At half the size of Earth and one-tenth its mass, Mars is a featherweight as far as planets go. And yet, new research reveals the extent to which Mars is […]
2026
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Ultraviolet Observations Of Atmospheric Escape In Exoplanets With The Habitable Worlds Observatory
Among the many recommendations of the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020, we found that a priority area of research is to pave the pathways towards finding and characterizing […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Intelligence & Language, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
SETI@Home Enthusiasts Used Home Computers To Search For ET. Scientists Focus On 100 signals They Found
For 21 years, between 1999 and 2020, millions of people worldwide loaned UC Berkeley scientists their computers to search for signs of advanced civilizations in our galaxy.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Investigating the High-energy Radiation Environment of Planets in Sun-like Binary Systems
Far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation is a driving source of photochemistry in planetary atmospheres. Proper interpretation of atmospheric observations requires a full understanding of the radiation environment that a planet is exposed […]
![A color–magnitude Hess diagram of Sextans A with JWST/ NIRCam photometry at 2.7 and 4.4 μm with the positions of the JWST/LRS targets overplotted. COLIBRI isochrones with [M/H] = −1.7 are plotted for log(age) = 8.3 in orange and log(age) = 9 in blue (P. Marigo et al. 2013), both showing prominent branches of thermally pulsing AGB stars at red colors (F277W − F444W > 0 mag). The population of faint red objects is dominated by unresolved background galaxies and young stellar objects (J. T. Warfield et al. 2023; L. Lenkić et al. 2024). -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/JWST-Captures-Growth-of-Aromatic.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
JWST Captures Growth of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Dust Particles in the Extremely Metal-poor Galaxy Sextans A
The mid-infrared spectrum of star-forming, high metallicity galaxies is dominated by emission features from aromatic and aliphatic bonds in small carbonaceous dust grains, often referred to as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Status Report
Time-dependent Chemical Evolution During Cloud Formation: H2-regulated Chemistry In Diffuse Molecular Cloud
We investigate the chemical evolution of a forming molecular cloud behind an interstellar shock wave. We conduct three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations of the converging flow of atomic gas, including a simple […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Salt Diapirs As An Architect Of Neoproterozoic Stromatolite Platform Reefs
During the Precambrian, stromatolite reefs played an essential role in the evolution of Earth’s climate and life systems. Many Precambrian basins contain salt-influenced stratigraphy, yet the potential for salt diapirism […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
AI Learns From The Tree Of Life To Support Rare Disease Diagnosis
Editor’s note: If we aspire to mount expeditions to new worlds and then embrace the task of characterizing and quantifying whatever life forms we find, the ability to map and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Electron Temperature Relations And The Direct N, O, Ne, S And Ar abundances Of 49959 Star-forming Galaxies In DESI Data Release 2
We present the largest direct-method abundance catalogue of galaxies to date, containing measurements of 49959 star-forming galaxies at z<0.96 from DESI Data Release 2. By directly measuring electron temperatures across […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astronauts and Explorers, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Space Stations, Status Report
Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 12 January 2026: Overland Traverse Imagery – And Hello ISS
Keith’s note: Dale Andersen and his astrobiology research team departed the Ultima ice airstrip where they arrived the other day – and drove their snowmobiles south to their research base […]