For years, astronomers have celebrated every hint of an ocean on a distant world as a potential foothold for life. Now a new wave of modeling argues that most of those supposed seas are illusions, and ...

When astronomers search for planets that could host liquid water on their surface, they start by looking at a star's habitable zone. Water is a key ingredient for life, and on a planet too close to ...

Earth’s deep interior may hold water equal to today’s oceans, challenging long-held views of how the planet became habitable.

Mars has lost immense amounts of water over it lifetime, and scientists aren't sure exactly how. New research hints that the planet's violently varying tilt may be a key factor. When you purchase ...