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Dirk Schulze-Makuch @extreme_microbe

An astrobiologist in the search for life in the Universe

Joined April 2018
  • Tweets 925
  • Following 1,085
  • Followers 1,667
36 Photos and videos
An evidence-based scale to evaluate Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (#UAP), and applying the scientific method to decide which observations are worth to investigate... bigthink.com/science-tech/co… #alien #universe #encounter

A new scale for spotting UFO reports worth investigating

This 11-point scale aims to reduce the number of "false alarm" sightings so scientists can focus on harder-to-explain reports.

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#Life on #Mars may be hiding or eing bdormant. See my new blog on Big Think with the various options how it may alude us: bigthink.com/science-tech/if…

If life exists on Mars, it’s likely hiding — or maybe sleeping

Mars was once warmer and wetter than today. If anything was alive there, what came next was either a tragedy or a masterclass in survival.

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Special #Biology #Blog on BigThink on 5 Types of #Science #Fiction #Aliens and the Likelihood that they Actually Exist: Link through my website Search for Life in the Universe: searchforlifeintheuniverse.c… or go directly to Big Think !

5 sci-fi aliens — and the likelihood they could actually exist

While all cellular life on Earth shares the same DNA-based chemistry, planets with different environments could produce alien organisms far more diverse. From insect-like swarms to intelligent...

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How a scientific mistake derailed Mars exploration for 50 years. What if Viking actually did discover life on Mars ? See blog with our link to eLetter in Science at (all blogs with link also on my website searchforlifeintheuniverse.c…) : bigthink.com/hard-science/ho…

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New blog on what all the detections of #organics on #Mars really mean. Posted on BigThink (with Link on SearchforlifeintheUniverse): bigthink.com/hard-science/bi… #planet #life #space #writerscommunity #astrobiology #science

Biosignatures? Why organics on Mars don't necessarily signal life

Organic compounds can form through simple chemistry alone — making the search for true biosignatures trickier than it seems.

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The question of what is #life and its #definition: still way more questions than answers. See my blog on this topic on BigThink bigthink.com/hard-science/wh… #astrobiology, #space, #science, #planets, #WritingCommunity, #extraterrestrial

What exactly is “life”? Astrobiologists still have more questions than answers

Our narrow, Earth-bound definitions of life could leave us blind to the Universe’s strangest forms on future space missions.

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#Ceres - the forgotten #ocean world. Its all frozen now, but we still could find remnants of early #life on this dwarf #planet within the #asteroid belt bigthink.com/hard-science/ce… #astrobiology #space #universe #habitat #WritingCommunity #science #discovery

Ceres: The asteroid belt's forgotten ocean world

As the closest icy ocean world to Earth, Ceres is an intriguing candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life.

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The new Vera Rubin observatory will make a big difference in the chance of detecting #technosignatures, signs of #alien #technology. Its a new blog by Tony Reichhardt and myself on BigThink. bigthink.com/hard-science/a-… #astrobiology #space #universe

The hunt for alien technosignatures is getting a high-tech upgrade

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will image the southern sky using the largest digital camera ever built.

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Dirk Schulze-Makuch retweeted
max riekeles@MaxRiekeles
7 Feb 2025
SciAm article about our research scientificamerican.com/artic… @extreme_microbe

To Find Life on Mars, Make Microbes Wiggle

Could tiny swimming microbes help us unlock the mysteries of extraterrestrial life?

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When and where did #life begin? New #research shows that time is even shorter than we thought, triggering thought provoking questions ! bigthink.com/hard-science/ne… #panspermia #Mars #Earth #origin #impact #astrobiology #space #science

New findings raise questions about when (and where) life began

The recent findings highlight a longstanding question about where life began: here on Earth or somewhere else in the cosmos?

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Re-design and new updates with latest #blogs and #papers (for example 2 x in #Nature #Astronomy in 2024 on #Mars #Viking #experiments and #Fermi #Paradox) on my website: searchforlifeintheuniverse.c…

Astrobiology | Lifeintheuniverse

New books and blogs about astrobiology: where did life originate? How common is life in the universe? What planet is habitable? Addressing the essential questions on who we are and where we came...

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Microbial motility as an amazingly simple #biosignature to detect #life on #Mars and elsewhere (and dangerous #pathogenic #bacteria on Earth). Posted on BigThink with Link at searchforlifeintheuniverse.c…

A Promising Way to Detect Alien Life

Posted on Big Think.

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The Dark Side of #Alien #Contact - fitting to #Hallloween: bigthink.com/thinking/if-ali… #astrobiology #space #planet #life #universe #writerscommunity #savage #science #sciencefiction

If aliens visit Earth, let's hope they've overcome their savage past

Any alien civilization that visits Earth would be technologically advanced, yet they would have likely still undergone biological evolution.

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Dirk Schulze-Makuch retweeted
The SETI Institute
@SETIInstitute
20 Oct 2024
#ICYMI: buff.ly/3NyhYbg This week, there's a bonus #SETILive! @allplanets discussed @extreme_microbe's recent @NatureAstronomy article about how we should follow the salts🧂 instead of the water💧 when looking for life on #Mars🔴.
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We may be looking for #life on #Mars in the wrong places. The Viking life detection experiments might have inadvertently killed indigenous Martian life by applying too much water. We should follow the salt ! See my blog with link to Nature Astronomy paper: bigthink.com/hard-science/fo…

"Follow the salt": A new strategy for finding life on Mars

NASA has prioritized liquid water on Mars as the key to discovering life, but this strategy may overlook how life could adapt to extremes.

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Please check out my latest publication in Nature Astronomy: "We may be looking for Martian life in the wrong place." Weblink to the paper: rdcu.be/dVhB5
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Why we should look in #caves for #life, especially on #Mars. For more info, see my new blog on BigThink with Link on: searchforlifeintheuniverse.c… #astrobiology #space #science

Finding Caves on the Moon is Great. On Mars? Even Better.

Posted on Big Think.

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Extreme Dormancy as a Way to Survive on Earth and Possibly also on Alien Planets (and May also be a Solution to Long-Term Space Travel) bigthink.com/hard-science/ex…

Extreme dormancy helps life survive on Earth — and possibly alien planets

A long view of biological survival might point us to new possibilities for finding life elsewhere in the Universe.

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Update: China´s Moon Mission Returned Now Samples from the #Moon to #Earth. Why this is important, specially for the origin of life: bigthink.com/hard-science/ho…

How China’s Moon mission could reveal the origins of life on Earth

The Moon is the most likely place for evidence from the dawn of life on Earth to be preserved in cold storage.

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China´s Moon Mission May Reveal the Origin of Life on Earth Blog posted on Big Think, direct link on searchforlifeintheuniverse #life #universe #origin #astrobiology #Moon searchforlifeintheuniverse.c…

China's Moon Mission Could Reveal the Origins of Life on Earth

Posted on Big Think.

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