Can an exoplanet that is perpetually locked into a never-ending, blistering hot day on one half and a permanent beyond freezing night on the other support life? “Just looking at the extreme temperatures on the day and night sides might lead one to conclude these exoplanets are too harsh for life,” says postdoctoral researcher in the School of Arts & Sciences Daisuke Noto. “But life might find a way.”

Construction scientists and engineers are learning lessons in space that can be applied for better construction here on the home planet.

For the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope has observed several tidal disruption events — when a black hole draws in a nearby star and tears it to shreds. Surprisingly, these are not active black holes, but rather dormant ones that briefly “wake up” to feast on a passing star.

To the point

- First tentative detection of prebiotic molecules in a planet-forming disc: In the young V883 Orionis system, ALMA observations have revealed signatures of complex organic compounds such as ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile – potential precursors to sugars and amino acids.

- Chemical evolution begins before planets are formed: The findings suggest that protoplanetary discs inherit and further develop complex molecules from earlier evolutionary stages, rather than forming them anew.

- Evidence for universal processes in the origin of biological molecules: The building blocks of life may not be limited to local conditions but could form widely throughout the Universe under suitable circumstances.

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