Background Cable bacteria are filamentous sulphide-oxidisers capable of cm-scale electron transport. They are generally considered restricted to the upper few oxic–suboxic cm of marine sediments, where they couple sulphide oxidation […]
Biophysics
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
In The Heart Of Planetary Nebula Tc 1, A Buckyball Of Buckyballs
Fullerene C60, the molecule that looks like a soccer ball, had already been identified in the planetary nebula Tc 1 by the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2010. Now a team […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
TMC-1: Probing The Onset Of Chemical Complexity In Space
In recent years, the obsessive interest in the observation of TMC-1 has brought a boost in our knowledge of the chemistry of cold dark clouds. The number of molecules detected […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
JOYS+ Analyses Of OCN−, N2O, NO, And Complex Cyanides In Ices — Thermal Processing Results In Modest Enhancement Of OCN− Ice
Nitrogen-bearing molecules are more difficult to observe than oxygen-bearing ones, mainly due to the lower abundance of nitrogen in the interstellar medium.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Panspermia, Status Report
Understanding Life And Homochirality
Two fundamental questions have puzzled scientists for more than 150 years. “How did life become homochiral?” and “why was this specific handedness selected?”
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Plant Biology, Status Report
Is Constitutive Red-shift An Advantage For Oxygenic Photosynthesis Under M-dwarf Starlight? Insights From Acaryochloris marina sp. str. Moss Beach
In the next years, several space missions will search for evidence of life on exoplanets, focusing on robust biosignatures associated with oxygenic photosynthesis, including atmospheric oxygen accumulation and the Vegetation […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Aromatic Rings In The Central Molecular Zone: Benzonitrile
In recent years, several aromatic molecules (benzene-based rings) have been detected in the cold molecular cloud TMC-1, with its CN-derivative, benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN), also identified in other nearby cold sources.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Radiation, Space Life Science, Status Report
Survival Of NASA-cleanroom Microbial Isolates Under Simulated Space And Martian Conditions
Planetary protection hinges on understanding microbial survival following reduction procedures, the stressors of space travel, and exposure to extraterrestrial environmental conditions. This study identified 23 fungal strains isolated from NASA […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: DIYNAFLUOR: An Affordable DIY Plug-and-Play Nucleic Acid Fluorometer for eDNA Quantification in Resource Limited Settings
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 […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Master Molecule That Built Biology: How Water Shaped The Chemistry Of Life
The deep entanglement of biomolecular structure and function with aqueous systems supports the view that water actively sculpted both molecules and processes during the origins of life and continues to […]