Press
The MAPS project has been covered extensively in the international press. See below for a collection of these articles.
Official Press Releases
- ALMA Makes First-Ever Detection of Gas in a Circumplanetary Disk (National Radio Astronomy Observatory | ALMA)
- ALMA Reveals Carbon-Rich, Organic Birth Environments of Planets (National Radio Astronomy Observatory | ALMA)
- Planets Form in Organic Soups With Different Ingredients (Harvard CfA | Smithsonian Institution)
- Untangling the Formation of Planetary Systems with Deuterium (University of Tokyo | National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
- New ALMA study reveals the many molecular faces of protoplanetary disks (University of Michigan)
- Astronomers’ industrial espionage - Observations in planet factory indicates start of planet production (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)
- How planets may be seeded with the chemicals necessary for life (University of Leeds)
- Chilean astronomer identifies essential molecules for life in regions where new planets form (Centro de Excelencia en Astrofísica y Tecnologías Afines)
Artist's impression of a protoplanetary disk embedded with forming planets. The inset shows the molecular gas within the disk that is probed by the MAPS observations
(Credit: M.Weiss/Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian).
MAPS in the News
- ALMA Detects Various Organic Molecules in Five Protoplanetary Disks (Sci-News.com)
- Chances of alien life in our galaxy are ‘much more likely than first thought’ (Telegraph)
- Conditions That Triggered Life On Earth Could Exist More Widely Across The Milky Way Say Scientists In Landmark Study (Forbes)
- Molecules Needed For Life Found In Abundance In Planet-Forming Disks (IFL Science)
- Scientists chip away at secrets of planet formation, origin of life in bevy of new research (Space.com)
- ALMA reveals carbon-rich, organic birth environments of planets (Phys.org)
- Planets form in organic soups with different ingredients (ScienceDaily)
- Astronomers See Carbon-Rich Nebulae Where Planets are Forming (Universe Today)
- Maps of planetary nurseries will help the complex hunt for alien life (New Scientist)
- Chances of alien life in our galaxy are 'much more likely than first thought', scientists claim as they find young stars teeming with organic molecules (Daily Mail)
- Once more, with flavour (Nature Astronomy)
- Baby planets marinate in a life-giving cyanide 'soup,' analysis reveals (Live Science)
- Extensive Chemical Composition Mapping Reveals Carbon-Rich, Organic Birth Environments of Planets (SciTechDaily)
- Astrophysicists Identify “Significant Reservoirs” of Organic Molecules Necessary To Form the Basis of Life (SciTechDaily)
- Untangling the Formation of Planetary Systems With Heavy Hydrogen (SciTechDaily)
- Alien life in our galaxy ‘more likely than we first thought’: scientists (New York Post)
- Science in a Minute: Astronomers Identify Life Building Molecules in Planet Forming Disks (Voice of America)
- Planets form in organic soups with different ingredients (AAAS/EurekAlert!)
- Astrophysicists identify large reservoirs of precursor molecules necessary for life in the birthplaces of planets (AAAS/EurekAlert!)
- Untangling the formation of planetary systems with deuterium (AAAS/EurekAlert!)
- Alien life ‘could be widespread’ across the universe (Metro)
- Planets Are Born In Cosmic Organic Soups (EarthSky)
- Alien life in our galaxy could be 100 times more likely than scientists previously thought, new research suggests (The Independent)
- Many Planets Form in a Soup of Life-Friendly Organic Compounds (Many Worlds)
- Astronomers Find the Molecules Behind the “Origins of Life” in Young Star Systems (Inverse)
- Alien Ingredients? Precursor Molecules for Life Found Where Planets are Born (Syfy Wire)
- Alien Ingredients? Chilean astronomer identifies essential molecules for life in regions where new planets are formed (El Mostrador)
- Chilean astronomer identifies essential molecules for life in regions where new planets are formed (La Tercera)
- Planets are born with their own reserve of molecules necessary for life (ABC Ciencia)
- Planets are born with their own reserve of molecules necessary for life (ABC Materia Oscura)
- Planets are Born with their own Reserve of Molecules Necessary for Life (Universidad Nacional del Callao)
- Planets are formed in organic soups necessary for life (Europa Press)
- Molecular distribution at planetary birth sites, as explored by the ALMA telescope (AstroArts)
- Mapping Planet-Forming Disks with ALMA (AAS Nova)
- Planet formation: ALMA detects gas in a circumplanetary disk (ScienceDaily)
Contact Us
Our Co-PIs can be contacted at:
- (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
- (University of Tokyo)
- (University of Michigan)
- (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
- (University of Leeds)
If you run into issues with downloading data products, contact:
- (National Radio Astronomy Observatory)