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The Role Of Minerals In Prebiotic Evolution: Implications For Identifying Worlds With The Potential For Life’s Origin
[Fundamental Research] Understanding the origin of life requires explaining how abiotic molecules transitioned into the first living systems within plausible geological settings. Increasing evidence suggests minerals as active participants in prebiotic evolution. By adsorbing and concentrating reactants, catalyzing key reactions, stabilizing intermediates, and providing protective microenvironments, minerals may have helped to overcome thermodynamic and kinetic…
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Gen-EBM: An Energy Balance Model For Terrestrial Planets. Climate Multistability From Snowball To Post-runaway Greenhouse Climates
[astro-ph.EP] Climate multistability and tipping points are fundamental properties of planetary climates that depend sensitively…
Astrometric Planet Search Around Southern Ultracool Dwarfs: V. Discovery Of The Exoplanet Candidate PALTA-1 b
[astro-ph.EP] We report the discovery of PALTA-1 b, a sub-Jupiter mass exoplanet candidate orbiting the…
Hubble Space Telescope Observations of Active Asteroid (101955) Bennu
[astro-ph.EP] Measurements from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft revealed (101955) Bennu as a member of the active…
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,…
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Astrogeology
Astronomy & Telescopes
Atmospheres, Climate, Weather
Where Does Earth’s Nitrogen Go? Two Atoms Offer A Clue
[Science] Nitrogen is one of life’s building blocks, but it’s only helpful in the right amounts. Too much nitrogen in water, for example, can lead to poor water quality and the gradual death of aquatic organisms. Microbes remove nitrogen from water by converting it to a gas that escapes into the atmosphere. But scientists have…
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Tricorder Tech: An Electrical Technique For Identifying Signs Of Life In Space
[The University of Osaka] The truth is out there – but identifying signs of life in space involves an intense search for biosignatures within our…
NASA Scientists Search For Clues About Mars’ Past In Scotland
[NASA] This summer, NASA scientists headed to the Scottish Highlands to follow up on last year’s announcement of potential biosignatures on Mars and prepare for…
Offworld Expedition Training: Astronauts Explore An Ancient Earth Volcano
[ESA]. From its rim, remnants of recent eruptions lie open for this crew of astronauts learning geology for planetary exploration. Participants of PANGAEA’s 10th edition…
Imaging & Spectroscopy
Detecting Multiple Planets In Gaia Data Using Bayesian Model Selection
[astro-ph.EP] Gaia will soon provide a census of cold giant planets. However, an astrometric signal contains the superimposed reflex motion of all companions, so planetary…
First Direct Identification Of A Multi-Star Microlens System Hosting A Planet
[astro-ph.EP] Nearly 25 years have passed since gravitational microlensing delivered its first exoplanet discoveries. The relative proper motion between lens and source systems allows them…
The First Decade of Breakthrough Listen
[astro-ph.IM] Breakthrough Listen (BL), launched in July 2015 with a 10-year, $100M commitment from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, is the most comprehensive search for technosignatures…
Biosignatures & Paleobiology
A Technosignature Survey Of The Anti-Solar Point: The SETI Institute’s Largest-Ever Campaign With The Allen Telescope Array
[astro-ph.IM] The ATA-ASP campaign is a radio technosignature survey of the Anti-Solar Point as a “Schelling point”, using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in the…
Mapping Of Interstellar Ices With JWST In Protostellar Envelopes: Spatial Variations Of 13CO2, 12CO2, CO, OCN− and H2O ice
[astro-ph.SR] The composition of planets and their atmospheres is largely determined by the formation environment of the planet. This environment is pre-determined during early stages…
European Rover Trains For Mars In The Desert
[ESA] The exercise was an important rehearsal for what the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover might encounter when it lands on the Red Planet in 2030.…