Alexandra Navrotsky knows a lot about the little things. She is a leader in the field of nanogeoscience, which centers around how nanoparticles lead to mineral formation in geological systems. In over ...

Water is essential for life on Earth. So, the liquid must be a requirement for life in other worlds. For decades, scientists' definition of habitability on other planets has rested on this assumption.

The orange sea lichen, found on coastal rocks. Image by Rosser1954 Roger Griffith – Own work, Public Domain. Lichen from the Mojave Desert can survive, and replicate, under levels of extreme solar ...