Cryobiology
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

by Keith Cowing

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 inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

The Lipidome of a Mars Analog Poly-Extreme Community in Atacama Halite Endolith: Chemotaxonomy, Lipid Adaptation, and Implications for the Search for Extraplanetary Biosignatures

by Keith Cowing

We analyzed the lipidome of the endolithic community in halite nodules from Salar Grande in the hyperarid Atacama Desert, which is considered an analog for martian subsurface environments.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

In Situ Analytical Chemistry Laboratory for the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor

by Keith Cowing

In this paper, we report a fully automated, end-to-end (sample-in/data-out) capillary electrophoresis system.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

As Above, Not So Below: Ion Fractionation In Planetary Analog Ices

by Keith Cowing

The geophysical evolution and astrobiological potential of ocean worlds are indelibly linked to the chemical compositions of their oceans and ice shells.

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrobiology Exploration: Dragonfly Rotorcraft Hardware Integration and Parachute Test

by Keith Cowing

NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft is beginning to take shape – literally – with the delivery of the panels that make up the rotorcraft lander’s body. Built from ultra‑lightweight honeycomb panels designed […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Groundwater Microbial Diversity Associated With Icelandic Basaltic Subsurface Environments

by Keith Cowing

Microbial communities in the deep basaltic aquifers of Iceland remain poorly characterized, despite their relevance for understanding subsurface biogeochemical processes, including silicate weathering.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan

Feeling the Pressure: Effects of Formation Pressure on the Physical Properties of Titan Haze Analogs

by Keith Cowing

The Cassini-Huygens mission detected large negative ions in Titan’s ionosphere at pressures as low as 10−6 torr. These ions ultimately polymerize to form Titan’s complex organic haze particles, which are […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Orbital Biosignature Assay: Antarctica’s Vanishing Sea Ice Transforms Marine Life

by Keith Cowing

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 […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Sample Return, Status Report

Phreatobacter aquiterrae sp. nov., Isolated From An Icelandic Subsurface Geothermal Aquifer

by Keith Cowing

A novel bacterial strain, designated HK31-PT, was isolated from a deep subsurface geothermal aquifer in southwestern Iceland. Phylogenetic analyses, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that the strain was […]

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