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Study Warns of ‘Oxygen false positives’ in Search for Signs of Life on Other Planets

Illustration: J. Krissansen-Totton

Astrobiology Initiative

Study Warns of ‘Oxygen false positives’ in Search for Signs of Life on Other Planets

Oxygen in the atmosphere may not be an entirely reliable ‘biosignature,’ but there are ways to distinguish false positives from signs of life, scientists say

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Astrobiology Initiative Awards & Honors Instrumentation Earth Science

Astrobiology Initiative

UCSC Faculty Kick Off the Astrobiology Initiative Astrobiology Initiative

UCSC Faculty Kick Off the Astrobiology Initiative

June 22, 2019November 9, 2020

2021 – 2022 UC Santa Cruz Astrobiology Science Communication Graduate Fellow: Zack Savitsky Astrobiology Initiative, Science Communication

2021 – 2022 UC Santa Cruz Astrobiology Science Communication Graduate Fellow: Zack Savitsky

October 24, 2020September 20, 2022

UCSC Astrobiology Initiative Brings Science, Humanities, and Art Together to Study the Ethics of Space Sciences

Credit: Johns Hopkins APL

Astrobiology Initiative

UCSC Astrobiology Initiative Brings Science, Humanities, and Art Together to Study the Ethics of Space Sciences

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021

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Awards & Honors

Astrobiology Initiative Team Members Honored with Awards and Distinctions Astrophysics, Earth Science

Astrobiology Initiative Team Members Honored with Awards and Distinctions

August 13, 2020November 12, 2020

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Instrumentation

Heising-Simons Foundation supports exoplanet imaging projects at UC Santa Cruz Instrumentation

Heising-Simons Foundation supports exoplanet imaging projects at UC Santa Cruz

August 13, 2020January 15, 2021

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Earth Science

Stellar Smashups May Fuel Planetary Habitability, Study Suggests Earth Science

Stellar Smashups May Fuel Planetary Habitability, Study Suggests

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020

WARNING: Too Much Radiogenic Heat Could Hurt Exoplanet Habitability

Image credit: universe-review.ca.

Earth Science

WARNING: Too Much Radiogenic Heat Could Hurt Exoplanet Habitability

November 18, 2020November 18, 2020

Hydrothermal vents on seafloors of ‘ocean worlds’ could support life, new study says Earth Science

Hydrothermal vents on seafloors of ‘ocean worlds’ could support life, new study says

October 28, 2024

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Latest Posts

Former Astrobiology SciComm Fellow Zack Savitsky wins top national award for science journalists Awards & Honors, Science Communication

Former Astrobiology SciComm Fellow Zack Savitsky wins top national award for science journalists

November 14, 2024November 22, 2024

Hydrothermal vents on seafloors of ‘ocean worlds’ could support life, new study says Earth Science

Hydrothermal vents on seafloors of ‘ocean worlds’ could support life, new study says

October 28, 2024

Jonathan Fortney Garners Simons Investigator in Astrophysics Award Awards & Honors

Jonathan Fortney Garners Simons Investigator in Astrophysics Award

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021

Natalie Batalha Appointed UCSC Presidential Chair Awards & Honors

Natalie Batalha Appointed UCSC Presidential Chair

June 30, 2021August 29, 2021

Baked Meteorites Yield Clues to Planetary Atmospheres

Illustration by Dan Durda/Southwest Research Institute

Astrobiology Initiative

Baked Meteorites Yield Clues to Planetary Atmospheres

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021

Study Warns of ‘Oxygen false positives’ in Search for Signs of Life on Other Planets

Illustration: J. Krissansen-Totton

Astrobiology Initiative

Study Warns of ‘Oxygen false positives’ in Search for Signs of Life on Other Planets

April 13, 2021April 19, 2021

UCSC Astrobiology Initiative Brings Science, Humanities, and Art Together to Study the Ethics of Space Sciences

Credit: Johns Hopkins APL

Astrobiology Initiative

UCSC Astrobiology Initiative Brings Science, Humanities, and Art Together to Study the Ethics of Space Sciences

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021

How Radioactivite Elements May Make Planets Suitable or Hostile to Life

llustration: J. Krissansen-Totton

Earth Science

How Radioactivite Elements May Make Planets Suitable or Hostile to Life

November 18, 2020

WARNING: Too Much Radiogenic Heat Could Hurt Exoplanet Habitability

Image credit: universe-review.ca.

Earth Science

WARNING: Too Much Radiogenic Heat Could Hurt Exoplanet Habitability

November 18, 2020November 18, 2020

UC Santa Cruz Leads Interdisciplinary Consortium for Astrobiology Research

Illustration: D. Clark

Astrobiology Initiative

UC Santa Cruz Leads Interdisciplinary Consortium for Astrobiology Research

November 17, 2020April 19, 2021

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About us

By studying how life forms, identifying the markers of living worlds, and observing our cosmic neighborhood, UCSC astrobiologists bring a 21st century approach to bear on an ancient question: are we alone in the universe?

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Contact: dtanguay@ucsc.edu

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Last modified: April 19, 2021