Geological and biological evidence suggests that Earth was warm during most of its early history, despite the fainter young Sun. Upper bounds on the atmospheric CO2 concentration in the Late […]
Journal articles
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Journal articles
Inorganic Nitrogen Reduction and Stability under Simulated Hydrothermal Conditions
Availability of reduced nitrogen is considered a prerequisite for the genesis of life from prebiotic precursors. Most atmospheric and oceanic models for the Hadean Earth predict a mildly oxidizing environment […]
Posted inJournal articles, Mars
A Case for Ancient Springs in Arabia Terra, Mars
Based on new image data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a case can be made that several structures in Vernal Crater, Arabia […]
Posted inJournal articles, Mars
Short- and Long-Term Olivine Weathering in Svalbard: Implications for Mars
Liquid water is essential to life as we know it on Earth; therefore, the search for water on Mars is a critical component of the search for life. Olivine, a […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Journal articles
Novel Sfp1 Transcriptional Regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gene Expression Changes During Spaceflight
This study identifies transcriptional regulation of stress response element (STRE) genes in space in the model eukaryotic organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To determine transcription-factor dependence, gene expression changes in space were […]
Posted inJournal articles, Missions & Hardware
Astrobiological Polarimeter
Chirality is an excellent indicator of life, but naturally occurring astrobiological (as well as terrestrial) samples nearly always exhibit massive depolarizing light scattering, which renders conventional polarimeters useless. For astrobiological […]
Posted inJournal articles, Mars
The MARTE VNIR Imaging Spectrometer Experiment: Design and Analysis
Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1001-1011.http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2007.0142 We report on the design, operation, and data analysis methods employed on the VNIR imaging spectrometer instrument that was part of the Mars Astrobiology Research […]
Posted inJournal articles, Mars
The Subsurface Geology of Rio Tinto: Material Examined During a Simulated Mars Drilling Mission for the Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE)
Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1013-1021.http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.0107 The 2005 Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) project conducted a simulated 1-month Mars drilling mission in the Rio Tinto district, Spain. Dry robotic […]
Posted inJournal articles, Mars
Visible-Near Infrared Point Spectrometry of Drill Core Samples from Rio Tinto, Spain: Results from the 2005 Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) Drilling Exercise
Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1049-1060.http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2007.0146 Sampling of subsurface rock may be required to detect evidence of past biological activity on Mars. The Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) utilized […]
Posted inJournal articles, Mars
Underground Habitats in the Rio Tinto Basin: A Model for Subsurface Life Habitats on Mars
Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1023-1047.http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.0104 A search for evidence of cryptic life in the subsurface region of a fractured Paleozoic volcanosedimentary deposit near the source waters of the Rio Tinto […]