The analysis of ancient DNA preserved in sediments is an emerging technology allowing for the detection of the past presence of humans and other animals at archaeological sites. Yet, little […]
December 2021
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Mapping Mars Perseverance Rover’s First Six Samples
This annotated map shows the locations where NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collected its first witness tube and filled its first six samples.
Posted inVenus
Could Acid-neutralizing Life-forms Make Habitable Pockets In Venus' Clouds?
It’s hard to imagine a more inhospitable world than our closest planetary neighbor. With an atmosphere thick with carbon dioxide, and a surface hot enough to melt lead, Venus is […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Status Report
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 25 December 2021: Merry Christmas From Cape Town
Dale Andersen: “Merry Christmas to all from Cape Town, South Africa! My team and I returned from, Antarctica Thursday and are awaiting our next set of flights home on the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
High-Resolution Detection Of Neutral Oxygen And Non-LTE Effects In The Atmosphere Of KELT-9b
Oxygen is a constituent of many of the most abundant molecules detected in exoplanetary atmospheres and a key ingredient for tracking how and where a planet formed. In particular, the […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Triton Haze Analogues: The Role Of Carbon Monoxide In Haze Formation
Triton is the largest moon of the Neptune system and possesses a thin nitrogen atmosphere with trace amounts of carbon monoxide and methane, making it of similar composition to that […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Analytical Modelling of Exoplanet Transit Specroscopy with Dimensional Analysis and Symbolic Regression
The physical characteristics and atmospheric chemical composition of newly discovered exoplanets are often inferred from their transit spectra which are obtained from complex numerical models of radiative transfer. Alternatively, simple […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Status Report
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 22 December 2021: Return To Novo Station
Just got this from Dale: “The IL-76 arrived yesterday in preparation for an airdrop of fuel at Halley station. Hopefully that will take place tomorrow and we will return to […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Abundance Of Life Discovered Beneath An Antarctic Ice Shelf
Far beneath the ice shelves of the Antarctic, there is more marine life than expected, finds a recent study in the journal Current Biology, published this week (20 December 2021).
Posted inVenus
Production of Ammonia Makes Venusian Clouds Habitable and Explains Observed Cloud-Level Chemical Anomalies
The atmosphere of Venus remains mysterious, with many outstanding chemical connundra. These include: the unexpected presence of ~10 ppm O2 in the cloud layers; an unknown composition of large particles […]