#biospheres — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #biospheres, aggregated by home.social.
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The classical circumstellar #habitable zone restricts the search for #life to planetary surfaces where stellar irradiation sustains liquid water, overlooking vast subsurface environments.
In a new paper, researchers present a geophysical model integrating internal radial structure, mineralogy, radiogenic heat, and pressure-dependent porosity to quantify the three-dimensional habitable volume-the eirenesphere-of rocky #exoplanets.
They manage to distinguish between aquability (thermodynamic water stability) and habitability, which requires temperatures and pressures within extremophile biological limits, plus sufficient porosity for fluid circulation.
Applying rhe model they find that Earth’s current state represents only a moderate regime.
Instead, mature super-Earths with high geothermal activity provide the most extensive environments for deep #biospheres.
Crustal mineralogy exerts a first-order control: thermally insulating felsic crusts sustain significantly larger eirenespheres than primary mafic lithologies.
Tracking secular cooling reveals internal habitability is an evolutionary property; young planets host confined biospheres due to steep thermal gradients, whereas mature worlds maximize habitable volumes over billions of years.
Around solar-like #stars, subsurface habitability persists out to 5−7 au, effectively decoupling life’s potential from surface radiative balance.
Extrapolating to the Milky Way reveals a staggering galactic capacity for subsurface life, on the order of billions of terrestrial oceans.
#astrobiology #astronomy
https://astrobiology.com/2026/09/24/inside-the-eirenesphere-the-interplay-of-porosity-heat-flux-and-mineralogy-in-exoplanetary-aquable-and-habitable-layers/Paper by Orjuela & Zuluaga (2026):
https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25280 -
The classical circumstellar #habitable zone restricts the search for #life to planetary surfaces where stellar irradiation sustains liquid water, overlooking vast subsurface environments.
In a new paper, researchers present a geophysical model integrating internal radial structure, mineralogy, radiogenic heat, and pressure-dependent porosity to quantify the three-dimensional habitable volume-the eirenesphere-of rocky #exoplanets.
They manage to distinguish between aquability (thermodynamic water stability) and habitability, which requires temperatures and pressures within extremophile biological limits, plus sufficient porosity for fluid circulation.
Applying rhe model they find that Earth’s current state represents only a moderate regime.
Instead, mature super-Earths with high geothermal activity provide the most extensive environments for deep #biospheres.
Crustal mineralogy exerts a first-order control: thermally insulating felsic crusts sustain significantly larger eirenespheres than primary mafic lithologies.
Tracking secular cooling reveals internal habitability is an evolutionary property; young planets host confined biospheres due to steep thermal gradients, whereas mature worlds maximize habitable volumes over billions of years.
Around solar-like #stars, subsurface habitability persists out to 5−7 au, effectively decoupling life’s potential from surface radiative balance.
Extrapolating to the Milky Way reveals a staggering galactic capacity for subsurface life, on the order of billions of terrestrial oceans.
#astrobiology #astronomy
https://astrobiology.com/2026/09/24/inside-the-eirenesphere-the-interplay-of-porosity-heat-flux-and-mineralogy-in-exoplanetary-aquable-and-habitable-layers/Paper by Orjuela & Zuluaga (2026):
https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25280 -
The classical circumstellar #habitable zone restricts the search for #life to planetary surfaces where stellar irradiation sustains liquid water, overlooking vast subsurface environments.
In a new paper, researchers present a geophysical model integrating internal radial structure, mineralogy, radiogenic heat, and pressure-dependent porosity to quantify the three-dimensional habitable volume-the eirenesphere-of rocky #exoplanets.
They manage to distinguish between aquability (thermodynamic water stability) and habitability, which requires temperatures and pressures within extremophile biological limits, plus sufficient porosity for fluid circulation.
Applying rhe model they find that Earth’s current state represents only a moderate regime.
Instead, mature super-Earths with high geothermal activity provide the most extensive environments for deep #biospheres.
Crustal mineralogy exerts a first-order control: thermally insulating felsic crusts sustain significantly larger eirenespheres than primary mafic lithologies.
Tracking secular cooling reveals internal habitability is an evolutionary property; young planets host confined biospheres due to steep thermal gradients, whereas mature worlds maximize habitable volumes over billions of years.
Around solar-like #stars, subsurface habitability persists out to 5−7 au, effectively decoupling life’s potential from surface radiative balance.
Extrapolating to the Milky Way reveals a staggering galactic capacity for subsurface life, on the order of billions of terrestrial oceans.
#astrobiology #astronomy
https://astrobiology.com/2026/09/24/inside-the-eirenesphere-the-interplay-of-porosity-heat-flux-and-mineralogy-in-exoplanetary-aquable-and-habitable-layers/Paper by Orjuela & Zuluaga (2026):
https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25280 -
The classical circumstellar #habitable zone restricts the search for #life to planetary surfaces where stellar irradiation sustains liquid water, overlooking vast subsurface environments.
In a new paper, researchers present a geophysical model integrating internal radial structure, mineralogy, radiogenic heat, and pressure-dependent porosity to quantify the three-dimensional habitable volume-the eirenesphere-of rocky #exoplanets.
They manage to distinguish between aquability (thermodynamic water stability) and habitability, which requires temperatures and pressures within extremophile biological limits, plus sufficient porosity for fluid circulation.
Applying rhe model they find that Earth’s current state represents only a moderate regime.
Instead, mature super-Earths with high geothermal activity provide the most extensive environments for deep #biospheres.
Crustal mineralogy exerts a first-order control: thermally insulating felsic crusts sustain significantly larger eirenespheres than primary mafic lithologies.
Tracking secular cooling reveals internal habitability is an evolutionary property; young planets host confined biospheres due to steep thermal gradients, whereas mature worlds maximize habitable volumes over billions of years.
Around solar-like #stars, subsurface habitability persists out to 5−7 au, effectively decoupling life’s potential from surface radiative balance.
Extrapolating to the Milky Way reveals a staggering galactic capacity for subsurface life, on the order of billions of terrestrial oceans.
#astrobiology #astronomy
https://astrobiology.com/2026/09/24/inside-the-eirenesphere-the-interplay-of-porosity-heat-flux-and-mineralogy-in-exoplanetary-aquable-and-habitable-layers/Paper by Orjuela & Zuluaga (2026):
https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25280 -
The classical circumstellar #habitable zone restricts the search for #life to planetary surfaces where stellar irradiation sustains liquid water, overlooking vast subsurface environments.
In a new paper, researchers present a geophysical model integrating internal radial structure, mineralogy, radiogenic heat, and pressure-dependent porosity to quantify the three-dimensional habitable volume-the eirenesphere-of rocky #exoplanets.
They manage to distinguish between aquability (thermodynamic water stability) and habitability, which requires temperatures and pressures within extremophile biological limits, plus sufficient porosity for fluid circulation.
Applying rhe model they find that Earth’s current state represents only a moderate regime.
Instead, mature super-Earths with high geothermal activity provide the most extensive environments for deep #biospheres.
Crustal mineralogy exerts a first-order control: thermally insulating felsic crusts sustain significantly larger eirenespheres than primary mafic lithologies.
Tracking secular cooling reveals internal habitability is an evolutionary property; young planets host confined biospheres due to steep thermal gradients, whereas mature worlds maximize habitable volumes over billions of years.
Around solar-like #stars, subsurface habitability persists out to 5−7 au, effectively decoupling life’s potential from surface radiative balance.
Extrapolating to the Milky Way reveals a staggering galactic capacity for subsurface life, on the order of billions of terrestrial oceans.
#astrobiology #astronomy
https://astrobiology.com/2026/09/24/inside-the-eirenesphere-the-interplay-of-porosity-heat-flux-and-mineralogy-in-exoplanetary-aquable-and-habitable-layers/Paper by Orjuela & Zuluaga (2026):
https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25280 -
The challenge of Space makes us think of our own cycles on Earth, and how out of whack they can be when we don't appreciate them. A hydroponic wonder crop is no use if it's waste clogs up the pipes, and Humans need things like spices and textures and variety or will go mad...
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mars-astronauts-space-greenhouses.html
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The challenge of Space makes us think of our own cycles on Earth, and how out of whack they can be when we don't appreciate them. A hydroponic wonder crop is no use if it's waste clogs up the pipes, and Humans need things like spices and textures and variety or will go mad...
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mars-astronauts-space-greenhouses.html
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The challenge of Space makes us think of our own cycles on Earth, and how out of whack they can be when we don't appreciate them. A hydroponic wonder crop is no use if it's waste clogs up the pipes, and Humans need things like spices and textures and variety or will go mad...
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mars-astronauts-space-greenhouses.html
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The challenge of Space makes us think of our own cycles on Earth, and how out of whack they can be when we don't appreciate them. A hydroponic wonder crop is no use if it's waste clogs up the pipes, and Humans need things like spices and textures and variety or will go mad...
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mars-astronauts-space-greenhouses.html
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The challenge of Space makes us think of our own cycles on Earth, and how out of whack they can be when we don't appreciate them. A hydroponic wonder crop is no use if it's waste clogs up the pipes, and Humans need things like spices and textures and variety or will go mad...
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-mars-astronauts-space-greenhouses.html
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Galactic Geography versus Habitability: The Best Neighborhoods for Starting a Life in the Galaxy
➡️ https://quantamagazine.org/the-best-neighborhoods-for-starting-a-life-in-the-galaxy-20240124 by Rebecca Boyle @Rboyle31
@QuantaMagazine
The research paper by Jesper Nielsen and co-authors: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346697#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #milkyway #galaxy #geography #map #galaxymap #habitability #life #planet #planets #star #stars #biosphere #biospheres #habitable #zone #habitablezone #exoplanets #universe #space #science #research #AandA_journal
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Galactic Geography versus Habitability: The Best Neighborhoods for Starting a Life in the Galaxy
➡️ https://quantamagazine.org/the-best-neighborhoods-for-starting-a-life-in-the-galaxy-20240124 by Rebecca Boyle @Rboyle31
@QuantaMagazine
The research paper by Jesper Nielsen and co-authors: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346697#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #milkyway #galaxy #geography #map #galaxymap #habitability #life #planet #planets #star #stars #biosphere #biospheres #habitable #zone #habitablezone #exoplanets #universe #space #science #research #AandA_journal
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Galactic Geography versus Habitability: The Best Neighborhoods for Starting a Life in the Galaxy
➡️ https://quantamagazine.org/the-best-neighborhoods-for-starting-a-life-in-the-galaxy-20240124 by Rebecca Boyle @Rboyle31
@QuantaMagazine
The research paper by Jesper Nielsen and co-authors: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346697#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #milkyway #galaxy #geography #map #galaxymap #habitability #life #planet #planets #star #stars #biosphere #biospheres #habitable #zone #habitablezone #exoplanets #universe #space #science #research #AandA_journal
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Galactic Geography versus Habitability: The Best Neighborhoods for Starting a Life in the Galaxy
➡️ https://quantamagazine.org/the-best-neighborhoods-for-starting-a-life-in-the-galaxy-20240124 by Rebecca Boyle @Rboyle31
@QuantaMagazine
The research paper by Jesper Nielsen and co-authors: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346697#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #milkyway #galaxy #geography #map #galaxymap #habitability #life #planet #planets #star #stars #biosphere #biospheres #habitable #zone #habitablezone #exoplanets #universe #space #science #research #AandA_journal
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Galactic Geography versus Habitability: The Best Neighborhoods for Starting a Life in the Galaxy
➡️ https://quantamagazine.org/the-best-neighborhoods-for-starting-a-life-in-the-galaxy-20240124 by Rebecca Boyle @Rboyle31
@QuantaMagazine
The research paper by Jesper Nielsen and co-authors: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346697#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #milkyway #galaxy #geography #map #galaxymap #habitability #life #planet #planets #star #stars #biosphere #biospheres #habitable #zone #habitablezone #exoplanets #universe #space #science #research #AandA_journal
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X-Ray-luminous #Supernovae - Threats to Terrestrial #Biospheres: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acc728 -> New Stellar Danger to #Planets Identified by NASA's Chandra: https://chandra.si.edu/press/23_releases/press_042023.html and https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2023/4snr/ and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/new-stellar-danger-to-planets-identified-by-nasas-chandra.html
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X-Ray-luminous #Supernovae - Threats to Terrestrial #Biospheres: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acc728 -> New Stellar Danger to #Planets Identified by NASA's Chandra: https://chandra.si.edu/press/23_releases/press_042023.html and https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2023/4snr/ and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/new-stellar-danger-to-planets-identified-by-nasas-chandra.html
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X-Ray-luminous #Supernovae - Threats to Terrestrial #Biospheres: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acc728 -> New Stellar Danger to #Planets Identified by NASA's Chandra: https://chandra.si.edu/press/23_releases/press_042023.html and https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2023/4snr/ and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/new-stellar-danger-to-planets-identified-by-nasas-chandra.html
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X-Ray-luminous #Supernovae - Threats to Terrestrial #Biospheres: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acc728 -> New Stellar Danger to #Planets Identified by NASA's Chandra: https://chandra.si.edu/press/23_releases/press_042023.html and https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2023/4snr/ and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/new-stellar-danger-to-planets-identified-by-nasas-chandra.html
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X-Ray-luminous #Supernovae - Threats to Terrestrial #Biospheres: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acc728 -> New Stellar Danger to #Planets Identified by NASA's Chandra: https://chandra.si.edu/press/23_releases/press_042023.html and https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2023/4snr/ and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/new-stellar-danger-to-planets-identified-by-nasas-chandra.html
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One way to study #MachineIntelligence is with more powerful #space #telescopes.
Even though we have yet to find examples of other civilizations out there, they certainly are there to be found. There is a growing consensus among scientists that extraterrestrial #technosignatures might well be more common than #biosignatures. After all, machines can prosper in all the wide space while biospheres require very specific circumstances.
#Biospheres are also very difficult to detect.
Even if planetary life was fleeting and oft erased by asteroids and gamma ray bursts, once autonomous machines start replicating in space they become practically invulnerable to #extinction.
Why haven't we found examples yet? Well, we don't quite know what to look for. If you look at astronomy as a field, we almost routinely find things which have no convincing explanations. As these observations often do not repeat, we just shrug and move on.
Most search for extraterrestrial intelligence so far has focused on planets and biospheres, and only recently we have been starting to look more seriously with a wider focus.
Regardless, the space is huge, it extends in the cube of the distance, and we haven't really scratched the surface of it yet.
We might well gain crucial insights into machine intelligence with one of the next generation space telescopes instead of through our own experimentation. At least we know that paperclip maximization doesn't really seem like a thing, that we would have noticed already.
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One way to study #MachineIntelligence is with more powerful #space #telescopes.
Even though we have yet to find examples of other civilizations out there, they certainly are there to be found. There is a growing consensus among scientists that extraterrestrial #technosignatures might well be more common than #biosignatures. After all, machines can prosper in all the wide space while biospheres require very specific circumstances.
#Biospheres are also very difficult to detect.
Even if planetary life was fleeting and oft erased by asteroids and gamma ray bursts, once autonomous machines start replicating in space they become practically invulnerable to #extinction.
Why haven't we found examples yet? Well, we don't quite know what to look for. If you look at astronomy as a field, we almost routinely find things which have no convincing explanations. As these observations often do not repeat, we just shrug and move on.
Most search for extraterrestrial intelligence so far has focused on planets and biospheres, and only recently we have been starting to look more seriously with a wider focus.
Regardless, the space is huge, it extends in the cube of the distance, and we haven't really scratched the surface of it yet.
We might well gain crucial insights into machine intelligence with one of the next generation space telescopes instead of through our own experimentation. At least we know that paperclip maximization doesn't really seem like a thing, that we would have noticed already.
-
One way to study #MachineIntelligence is with more powerful #space #telescopes.
Even though we have yet to find examples of other civilizations out there, they certainly are there to be found. There is a growing consensus among scientists that extraterrestrial #technosignatures might well be more common than #biosignatures. After all, machines can prosper in all the wide space while biospheres require very specific circumstances.
#Biospheres are also very difficult to detect.
Even if planetary life was fleeting and oft erased by asteroids and gamma ray bursts, once autonomous machines start replicating in space they become practically invulnerable to #extinction.
Why haven't we found examples yet? Well, we don't quite know what to look for. If you look at astronomy as a field, we almost routinely find things which have no convincing explanations. As these observations often do not repeat, we just shrug and move on.
Most search for extraterrestrial intelligence so far has focused on planets and biospheres, and only recently we have been starting to look more seriously with a wider focus.
Regardless, the space is huge, it extends in the cube of the distance, and we haven't really scratched the surface of it yet.
We might well gain crucial insights into machine intelligence with one of the next generation space telescopes instead of through our own experimentation. At least we know that paperclip maximization doesn't really seem like a thing, that we would have noticed already.
-
One way to study #MachineIntelligence is with more powerful #space #telescopes.
Even though we have yet to find examples of other civilizations out there, they certainly are there to be found. There is a growing consensus among scientists that extraterrestrial #technosignatures might well be more common than #biosignatures. After all, machines can prosper in all the wide space while biospheres require very specific circumstances.
#Biospheres are also very difficult to detect.
Even if planetary life was fleeting and oft erased by asteroids and gamma ray bursts, once autonomous machines start replicating in space they become practically invulnerable to #extinction.
Why haven't we found examples yet? Well, we don't quite know what to look for. If you look at astronomy as a field, we almost routinely find things which have no convincing explanations. As these observations often do not repeat, we just shrug and move on.
Most search for extraterrestrial intelligence so far has focused on planets and biospheres, and only recently we have been starting to look more seriously with a wider focus.
Regardless, the space is huge, it extends in the cube of the distance, and we haven't really scratched the surface of it yet.
We might well gain crucial insights into machine intelligence with one of the next generation space telescopes instead of through our own experimentation. At least we know that paperclip maximization doesn't really seem like a thing, that we would have noticed already.
-
One way to study #MachineIntelligence is with more powerful #space #telescopes.
Even though we have yet to find examples of other civilizations out there, they certainly are there to be found. There is a growing consensus among scientists that extraterrestrial #technosignatures might well be more common than #biosignatures. After all, machines can prosper in all the wide space while biospheres require very specific circumstances.
#Biospheres are also very difficult to detect.
Even if planetary life was fleeting and oft erased by asteroids and gamma ray bursts, once autonomous machines start replicating in space they become practically invulnerable to #extinction.
Why haven't we found examples yet? Well, we don't quite know what to look for. If you look at astronomy as a field, we almost routinely find things which have no convincing explanations. As these observations often do not repeat, we just shrug and move on.
Most search for extraterrestrial intelligence so far has focused on planets and biospheres, and only recently we have been starting to look more seriously with a wider focus.
Regardless, the space is huge, it extends in the cube of the distance, and we haven't really scratched the surface of it yet.
We might well gain crucial insights into machine intelligence with one of the next generation space telescopes instead of through our own experimentation. At least we know that paperclip maximization doesn't really seem like a thing, that we would have noticed already.
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Now thinking of Planet Earth as that garden, and space as that bottle. Drives home how totally dependent we are on the preservation of our life-sustaining planetary cycles #biospheres #CircularPlanet
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Now thinking of Planet Earth as that garden, and space as that bottle. Drives home how totally dependent we are on the preservation of our life-sustaining planetary cycles #biospheres #CircularPlanet
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Now thinking of Planet Earth as that garden, and space as that bottle. Drives home how totally dependent we are on the preservation of our life-sustaining planetary cycles #biospheres #CircularPlanet
