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Early-career Graduate Students Host An Exclusive, NASA-funded Astrobiology Conference
[University of Arizona]. AbGradCon 2026 brought an international group of graduate students studying astrobiology, planetary science and astronomy to the University of Arizona to present their research and engage in early-career discussions. Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe – how it started, how it survives and where else it might exist. Some…
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Intimate Link Between Prebiotic Chemistry And Meteorites: Mechanisms Of Organic Molecule Formation
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed] Whether meteorites brought ingredients necessary for the origin of life exogenously…
Microbial Mats Influence The Isotopic Composition And Provenance of Soil Organic Matter In The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
[Biogeosciences via ESS Open Archive] In the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, microbial mats are…
Beyond The Prebiotic Soup: Solid Organic Films And Protocell-Like Formation in Prebiotic Discharge Experiments
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed] The original Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds…
Earth As A Potential Source Of Llife For Europa’s Subsurface Ocean
The paper discusses the possibility of dust particles containing living bacteria ejected from Earth reaching Europa and landing on its surface. It is shown that, taking certain factors into account, over a period of 30 − 80 Myr (the estimated age of Europa’s ocean), Jupiter’s moon would have been impacted…
Keep readingDust To Dust: Prospects For Passive Technosignatures As Relics Of ETI
Technological societies are separated in time, not just space — that is the lesson of the Drake equation. Might the best way to seek them be to find technosignatures that persist long after their creators? I present work I and my collaborators have done on the idea of passive technosignatures,…
Keep readingExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Astronomy & Telescopes
Atmospheres, Climate, Weather
The Evolution Of Oxygen, Temperature, And Marine Aerobic Habitat For Animals Over The Last Billion Years Of Earth History
[Current Biology (Cell)] Atmospheric and ocean oxygen levels and temperature have changed considerably over Earth history, and many of these changes coincided with similarly dramatic changes in marine life. The synergistic interaction between oxygen availability and temperature sets aerobic capacities for marine animals, determining whether a given environment is habitable. Here, we explore the relationship…
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Icy Ocean Planet Recon: Saildrone Research Fleet To Circle Antarctica For 5 Years
Editor’s note: As we plan to use robotic probes such as Saildrone to explore worlds in our solar system with oceans, missions that explore Earth’s…
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: Preview: Fall 2026 Lake Untersee Field Season
Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is preparing for his second expedition to Lake Untersee, Antarctica for 2026. The first 2026 Field season at Lake Untersee was…
Using Nuclear Technology To Change How We Explore Icy Ocean Worlds: Examples From Nuclear Powered Mission Concept Designs
[Frontiers] Icy ocean worlds represent some of the most compelling targets in the search for extraterrestrial life, yet their exploration is constrained by significant logistical…
Imaging & Spectroscopy
Microbial Methanogenesis on Mars: A Life Detection Target For An MLE-Type Mission And Future Human Exploration
[astro-ph.IM] Methane (CH4) is one of the most enigmatic and potentially consequential trace gases detected on Mars, having demonstrated apparent seasonality, localized plumes, or, depending…
SwRI Staff Contribute To New Ideas About Origins Of Uranus And Neptune
[SwRI] Uranus and Neptune are often considered planetary twins due to their many similar characteristics, including size, mass and atmospheric conditions, and have long been…
A Voyage Into The Slow-motion World Of Earth’s Deep Seas
[Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)] Polymetallic nodules form at a snail’s pace. They grow about one to two millimetres over the course of…
Biosignatures & Paleobiology
Rosalind Franklin Rover Stand-In Tackles A Tilted Descent
[ESA]. A full-size model of the rover tackled slopes, boulders and Mars-like gravity as it stepped onto a simulated martian terrain during a two-month test…
Dust Activity Evolution and Constraints on Icy Grains in the Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
[astro-ph.EP] We present Zwicky Transient Facility observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to characterize its dust-activity evolution before and after perihelion. Before perihelion, the effective…
On The Foundations Of Anthropic Reasoning: Implications For Life Across The Universe
[astro-ph.IM] With only one confirmed example, namely the Earth, the abundance of life across the universe remains deeply uncertain, and local evidence about Earth’s particular…