Biophysics Archives

Proteins — large molecules with a specific biological function — are created by stringing together smaller molecular building blocks (amino acids) into chains which fold into complex 3D shapes. Credit Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Identifying The Limits Of Protein Evolution

by Keith CowingApril 2, 2026April 2, 2026

The number of known proteins is infinitely small in comparison to the universe of possible proteins which could in theory be realized. Yet these known proteins are the only major […]

Artistic representation of late Hadean Earth ≈4 Ga ago, created with the AI software “Sora”. -- Life

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Chemical Routes to Primitive Membranes: Prebiotic Lipid Formation at the Origin of Life

by Keith CowingApril 2, 2026April 2, 2026

The origin of life is, to the best of our knowledge, impossible to imagine without the formation of complex prebiotic biomolecules such as RNA, DNA, proteins and lipids.

Photograph of the model hot spring pools system showing the assembled pools with temperature probes placed in the cups and heating pads inserted underneath for controlling temperature. Power supply provides electricity for heating pads, and an Arduino Uno is connected via USB-type-C cable to a laptop for PID (Proportional-IntegralDerivative) control. Blue-colored LEDs in the Arduino Uno turn off when the setpoint is reached and back on to maintain the temperature in the rehydration phase of the WD cycles. Water flow control is managed by the mini-peristaltic pumps connected to the water control unit. -- Astrobiology

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

A Modular 3D-Printed Design To Investigate Prebiotic Chemical Systems In Hot Spring Pools

by Keith CowingMarch 30, 2026June 10, 2026

The emergence of protocells, membranous compartments with encapsulated genetic material, was a crucial step in life’s origin and evolution. The hot spring hypothesis for the origin of life suggests that […]

A) A close-up, exploded view of the spinpod optical system and diagram of operations. To take fluorescence measurements, excitation light first passes through a bidirectional optical probe from the LED light source to illuminate liquid cultures encased in a spinpod. Fluorescence emission then returns through the optical probe to the spectrometer for measurement, through a longpass filter that reduces signal from the excitation wavelength. To take optical density measurements, a red LED mounted toward the optical probe but on the opposite side of the spinpod illuminates the spinpod ("OD illumination hardware"). This light passes through the spinpod and to the spectrometer without filtering. The spinpod is housed in two joined Carrier Extenders with additional Carrier Extenders placed inline as spacers. B) Photograph of the system diagrammed in panel A; optical probe is in front. Tape has been applied to the outside of carrier extenders to shield the optical path from external light. C) and D) Rear and front close-up views, respectively, of the OD illumination hardware. -- biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Real-time, In Situ Fluorescence And Optical Density Measurements Of Liquid Cultures In Simulated Microgravity

by Keith CowingMarch 30, 2026March 30, 2026

As human space exploration expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, there is a growing need to study the effects of altered gravity on the microbial systems that we will […]

Observed Stereoisomeric Ratio (OSR) - defined as the column density ratio between the higher and the lower-energy isomer - for the different stereoisomeric pairs gathered in Table 1 (points), overlaid with the thermodynamic equilibrium prediction (g×e−∆E/Tkin at g = 1, colored area), as a function of the relative energy (∆E= Ehigher- Elower) between isomers. The points corresponding to the detections are colored according to the particular source Tkin (see Tables 1 and 2), following the color code of the vertical bar. For CH3CH2OH, CH3CH2OCHO, CH2CHCH2CN, CH3CH2CH2CN and (CH3)2CHOH, the observational points were “corrected” (indicated with *) accounting for the double degeneracy of one of the isomers in the pair (the higher-energy for the first three, the lower-energy for the last two), multiplying the corresponding ratios shown in Table 1 by 1/g=1/2, 1/2, 1/2, 2 and 2, respectively, to match the displayed thermodynamic prediction which omits this fact. -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Interstellar Stereoisomerism

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2026March 29, 2026

The increasing detection of new molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) shows that stereoisomerism is a fundamental contributor to interstellar molecular complexity.

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

A Formal Physical Framework for the Origin of Life: Dissipation-Driven Selection of Evolving Replicators

by Keith CowingMarch 28, 2026March 28, 2026

The emergence of life from inanimate matter presents a thermodynamic challenge: the Second Law of Thermodynamics dictates a global trend towards disorder, yet life constitutes localized pockets of profound organization.

Schematic of methods used to insert ancestral genes into the host A. vinelandii genome -- Nature Communications

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search For Life Beyond Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 27, 2026March 27, 2026

NASA-supported scientists have resurrected an enzyme first used by organisms on Earth 3.2-billion years ago and, in the process, have validated a chemical biosignature in rocks that is used to […]

This illustration demonstrates how metapipeline-DNA processes raw genome sequencing data. It begins by aligning the sequence of DNA base pairs to a reference genome. Then produces sets of detected variants and other genetic and evolutionary features. Credit Yash Patel, Sanford Burnham Prebys

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

New Computational Biology Tool Automates And Standardizes Genome Sequencing Analysis

by Keith CowingMarch 27, 2026March 27, 2026

Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of other worlds and understanding the processes whereby other biospheres arise and evolve, thought needs to be given to developing sensor […]

Chemical stimuli change the trajectory and flow fields of basal Xenobots without affecting the cilia beating.

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report

Behavioral, Physiological, and Transcriptional Mechanisms of Memory in a Synthetic Living Construct

by Keith CowingMarch 27, 2026March 27, 2026

Synthetic living constructs, which lack the long histories of selection in ecological contexts that shape behaviors of conventional organisms, offer an important complement to traditional studies of learning.

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Gravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report

ExocubeBio: An In-situ Fluidic Platform For Microbial Exposure On The International Space Station

by Keith CowingMarch 26, 2026June 10, 2026

Space-based platforms currently represent the most accurate means to experimentally assess the influence of the space environment on biological systems. However, performing such experiments remains technically challenging and requires highly […]

Biophysics

Identifying The Limits Of Protein Evolution

Chemical Routes to Primitive Membranes: Prebiotic Lipid Formation at the Origin of Life

A Modular 3D-Printed Design To Investigate Prebiotic Chemical Systems In Hot Spring Pools

Real-time, In Situ Fluorescence And Optical Density Measurements Of Liquid Cultures In Simulated Microgravity

Interstellar Stereoisomerism

A Formal Physical Framework for the Origin of Life: Dissipation-Driven Selection of Evolving Replicators

Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search For Life Beyond Earth

New Computational Biology Tool Automates And Standardizes Genome Sequencing Analysis

Behavioral, Physiological, and Transcriptional Mechanisms of Memory in a Synthetic Living Construct

ExocubeBio: An In-situ Fluidic Platform For Microbial Exposure On The International Space Station

PJ Harvey Announces New Song “Voyager”

Fifty Years after Viking: The Promise of Solar System Microbiology and Microbial Ecology

Characterising Transiting Exoplanets At Long Orbital Period: Lessons Learned For PLATO From 10 Years Of Monitoring The HIP41378 System

Implications Of Self-consistent H2O Ice Optical Constants On Radiative Transfer Models Of Disks

The GAPS Programme at TNG LXXIV. A Reanalysis Of The Planetary Systems TOI-1272 And TOI-1694 With HARPS-N And Retraction Of The Planetary Interpretation Of TOI-1272 c