Astrobiologists in Germany are developing a new testing device that could help tease dormant alien microbes into revealing themselves — and its key ingredient is a common amino acid that’s found in ...

Bacteria that thrive on Earth may not make it in the alien lands of Mars. A potential deterrent is perchlorate, a toxic chlorine-containing chemical discovered in Martian soil during various space ...

Finding bacteria in extreme environments, like at thermal ocean vents or in the sulfur pools at Yellowstone, isn't all that novel. In 1991, remote-control robots brought out samples of pitch-black ...