Natural Sciences - Astronomy & Space

For decades, scientists have searched the skies for signs of extraterrestrial technology. A study from EPFL asks a sharp question: if alien signals have already reached Earth without us noticing, what should we realistically expect to detect today?

Researchers have demonstrated why only a small number of planets have the chemical requirements for life - and why the Earth is so fortunate. Their findings may have consequences for the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccò (IRSOL) wins a Swiss federal funding to search for life beyond Earth using polarimetry, as a partner of the National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCR) Genesis.

First the rocky planets, very close to their star, then the gas giants: this is the order in which scientists have hitherto conceived of the hierarchy of planets.

Metallic glasses are novel materials with applications in space technology, but also in medicine and the watch industry. To better understand their properties and improve their production, researchers are conducting various experiments on board the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).

A new study led by the University of Bern has discovered a large number of bright streaks, also known as "lineae", on Mercury, which are presumably caused by the outgassing of volatile material from the planet's interior.