We’re the Goddard Instrument Field Team (and friends), and we study Earth’s most otherworldly places. This week we’re in Hawaii working to answer questions about our solar system’s history and […]
Astrogeology
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Interstellar, Press Release
Complex Organic Molecules Formation in Cold Cores on Stochastically Heated Grains
We investigate the roles of stochastic grain heating in the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in cold cores, where COMs have been detected. Two different types of grain-size distributions […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Movement Of The Solar System Through The Milky Way’s Galactic Spiral Arms Helped Form Earth’s First Continents
A new study of zircon crystals from two of Earth’s oldest continents indicates that the formation of Earth’s continental crust goes through cycles, with periods of increased crust production roughly […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Water Worlds Are More Common Than We Thought
Water is the one thing all life on Earth needs, and the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what keeps our planet’s […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Mineral-Microbe Interactions Play Important Roles In Geological And Environmental Processes
Minerals are the fundamental components of Earth. Microbes occupy the majority of the tree of life. In near surficial environments, minerals and microbes co-exist and interact. The studies of mineral-microbe […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Perseverance Rover Retrieves Key Rocky Clues To Mars’ Geologic And Water History
In its first year exploring Jezero Crater on Mars, the Perseverance rover collected rock samples that scientists anticipate will provide a long-awaited timeline for the planet’s geologic and water history. […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Perseverance Makes New Discoveries
Scientists got a surprise when NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover began examining rocks on the floor of Jezero Crater in spring of 2021: Because the crater held a lake billions of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
The Molecular Composition Of Shadowed Protosolar Disk Midplanes Beyond The Water Snowline
Image: Pie charts of the percentage contributions of the dominant carbon-bearing molecules to the total elemental carbon abundance (= 1.4 × 10−4 , top panels), the dominant oxygen-bearing molecules to […]
Posted inAstrogeology
How Did Earth Avoid A Mars-like Fate? Ancient Rocks Hold Clues
Approximately 1,800 miles beneath our feet, swirling liquid iron in the Earth’s outer core generates our planet’s protective magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is vital for life […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Biolocomotion And Premelting In Ice
Biota are found in glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost. Ice bound micro-organisms evolve in a complex mobile environment facilitated or hindered by a range of bulk and surface interactions.