A clay mineral known as smectite could hold a substantial portion of the water missing from Mars, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. Rivers […]
December 2021
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Visually Stunning Tree Of All Known Life Unveiled Online
OneZoom is a one-stop site for exploring all life on Earth, its evolutionary history, and how much of it is threatened with extinction. The OneZoom explorer – available at onezoom.org […]
Posted inMars
NASA Begins Testing Robotics to Bring First Samples Back From Mars
Engineers are developing the crucial hardware needed for a series of daring space missions that will be carried out in the coming decade. Testing has already begun on what would […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Life Arose On Hydrogen Energy
How did the first chemical reactions get started at the origin of life and what was their source of energy? Researchers at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have reconstructed […]
Posted inEnceladus, Icy Worlds, Press Release
An Investigation of Libration Heating and the Thermal State of Enceladus's Ice Shell
Tidal dissipation is thought to be responsible for the observed high heat loss on Enceladus. Forced librations can enhance tidal dissipation in the ice shell, but how such librations affect […]
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
Ancient And Recent Collisions Revealed By Phosphate Minerals In The Chelyabinsk Meteorite
The collision history of asteroids is an important archive of inner Solar System evolution. Evidence for these collisions is brought to Earth by meteorites, which can preserve impact-reset radioisotope mineral […]
Posted inTitan
A Cross-Laboratory Comparison Study of Titan Haze Analogs: Surface Energy
In Titan’s nitrogen-methane atmosphere, photochemistry leads to the production of complex organic particles, forming Titan’s thick haze layers. Laboratory-produced aerosol analogs, or “tholins”, are produced in a number of laboratories; […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Venus
Venus Life Finder Mission Study
The Venus Life Finder Missions are a series of focused astrobiology mission concepts to search for habitability, signs of life, and life itself in the Venus atmosphere. While people have […]
Posted inCallisto, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Jupiter
Thermal Conductivity Measurements Of Macroscopic Frozen Salt Ice Analogs Of Jovian Icy Moons In Support Of The Planned JUICE Mission
The study of thermal properties of frozen salt solutions representative of ice layers in Jovian moons is crucial to support the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) (ESA) and Europa Clipper […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
First Extragalactic Detection Of A Phosphorus-bearing Molecule With ALCHEMI: Phosphorus Nitride (PN)
Phosphorus (P) is a crucial element for life given its central role in several biomolecules. P-bearing molecules have been discovered in different regions of the Milky Way, but not yet […]