Intensity ratios of aromatic emission features are widely used to diagnose the size and ionization state of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in astronomical environments.
Biophysics
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
The Evolution Of C4H And c-C3H2 In Molecular Cores
Linear C4H and cyclic c-C3H2, as small unsaturated hydrocarbons, are the key precursors to complex organic molecules and are critical components of the interstellar medium. We present on-the-fly mapping observations […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Clue For The Hen And Egg Question: The Simultaneous Formation Of Uracil And Amino Acids Under Simulated Hadean Conditions
The origin of life is commonly discussed within two competing conceptual frameworks: the metabolism-first and information-first hypotheses. While each emphasizes a different defining property of early life, modern biochemistry reveals […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
First Interstellar Detection of Methyl Carbamate: A New Observational Anchor for Glycine Chemistry
Glycine-the simplest amino acid-has remained undetected in the interstellar medium despite decades of sensitive searches, motivating alternative approaches to constrain its astrochemical origin.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Detecting Fundamental Chiral Biosignatures in the Ultraviolet Polarization Spectrum
Chiral molecules are ubiquitous and necessary for life as we know it. In extant life, the amino acid and sugar constituents of proteins and biopolymers consist of only one enantiomer.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report
Active Responses Of Cyanobacterial Crusts Directly Exposed To The Extreme Stratospheric Environment
The stratosphere’s highly hostile environment offers a unique and relatively accessible setting to evaluate extremophilic adaptation for extraterrestrial colonization. The accelerating pace of the Martian project has underscored the need […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Tricks of Nature From the Ancient Earth and Early Mars: Chemical Gardens Generate Biomorphs With High Preservation Potential
Observations of morphology are commonly used to evaluate the biogenicity of terrestrial microfossils and could constitute a crucial line of evidence for extraterrestrial life‐detection missions in the future.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Modeling The UV-photon Irradiation Of CS2-bearing Ices In The Laboratory With The pyRate Gas-grain Astrochemical Code. New Insights Into The Missing Sulfur Problem
Observations indicate that the total abundance of S-bearing species in dense clouds is orders of magnitude lower than the cosmic sulfur abundance.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Sample Return, Status Report
The Formation of Glycolamide on Interstellar Ices
For decades, scientists have searched interstellar space for the chemical seeds of life. In this issue of ACS Central Science, Kaiser and co-workers (1) offer a striking advance in that […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A New Artificial Intelligence Tool That Can Generate Millions Of New Molecules
Editor’s note: As we expand outward from Earth to other worlds we are almost certainly going to encounter things we did not expect to find – things that are unlikely […]