Earth Like

• Astronomers have discovered an atmosphere on a nearby Earthlike planet, marking the first time a potentially habitable world has been found to possess one. • An atmosphere is critical for life as it regulates climate, protects the surface from space radiation, and allows a planet to retain liquid water. • This discovery is significant because it establishes the planet as a primary candidate in the ongoing scientific search for extraterrestrial life.

• Astronomers from the University of California, Irvine, have updated their findings on an exoplanet located just 25 light years from Earth. • A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal reveals the planet is significantly smaller than previously estimated, possessing roughly twice the mass of Earth. • This discovery is critical because the planet's more manageable size makes it a much stronger candidate for being "Earth-like" and potentially habitable.

Two powerful earthquakes – with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 – sent residents running into the streets as buildings shook and collapsedVenezuela earthquake: powerful back-to-back quakes collapse buildings in capital CaracasBack-to-back powerful earthquakes hammered Venezuela on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings in the capital of Caracas.The US Geological Survey said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and its epicentre was west of the community of Morón, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 168km (104 miles) west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 13km (8 miles). Continue reading...

Looking for molecular evidence of life on other worlds is tricky, but a test based on the reactivity of carbon compounds could be a useful indicator