“The last few days have been very nice with mild temperatures (-7°C to +2°C), sunshine and little wind.” “We used this time to complete many of the tasks on our […]
2018
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Water on Saturn's Moon Phoebe Is Unusual
By developing a new method for measuring isotopic ratios of water and carbon dioxide remotely, scientists have found that the water in Saturn’s rings and satellites is unexpectedly like water […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Radio Search For Artificial Emissions From ‘Oumuamua
It’s the first time a visitor from another star system has been seen nearby. But what is it? An asteroid, a comet … or an alien artifact? Scientists at the […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Common Table Salt May Have Been Crucial For The Origin of Life
One of the most fundamental unexplained questions in modern science is how life began. Scientists generally believe that simple molecules present in early planetary environments were converted to more complex […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release
Bacteria With Expanded Genetic Code Directed To Evolve Extreme Heat Tolerance
In recent years, scientists have engineered bacteria with expanded genetic codes that produce proteins made from a wider range of molecular building blocks, opening up a promising front in protein […]
Posted inIcy Worlds, Press Release
Compaction and Melt Transport in Ammonia-Rich Ice Shells: Implications for the Evolution of Triton
Ammonia, if present in the ice shells of icy satellites, could lower the temperature for the onset of melting to 176 K and create a large temperature range where partial […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Status Report
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 28 November 2018: Dive Hole Melting Issues
“The hole melter was returned, but unfortunately it still does not work properly and we are unable to use it to make a dive hole or melt out the light […]
Posted inPress Release, Titan
Quantitative Estimates of Chemical Disequilibrium in Titan's Atmosphere
We apply previously introduced measures of chemical disequilibrium to Cassini mass spectroscopy data on the atmosphere of Titan. In the analysis presented here, we use an improved description, avoiding the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
The Effect of Carbon Grain Destruction On The Chemical Structure of Protoplanetary Disks
The bulk composition of the Earth is dramatically carbon poor compared to that of the interstellar medium, and this phenomenon extends to the asteroid belt. To interpret this carbon deficit […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Oxygen Could Have Been Available To Life As Early As 3.5 Billion Years Ago
Microbes could have performed oxygen-producing photosynthesis at least one billion years earlier in the history of the Earth than previously thought. The finding could change ideas of how and when […]