A team of scientists using a state-of-the-art UCLA instrument reports the discovery of a planetary-scale “tug-of-war” of life, deep Earth and the upper atmosphere that is expressed in atmospheric nitrogen. […]
2017
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Viruses Share Genes With Organisms Across The Tree of Life
A new study finds that viruses share some genes exclusively with cells that are not their hosts. The study, reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, adds to the evidence […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 6 December 2017: Traverse to Novolazarevskaya Station
Dale Andersen sent this via inReach on December 6, 2017 2:47:47 AM EST “Heading back to Novo in an hour nice sunny day. I’m starting my traverse, follow along at […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Two Super-Earths Orbit Star K2-18
New research using data collected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has revealed that a little-known exoplanet called K2-18b could well be a scaled-up version of Earth. Just as exciting, […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
The Answer to Planetary Habitability Is Blowing in the Stellar Wind
Is there life beyond Earth in the cosmos? Astronomers looking for signs have found that our Milky Way galaxy teems with exoplanets, some with conditions that could be right for […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Stratosphere Circulation On Tidally Locked ExoEarths
Stratosphere circulation is important to interpret abundances of photo-chemically produced compounds like ozone that we aim to observe to assess habitability of exoplanets. We thus investigate a tidally locked ExoEarth […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 29 November 2017: Blizzard Conditions
Received via Iridium 29 November 2017 4:30:03 PM EST: “Hi Keith The earlier weather forecasts were spot on and we have had blowing snow and high winds most of the […]
Posted inCaves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes
Subsurface Exolife
We study the prospects for life on planets with subsurface oceans, and find that a wide range of planets can exist in diverse habitats with relatively thin ice envelopes We […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Initiation of Plate Tectonics on Exoplanets with Significant Tidal Stress
Plate tectonics is a geophysical process currently unique to Earth, has an important role in regulating the Earth’s climate, and may be better understood by identifying rocky planets outside our […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Rocky Planet Rotation, Thermal Tide Resonances, and the Influence of Biological Activity
It has been established theoretically that atmospheric thermal tides on rocky planets can lead to significant modifications of rotational evolution, both close to synchronous rotation and at faster rotations if […]