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Topic: Mohammadtaher Safarzadeh

November 18, 2020 By Marc Kaufman
How Radioactivite Elements May Make Planets Suitable or Hostile to Life

llustration: J. Krissansen-Totton

How Radioactivite Elements May Make Planets Suitable or Hostile to Life

What makes a planet suitable to life? Some researchers think that focusing on a planet’s distance from its sun — the “habitable zone” — is too narrow. A new hypothesis looks at how radioactive elements may be an important factor for life to emerge.

Topics: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Francis Nimmo, Joel Primack, Mohammadtaher Safarzadeh, Sandra Faber

November 18, 2020November 18, 2020 By Anothony Maue
WARNING: Too Much Radiogenic Heat Could Hurt Exoplanet Habitability

Image credit: universe-review.ca.

WARNING: Too Much Radiogenic Heat Could Hurt Exoplanet Habitability

https://astrobites.org/2020/11/17/radiogenic-heat-hurts-dynamos/

Topics: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Francis Nimmo, Joel Primack, Mohammadtaher Safarzadeh, Sandra Faber

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 By Marcus Woo
Stellar Smashups May Fuel Planetary Habitability, Study Suggests

Stellar Smashups May Fuel Planetary Habitability, Study Suggests

Radioactive elements produced by colliding neutron stars could make the difference between living and lifeless worlds.

Topics: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Francis Nimmo, Joel Primack, Mohammadtaher Safarzadeh, Sandy Faber

November 13, 2020November 17, 2020 By Tim Stephens
Radioactive elements may be crucial to the habitability of rocky planets

A new study identifies internal heating from radioactive decay as a critical factor in a planet’s ability to generate a magnetic field and retain an atmosphere. Credit: Illustration by Melissa Weiss for UC Santa Cruz

Radioactive elements may be crucial to the habitability of rocky planets

Earth-size planets can have varying amounts of radioactive elements, which generate internal heat that drives a planet’s geological activity and magnetism

Topics: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Francis Nimmo, Joel Primack, Mohammadtaher Safarzadeh, Sandra Faber, Tim Stephens

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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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Last modified: November 17, 2020