TRAPPIST-1
Do the TRAPPIST-1 Planets Have Hydrogen-rich Atmospheres? 
Recently, transmission spectroscopy in the atmospheres of the TRAPPIST-1 planets revealed flat and featureless absorption spectra, which rule out cloud-free hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Earth-sized planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 likely have either a clear or a cloudy/hazy hydrogen-poor atmosphere.
Radiation
Rotifer Studies In Space
With the spacewalk season on hold until next year, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano took his time to prepare the orbital home for new, tiny and incredibly resistant passengers. Rotifers, commonly called wheel animals, are usually less than a millimetre in size and usually found in fresh water and moist soil.
Mars
New Map Of Water Ice on Mars
A new paper published in Geophysical Research Letters will help by providing a map of water ice believed to be as little as an inch (2.5 centimeters) below the surface.
Analog Studies
Experts on Earth Could Support Astronaut-Scientists on Mars, if They Team Up from the Start
A scene that first played out on the Moon in 1972 happened again, years later, in Hawaii. While exploring the lunar surface, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt spotted some bright orange soil - an important clue about the Moon's volcanic history. You can hear the excitement in his voice in recordings, but mission control in Houston couldn't see what was so remarkable in the video beamed back to Earth.
Habitable Zones & Global Climate
Climate Bistability Of Earth-like Exoplanets
Before about 500 million years ago, most probably our planet experienced temporary snowball conditions, with continental and sea ices covering a large fraction of its surface.
Astrochemistry
Mass-Metallicity Trends in Transiting Exoplanets from Atmospheric Abundances of H2O, Na, and K
Atmospheric compositions can provide powerful diagnostics of formation and migration histories of planetary systems.
Astrochemistry
Searching For Water Ice In The Coma Of Interstellar Object 2I/Borisov
Interstellar Objects (ISO) passing through our Solar System offer a rare opportunity to probe the physical and chemical processes involved in solid body and planet formation in extrasolar systems.
Extrasolar Planets
Water Is Common Yet Scarce In Exoplanets
The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet formation and has implications for the search for water in the solar system and beyond.
Habitable Zones & Global Climate
Breathing New Life Into The Rise Of Oxygen Debate
New research strongly suggests that the distinct 'oxygenation events' that created Earth's breathable atmosphere happened spontaneously, rather than being a consequence of biological or tectonic revolutions.
Plant Biology
Constraints on Aquatic Photosynthesis for Terrestrial Planets Around Other Stars
Aquatic photosynthesis plays a major role in carbon fixation and O2 production on Earth. In this paper, we analyze the prospects for oxygenic photosynthesis in aquatic environments on Earth-analogs around F-, G-, K- and M-type stars.
Astrochemistry
Origin Of Earth's Water: Sources And Constraints
We review the state of knowledge on the origin of Earth's water. Empirical constraints come from chemical and isotopic measurements of solar system bodies and of Earth itself. Dynamical models have revealed pathways for water delivery to Earth during its formation; most are anchored to specific models for terrestrial planet formation.
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