Atmospheres, Climate, Weather Archives

A: The average relative photosynthetic output rate, ν/νmax, as a function of main sequence stellar temperature/mass and orbital semi-major axis, a, for oxygenic, anoxygenic and hypothetical forms of photosynthesis (denoted by green crosses, red circles and blue triangles respectively). The error bars represent variance in antenna structure in the final evolved photosynthetic population output by the genetic algorithm. The faint dashed lines are a visual reference showing a 1/a2 dependence. B: The habitable zone (green) overlaid with contours of constant ν/νmax (coloured dashed lines) for oxygenic photosynthesis. The contours are interpolated from the data points which are shown as filled circles and the corresponding values of ν/νmax are shown as a percentage. For reference, several candidates worlds from the Habitable Worlds Catalogue (PHL UPR Arecibo 2026) are listed, alongside Earth. C: Same as B but for anoxygenic photosynthesis. D: Same as B but for the hypothetical NIR-driven oxygenic photosynthesis. Since only three stellar temperatures/masses were considered for the hypothetical form of photosynthesis (due to calculation cost), we added interpolated data points to generate the contours. -- astro-ph.EP

Uncategorized

An Agnostic Machine Learning Model of Photosynthetic Habitability

by Keith CowingJune 26, 2026June 26, 2026

The search for exoplanet biosignatures is guided by whether planetary environments can sustain photosynthesis.

Mars

Turbulence-coupled Electrodynamics Of The Martian Year 34 Global Dust Storm On Mar

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2026June 23, 2026

We studied the electrodynamic environment during the Martian year 34 (MY 34) global dust storm using data from the Mars Climate Database v.6.1. Our physics-based approach looked at triboelectric charging, […]

Illustration of key factors affecting subsurface ocean habitability and possible chemical evolution in icy moons Factors with question marks are still under debate. -- The Innovation via PubMed

Icy Worlds

Dynamic Controls On Subsurface Water Chemistry And Habitability On Icy Moons

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2026June 23, 2026

Icy moons are natural satellites whose surfaces contain a substantial fraction of frozen materials, most notably water ice.

Dark colored bars indicate time periods when all three clock models agree that the metabolism existed, light colored bars represent the oldest age predicted by any of the three clock models, and dashed lines represent the oldest confidence intervals. Isotopic evidence of biological N2 fixation (BNF) is presented in black (see main text for references), with the gray area representing more putative isotopic evidence of biological N2 fixation. Paleoarc. represents the Paleoarchean, Mesoarc. represents the Mesoarchean, Neoarc. represents the Neoarchean, Neoptz. represents the Neoproterozoic. -- Science Advances via PubMed

Origin & Evolution of Life

Abiotic Sources Of Fixed Nitrogen Sustained Early Ecosystems For Several Hundred Million Years After The Origin Of Life

by Keith CowingJune 23, 2026June 23, 2026

Nitrogen (N) plays a crucial role in controlling biological productivity. However, it remains unknown how Earth’s earliest ecosystems accessed bioavailable forms of nitrogen.

The Gulf Stream is full of interleaving temperature gradient structures that hint at complex underlying current dynamics. GOES-East satellite observations and machine learning have, for the first time, connected this observed structure to the much more difficult problem of observing ocean currents. -- Credit: Luc Lenain/Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Water Planet Recon: New AI Approach Reveals Earth’s Ocean Currents In Unprecedented Detail

by Keith CowingJune 22, 2026June 21, 2026

Editor’s note: when our first missions – human or robotic – arrive at a new world we’ll want to do glean as much information from space – via fly by […]

Left: Schematic illustration of the primary physical drivers of variability in substellar atmospheres (from left to right: aurora, iron clouds obscured by patchy silicate clouds, thermal inversion, and silicate clouds), their relative atmospheric depths and the wavelengths at which their signatures are most clearly observed. The instruments capable of probing these wavelengths and their drivers are shown at the top of the illustration. Right: Rotational light curves from the young, bright T2.5 brown dwarf SIMP J013656.5+093347 from GO 3548 (PI: Vos). Near-infrared variability traces deep cloud layers and higher-atmosphere temperature inversions (green and orange respectively, JWST NIRSpec PRISM), while the mid-infrared feature probes intermediate atmospheric cloud layers (pink, JWST MIRI LRS). JWST requires sequential observations with different instruments and observing modes, the NIR and MIR observations sample different rotations. Ultraviolet auroral emission is expected to originate at the highest atmospheric altitudes but has not yet been detected outside our Solar System. -- astro-ph.IM

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Building a Roadmap for Hubble Science into the 2030s: Revealing Atmospheric Structure and Evolution in Substellar Worlds Using HST

by Keith CowingJune 22, 2026June 21, 2026

Substellar objects occupy a unique place in our universe, bridging the gap between the smallest stars and the largest planets, and serving as powerful laboratories for understanding extrasolar atmospheric physics […]

Previous vs. current microbe-integrated ocean world model setups. Previous models (left) include ambient temperatures, hydroxide effluent, circumneutral pH's, and effluent-bacteria integration (Barge et al., 2015; Hermis et al., 2021; Dickson et al., 2022). This study (right) includes thermal gradients, FeOOH/sulfide rich effluent (brine fluid), acidic reservoir pH, and planktonic lake extremophile integration. -- Frontiers

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Probing The Habitability Of Potential Sulfuric Acid Rich Subsurface Lakes In Europa’s Ice Shell Via Saci/STIV Integrated Models

by Keith CowingJune 21, 2026June 21, 2026

Experimentally modeling the habitability of extreme ocean world conditions, such as those on Jupiter’s moon: Europa, would benefit from integrated microbe-virus model studies to provide both a microbial model and […]

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Famous Pink Planet Harbors A Salty Surprise

by Keith CowingJune 21, 2026June 21, 2026

Northwestern University-led astronomers have discovered salty skies surrounding the universe’s famous “Pink Planet.”

Schematic overview of possible paths of major endogenous carbon and nitrogen sources on an early Earth, starting from a CO2−, H2−, and N2−containing atmosphere. -- Astrobiology

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Terrestrial Abiotic Synthesis of Simple Precursor Molecules Starting from Two Approaches: The Universality of Carbon Reduction

by Keith CowingJune 20, 2026June 20, 2026

To address the chemistry responsible for life’s emergence, we examine the simple chemicals accessible on early Earth and the processes that could have transformed them. We focus on carbon reduction […]

As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit began collecting images for a 360-degree panorama of new terrain, the rover captured this view of a dark boulder with an interesting surface texture. Larger image

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report

Mars Organic Geochemistry-Are We Alone, and Where Did We Come From?

by Keith CowingJune 20, 2026June 20, 2026

This review of martian organic geochemistry aims to contextualize recent findings of organic molecules in martian meteorites and from Mars missions within the broader study of origins of life on […]

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather

An Agnostic Machine Learning Model of Photosynthetic Habitability

Turbulence-coupled Electrodynamics Of The Martian Year 34 Global Dust Storm On Mar

Dynamic Controls On Subsurface Water Chemistry And Habitability On Icy Moons

Abiotic Sources Of Fixed Nitrogen Sustained Early Ecosystems For Several Hundred Million Years After The Origin Of Life

Water Planet Recon: New AI Approach Reveals Earth’s Ocean Currents In Unprecedented Detail

Building a Roadmap for Hubble Science into the 2030s: Revealing Atmospheric Structure and Evolution in Substellar Worlds Using HST

Probing The Habitability Of Potential Sulfuric Acid Rich Subsurface Lakes In Europa’s Ice Shell Via Saci/STIV Integrated Models

Famous Pink Planet Harbors A Salty Surprise

Terrestrial Abiotic Synthesis of Simple Precursor Molecules Starting from Two Approaches: The Universality of Carbon Reduction

Mars Organic Geochemistry-Are We Alone, and Where Did We Come From?

Perseverance Astrobiology Droid Has Completed A Martian Marathon

Machine Learning And Deep Learning For Exoplanet Detection And Atmospheric Characterization With JWST And The Upcoming Ariel Mission

Bioleaching Of Critical Trace Metals By Sphingomonas Desiccabilis: Substrate-driven Selectivity In Earth And Space Analogues

TESS Reveals The Puffiest Exoplanets Ever Found

An Agnostic Machine Learning Model of Photosynthetic Habitability