The results indicate that the elements essential for life formed within extreme, highly energetic environments deep inside stars, far removed from the calm conditions required for life itself. The ...

A new study suggests that comets had a huge hand in helping life form on Earth, bringing integral elements such as phosphorus, "an essential element for life," to the planet. The research utilized the ...

Phosphorous — one of the essential elements for life — has been discovered in the cosmic leftovers from a star explosion for the first time, scientists say. The finding is one of two discoveries of ...

David Rothery is Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University. He is co-leader of the European Space Agency's Mercury Surface and Composition Working Group, and a Co-Investigator on MIXS ...