Samples of micro organisms, antibodies, fluorescent dyes and rock from Devon are amongst a European payload which will be sent into near Earth orbit this week onboard an unmanned Russian spacecraft – ...

There are 20 amino acids that create the proteins required for life on our planet — and scientists have now found exactly 14 of them on an asteroid millions of miles away. The asteroid in question, ...

Researchers have identified a new test case that could be used for evaluating extraterrestrial samples for evidence of life. The new test could ultimately allow the use of simpler analytical ...

Precious moon samples brought back to Earth by China's Chang'e 5 mission in 2020 have finally been shared with international researchers — but the law has made it difficult for U.S.-based scientists ...

A NASA spacecraft brought samples from the asteroid Bennu back to Earth in 2023. The first in-depth analyses of that material have revealed organic molecules, including building blocks of life. The ...

Scientists examining a rock sample from outer space thought they’d hit the jackpot recently when they discovered that it was teeming with life. But they soon learned that the microbes actually ...

A rock retrieved from a near-Earth asteroid is crawling with microbial life, scientists have discovered. But the bacteria on its surface almost certainly came from Earth. The sample is part of a ...