Rocks that stood out as light-colored dots on the reddish-orange surface of Mars now are the latest evidence that areas of the small planet may have once supported wet oases […]
The study of temperature limits has transformed our knowledge of the boundaries of life but has been largely focused on bacteria and archaea. We isolated a novel geothermal amoeba, Incendiamoeba […]
Up to 30% of life, by weight, is underground. Seismic activity may renew the energy supply for subterranean ecosystems.
Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen will be back in Antarctica at Lake Untersee from early January through the end of February 2026 for another field season of research, leading an […]
Arthrobacter are commonly isolated from cold soil environments globally, including those that regularly reach sub-freezing temperatures, suggesting that Arthrobacter have significant potential for growth and activity under temperature and stress […]
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 25, 2025)] [Notices] [Pages 53392-53393] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2025-20876] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-25/html/2025-20876.htm
Yellowstone is not just a fantastic natural laboratory for Earth-based studies. A better understanding of hydrothermal activity in the first National Park can also provide clues about what Mars might […]
An international team of scientists and students, led by the Arctic University of Norway, and including chemists and engineers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has announced a remarkable discovery […]
![Raman optical observations at 10× and 100× showing original halite hopper crystal and microbial movement within fluid inclusions entombed within the crystal structure. (A) Entire halite cubic crystal showing rectangular fluid inclusions on all four faces with an air bubble on the left face. Scale bar is at 100 μm. (B) Enhanced image of (A) showing fluid inclusion patterns within cubic halite habits. Scale bar is at 100 μm. (C) 100× image highlighting a fluid inclusion within a single crystal. Red arrows show microbial movement. Green targeting dot highlights an entombed biomass. Scale bar is 2 μm. (D) Another 100× image showing a larger fluid inclusion [when compared with (C)] with increased microbial movement within the fluid inclusion. Scale bar is 2 μm for 2C,D. -- Astrobiology via Sage Journals](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Evaporitic-Preservation-of-Modern.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Our investigation in Mars-relevant terrestrial environments where biological material is entombed within rapidly precipitated evaporite crystals has given us the ability to evaluate the preservation potential of a hypersaline brine […]
![The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over one of Earth’s most extreme environments: the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia. [If you go to the original ESA posting] Zoom in or click on the circles to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution.](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Astrobiology-Analog-Site-Copernicus.jpg?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Located in northeastern Ethiopia, near the border with Eritrea, the Danakil Depression lies between the Danakil Alps on the east and the Ethiopian Plateau on the west. It is a […]
