Desert Worlds Archives

The Investigating Mars at Three Sites Campaign would visit three different locations on Mars. Source NASEM, A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars (The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2025), https://doi.org/10.17226/28594.

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Highlighting A Science Strategy For Human Exploration Of Mars

by Keith CowingMay 26, 2026May 26, 2026

A Science Strategy for Human Exploration of Mars, charts a bold, scientifically based blueprint for humanity’s greatest cosmic adventure—sending explorers to Mars to answer the universe’s most profound questions: Is […]

ExoCAM simulations of Earth from the present up to 2.0 Gyr in the future, assuming CO2 remains fixed at 400 ppm. The top row shows surface temperature, the middle row shows precipitation minus evaporation, and the bottom row shows the habitability metric developed by Woodward et al. (2025) (Eqs. (D1) and (D2)). All quantities are 20-year averages after the model has reached a steady-state. Increases in temperature due to a brightening sun cause an increase in habitability up to 1.5 Gyr due to the greening of the poles, but habitability decreases significantly by 2.0 Gyr as Earth becomes too hot for complex vegetative life. This corresponds to a weak temperature dependence of weathering, in which Earth’s CO2 levels do not change even as the climate warms (c.f., Graham et al., 2024). -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Agriculture, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Maximum Lifetime Of The Vegetative Biosphere

by Keith CowingMay 23, 2026May 23, 2026

We use a three-dimensional model to calculate steady-state climates at various intervals in Earth’s future, across a parameter space of increasing insolation and decreasing CO2 mixing ratio.

Main categories of extremophiles. This illustration depicts the 10 most common extremophile types, highlighting their defining physicochemical stressors and representative natural environments. -- Briefings in Bioinformatics

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Status Report

Decoding Extremophiles: Insights From Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, And Data-driven Approaches

by Keith CowingMay 22, 2026May 23, 2026

Life thrives in Earth’s most inhospitable environments, from boiling hydrothermal vents to hypersaline lakes and frozen polar deserts, thanks to the remarkable adaptations of extremophilic microorganisms.

The Mars rover with its innovative wheels, which can ‘swim’ through sand, modelled on a desert lizard. (Image: Marco Schmidt / Universität Würzburg)

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

Innovative Mars Rovers Swim Through The Sand

by Keith CowingMay 22, 2026May 22, 2026

Some animals can move efficiently beneath granular surfaces. These include the sandfish (Scincus scincus), a lizard native to the Sahara: it can burrow into the sand and then literally ‘swim’ […]

Schematic cross sections of Earth and Mars, showing the major internal components and atmospheric components, to scale. For simplicity, oceanic and continental crust for Earth are not distinguished, nor is the interior structure of Earth’s mantle shown. -- astro-ph.EP

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mars As An Exoplanet: Lessons From A Planet At The Edge Of Habitability

by Keith CowingMay 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Mars is the Solar System’s canonical small, rocky planet that transitioned from early geologic activity and surface liquid water to a cold and arid planet with a thin, cold, CO2-dominated […]

Spatial distribution of dynamically active regions, defined as grid cells exceeding a velocity threshold of 0.3 m s−1 , accumulated over the full simulation period and vertically integrated by altitude. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Desert Worlds, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Status Report

Global Evolution Of Electric Fields During Planet Encircling Dust Storms On Mars

by Keith CowingMay 15, 2026May 15, 2026

Planet-encircling dust storms fundamentally reshape Martian weather and the near-surface electrostatic environment.

(a) Mastcam-Z image of the base of the delta with the Rockytop outcrop within the 6 m high scarp (sol 429, zcam08452) located at the base of the Tenby formation immediately overlying the Hogwallow Flats light-toned deposits. The white arrow indicates the fallen block where the SuperCam target Fourway has been analyzed. -- JGR Planets

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

In Situ Carbonation of Sedimentary and Igneous Rocks of Ultramafic Composition in Jezero Crater, Mars

by Keith CowingMay 15, 2026May 15, 2026

Over 3.5 years of exploration in Jezero Crater, the Perseverance rover has explored several geological units of diverse origins and natures, performing multi-technique remote analyses of the chemistry and mineralogy […]

The POLARIS experiment undergoes ground-based testing ahead of integration with the MISSE Flight Facility outside the ISS. Credit: Aegis Aerospace and the U.S. Government

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Gravitational Biology, Microgravity, Panspermia, Radiation, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Status Report

Antarctic Microbe Survival Tests Aboard The International Space Station

by Keith CowingMay 14, 2026May 14, 2026

An international team is sending microbes from Antarctica and Chile to the International Space Station (ISS) to study how they withstand radiation and other spaceflight stressors.

NASA’s Perseverance looks down at a rocky outcrop nicknamed “Arethusa” and then appears to look into the camera in this animated selfie, which is composed of 61 images taken March 11, 2026, during the rover’s deepest push west beyond Jezero Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars’ Western Frontier

by Keith CowingMay 13, 2026May 13, 2026

The agency’s six-wheeled geologist took a self-portrait during its survey of an ancient landscape that may predate the formation of Jezero Crater itself.

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report

Defined Mars Media (DMM), A Chemically Defined Simulant Of The Soluble Macro- and Micro- Nutrients In Mars Regolith For Use In Biological Research

by Keith CowingMay 8, 2026May 8, 2026

Mars’ relatively moderate surface conditions, availability of solar energy, and in situ resources like water ice, carbon dioxide, and mineral-rich regolith make it a compelling target for supporting life beyond […]