detection articles
What two elements does the word 'biosignature' combine?
Which category of biosignature often includes complex organic molecules like lipids or nucleic acid components?
What atmospheric condition is cited as an example of an indirect biosignature?
What ancient terrestrial structure formed by microbial communities is listed as a definitive physical biosignature?
What critical challenge must astrobiologists overcome when identifying potential biosignatures on other worlds?
The finding that specific organic molecules exist on the Murchison meteorite demonstrates what limitation in the search for life?
The Evidence Convergence Principle states that confidence in a biosignature is highest when what occurs?
What property of amino acids is considered an incredibly potent chemical biosignature if observed in a highly biased state?
In the context of astrobiology, how is a biosignature defined?
What type of marker is represented by anomalous ratios of stable isotopes like Carbon-13 to Carbon-12?
What aspect of terrestrial biosignatures introduces context, making the finding of microbial life in an Antarctic ice core more surprising than in a known hydrothermal vent?
What specific event defines a transit in exoplanet detection?
What is the scientific name often associated with monitoring changes in a star's apparent brightness via the transit method?
What geometric constraint is fundamental for detecting an exoplanet using the transit method?
Which measurement derived from transit observations provides direct insight into the planet's physical dimensions?
What characteristic derived from sequential transits allows astronomers to calculate the planet's orbital period?
According to Kepler's Laws, what orbital characteristic is intrinsically linked to the planet's orbital period discovered via transits?
When observing an Earth-sized planet, around which type of star is the transit signal considerably deeper and easier to measure?
What factor causes a single, isolated dip in stellar brightness to be considered unreliable evidence for an exoplanet discovery?
What crucial piece of information does the transit method *by itself* fail to provide about an exoplanet?
To fully characterize an exoplanet's density using transit data, what other observational technique must typically be combined?
If Jupiter were orbiting our Sun and observed from afar, what magnitude of light dimming would be expected during transit?
What phenomenon does the radial velocity (RV) method fundamentally detect?
What is the shared center of mass that a star and its orbiting planet circle?
What is the term for the slight shortening of a star's light wavelengths when it moves toward Earth?
Which instrument spreads a star's light into a detailed spectrum for RV analysis?
Before monitoring shifts, what must astronomers first establish for the star to use the RV method effectively?
For a simple, single-planet system viewed edge-on, what shape does the velocity curve plot trace over time?
What does a larger amplitude in the radial velocity curve indicate about the orbiting body?
What physical property does the RV method only provide a lower limit for due to geometric limitations?
Which type of exoplanets are historically favored for detection using the RV method?