RNA-catalyzed assembly of RNA strands was one of the most essential enzymatic functions in a primordial RNA-based biology.
2026
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Toward Reliable Interpretations of Small Exoplanet Compositions: Comparisons and Considerations of Equations of State and Materials Used in Common Rocky Planet Models
The bulk compositions of small planets (Rp<2R⊕) are directly linked to their formation histories, making reliable compositional constraints imperative for testing models of planet formation and evolution.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 21 January 2026: Lake Untersee Base Camp Weather
Hi Keith, The past couple of days brought low clouds, some drifting snow, and steady winds that peaked around 30 m/s (~67 mph).
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors
Dragonfly Mission: Optomechanical Design Of The DragonCam Microscopic Camera
The DragonCam Microscopic Camera is an instrument being developed for NASA’s Dragonfly mission [1] to Saturn’s moon Titan.
Posted inMicrogravity, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations, SPACELINE Current Awareness List
NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,183 16 January 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)
The abstract in PubMed or at the publisher’s site is linked when available and will open in a new window.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
How Early Cell Membranes May Have Shaped The Origins Of Life
Modern cells are complex chemical entities with cytoskeletons, finely regulated internal and external molecules, and genetic material that determines nearly every aspect of their functioning. This complexity allows cells to […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
When Tropical Oceans On Earth Were Oxygen Oases
The tropical oceans that once served as oxygen-rich havens for Earth’s earliest complex life have become the planet’s largest marine dead zones. The dramatic reversal occurred hundreds of millions of […]
Posted inExtinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Evidence Of ‘lightning-fast’ Evolution Found After Dinosaur-killing Asteroid Impact
The asteroid that struck the Earth 66 million years ago devastated life across the planet, wiping out the dinosaurs and other organisms in a hail of fire and catastrophic climate […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release
How Earth’s Greenhouse Age Ended 66 Million Years Ago
A 66 million-year-old mystery behind how our planet transformed from a tropical greenhouse to the ice-capped world of today has been unravelled by scientists.
![Probability distribution functions (PDFs) for the chemical abundances used to sample the stellar properties in our dataset,with lighter colors indicating higher probability densities. Left panel: PDF of [C/Fe] versus [Fe/H]. Right panel: PDF of [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H]. In both panels, the pink contours show the abundance distributions of halo stars from the APOGEE survey, as provided by the astroNN catalog. APOGEE does not reach the lowest metallicities present in our simulated dataset, which explains the differences at low [Fe/H]. -- astro-ph.SR](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Towards-Model-free.png?resize=1200%2C723&ssl=1)
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Towards Model-free Stellar Chemical Abundances. Potential Applications In The Search For Chemically Peculiar Stars In Large Spectroscopic Surveys
Chemical abundance determinations from stellar spectra are challenged by observational noise, limitations in stellar models, and departures from simplifying assumptions.