- Science
- DW
Astronomers capture dawn of new solar system for 1st time – DW – 07/20/2025
In a cosmic first, astronomers have spotted the earliest signs of rocky planet formation around a young star. The discovery offers a rare vision of how Earth-like worlds may begin. Astronomers have spotted the earliest known signs of rocky planet formation around a young, sun-like star for the first time. The discovery offers an unprecedented glimpse into what may have happened at the dawn of our own solar system. Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's ALMA array in Chile, researchers peered into the gas disk surrounding the infant star HOPS-315, about 1,370 light-years away. The star is just 100,000 to 200,000 years old — a newborn in cosmic terms — and is thought to be on its way to becoming a yellow dwarf like our sun. "We've captured a direct glimpse of the hot region where rocky planets like Earth are born around young protostars," said lead researcher Melissa McClure of Leiden Observatory. "For the first time, we can conclusively say that the first steps of planet formation are happening right now." "Our study shows that it could be a common process during the earliest stage of planet formation," McClure said. The observations, published in the science journal Nature, show a glowing, lightning bug-like system against the dark void — a cosmic nursery where planets may one day emerge. While it's impossible to say how many planets HOPS-315 might produce, its massive gas disk could support as many as eight — just like our solar system — though that process may take a million years or more. Thanks to a tilt in the star's disk and a helpful gap in its outer region, the telescopes were able to detect signs of silicate minerals and silicon monoxide gas condensing. These are the very building blocks believed to have formed Earth and other rocky planets in our solar system over 4.5 billion years ago. The action is happening in a region similar to where our solar system's asteroid belt sits — between Mars and Jupiter. These early-stage solids had never been directly observed in such young systems before, leaving scientists unsure whether Earth's origin story was a rare case. Fred Ciesla of the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study, called it a long-awaited breakthrough. "This is one of the things we've been waiting for," he said. "There's a rich opportunity here." Astronomers hope similar discoveries will reveal how common planet formation is — and whether Earth-like worlds are a universal phenomenon or a rare cosmic fluke. "Are there Earth-like planets out there," asked co-author Merel van't Hoff of Purdue University, "or are we so special that we might not expect it to occur very often?"
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Birth of planet captured: Astronomers share rare glimpses of newborn planet about 1,300 light-yrs away
For the first time, a team of researchers has captured the birth of a planet around a star beyond our Sun. The observations captured the very beginnings of planet formation , a rare glimpse into the cosmic process that gives rise to Earth-like planets around a star. Observations were made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to capture the formation of a new planetary system. Scientists detected the formation of the first specks of planet-building material around a baby star named HOPS-315 , located about 1,300 light-years away. HOPS-315 is considered a 'proto-star', meaning it's in the earliest stage of stellar evolution. These young stars are often surrounded by protoplanetary discs - rotating clouds of gas and dust where planets are born. This image shows jets of silicon monoxide (SiO) blowing away from the baby star HOPS-315. (Pic credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al.) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Apartments Just Listed – Take a Look Apartments | Search Ads Learn More Undo "For the first time, we have identified the earliest moment when planet formation is initiated around a star other than our Sun," said Melissa McClure, lead author of the study from Leiden University in the Netherlands. The findings were published in the journal Nature . The team found evidence of silicon monoxide (SiO) gas and solid crystalline minerals in the disc surrounding HOPS-315. This suggests that planet-forming materials are beginning to condense from gas into solid particles, an evolutionary phase in the birth of planets. "This process has never been seen before in a protoplanetary disc — or anywhere outside our Solar System," said Edwin Bergin, co-author and professor at the University of Michigan, USA. The discovery unveils a never-before-seen phase in planet formation and opens a new window into studying how planetary systems like our own come into being.
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Are new planets being formed outside our solar system? Here's what astronomers have found
In the vast emptiness of space, some 1,370 light-years away, a faint glow pulses. Around a baby star called HOPS-315, astronomers have caught an extraordinary glimpse of a new world taking shape. For the first time, scientists say, we are witnessing the very beginning of rocky planet formation around a young, sun-like protostar. 'It's a direct glimpse of the hot region where rocky planets like Earth are born,' said Melissa McClure of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, as per AP, who led the international research team. 'For the first time, we can conclusively say that the first steps of planet formation are happening right now.' The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, offer what McClure calls a 'snapshot of time zero,' a look at the earliest phase of planetary birth. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's ALMA telescope in Chile worked together to study HOPS-315, a young yellow dwarf star still in its infancy at just 100,000 to 200,000 years old. Though it's destined to become a star like our sun, it's currently surrounded by a thick disk of gas and dust—the raw material for future planets. The researchers detected silicon monoxide gas and crystalline silicates, minerals believed to be the first solid substances to form in our own solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago. These materials were spotted in a region similar in distance to our asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter. McClure noted that such hot mineral condensation had never been directly observed around other young stars before. 'So we didn't know if it was a universal feature of planet formation or a weird feature of our solar system,' she wrote in an email, as per AP. 'Our study shows that it could be a common process during the earliest stage of planet formation.' While previous studies have examined either younger gas disks or more mature ones where planets may already be forming, this is the first time astronomers have caught the transition phase, when the first solid particles begin to emerge. 'This is one of the things we've been waiting for,' said Fred Ciesla as per AP, a planetary scientist at the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study. 'Astronomers have been thinking about how planetary systems form for a long period of time. There's a rich opportunity here.' It's too early to tell how many planets might eventually form around HOPS-315. But McClure said that with a gas disk as massive as the one our own solar system had in its early days, the star could potentially give rise to as many as eight planets over the next million years. Merel van 't Hoff, a co-author from Purdue University, said the team is eager to explore more systems like this. The goal is to find out just how common the path to Earth-like worlds really is. 'Are there Earth-like planets out there,' van 't Hoff asked as per AP, 'or are we so special that we might not expect it to occur very often?' (With inputs from AP)
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Are Earth-like planets common? Astronomers witness birth of a new solar system for the first time
Astronomers have spotted the earliest signs of rocky planet formation around a young, sun-like star, which offers new clues about how planets like Earth may form across the universe. The discovery, published in Nature, shows solid materials condensing in the gas surrounding a newborn star, HOPS-315 . This is the first time scientists have directly observed such early building blocks of rocky planets. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Design Thinking PGDM Data Analytics Public Policy Data Science healthcare Operations Management Leadership others MBA Project Management Product Management Data Science Degree Digital Marketing CXO MCA Artificial Intelligence Finance Others Management Cybersecurity Technology Healthcare Skills you'll gain: Duration: 25 Weeks IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 22 Weeks IIM Indore CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Also Read: China's new space tech could help Astronauts survive on the moon without resupply missions by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 10년 발톱무좀, 정확히 6개월 걸렸습니다! (사실주의) 홈시네라이프 더 알아보기 Undo Using NASA 's James Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's ALMA network in Chile, researchers observed a gap in the gas disk around HOPS-315. Live Events The star, about 100,000 to 200,000 years old and located 1,370 light-years away, is in its early stages of development, similar to how our Sun once began. Inside the gap, scientists detected silicon monoxide gas and silicate minerals, the same materials believed to have formed rocky planets in our solar system. "This is the first conclusive evidence of rocky planet formation happening right now," said Melissa McClure of Leiden Observatory, who led the international research team. Could Earth-like planets be common? Until now, astronomers had only theorised how rocky planets begin to form. This observation shows the process may be a regular part of early star development, not unique to our solar system. "The materials and conditions look very similar to how Earth may have formed," said co-author Merel van 't Hoff of Purdue University . By studying more young stars like HOPS-315, scientists hope to find out whether Earth-like planets are common in the universe or rare exceptions. What comes next? The gas disk around HOPS-315 is massive, suggesting there could be enough material to form several planets in the future. But it's still too early to know how many will actually emerge. For now, astronomers plan to scan the skies for other newborn stars to compare their planetary formation stages . "There's a rich opportunity here to understand how worlds like ours come to be," said Fred Ciesla from the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study. Purdue University's Merel van 't Hoff, a co-author, is excited to discover more emerging planetary systems. By broadening their search, astronomers can identify key processes in forming Earth-like worlds.
