Editor’s note: As we start to move off-world on longer space missions, the issue of crew health, food, life support, and overall safety becomes a pressing issue. If you can […]
Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Sample Return
Extreme Environment of Danakil Depression Sheds Light on Mars, Titan
The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is a spectacular, hostile environment that may resemble conditions encountered on Mars and Titan — as well as in sites containing nuclear waste. From 20 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
Possible Organic Precursors in Titan's Hydrocarbon
NASA researchers have confirmed the existence in Titan’s atmosphere of vinyl cyanide, which is an organic compound that could potentially provide the cellular membranes for microbial life to form in […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release
Prebiotic Synthesis of RNA Nucleotides
RNA was probably the first informational molecule. Now chemists from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have demonstrated that alternation of wet and dry conditions could have sufficed to drive the prebiotic […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Sample Return
Salty Antarctic Pond Could Provide Clues About Mars’ Water
A shallow, briny pond located in what is often considered one of the most Mars-like regions on Earth is probably being fed by groundwater seeping up, rather than moisture seeping […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Potential Missing Link In The Chemistry That Led to Life on Earth
Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a compound that may have been a crucial factor in the origins of life on Earth. Origins-of-life researchers have hypothesized that […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
Origin Of Photosynthesis In A Sun-loving Bacteria
Every day, enough sunlight hits the Earth to power the planet many times over — if only we could more efficiently capture all the energy. With today’s solar panels limited […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
The First Microbial Supertree From Figure-mining Thousands Of Papers
[BBSRC] While recent reports reveal the existence of more than 114,000,000 documents of published scientific literature, finding a way to improve the access to this knowledge and efficiently synthesise it […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Development Of Solid-State Nanopore Technology For Life Detection
Introduction: Biomarkers for life on Earth are an important starting point to guide the search for life elsewhere. However, the search for life beyond Earth should incorporate technologies capable of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release
Ultraviolet Star Light Plays A Role in Astrochemistry
Life exists in a myriad of wondrous forms, but if you break any organism down to its most basic parts, it’s all the same stuff: carbon atoms connected to hydrogen, […]