[Life (Basel)]. The Azores are characterized by intense volcanic activity, creating unique environments such as fumarole sites, where geothermal gases and high temperatures drive distinct chemical and biological processes.
Exploration Gear & Tech
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports
Microorganisms Actively Shape Earth’s Ocean Floor
[MARUM]. In August 2023, the German research vessel METEOR set sail on Expedition M192 to the Greek island of Milos with Dr. Solveig Bühring as the chief scientist. The mission […]
Posted inMissions & Hardware
NASA SMD ROSES-25 Amendment 65: New Opportunity: C.4 Planetary Science Enabling Facilities [30 JULY UPDATE]
30 July 2026 UPDATE C.4 The Planetary Science Enabling Facilities (PSEF) was recently added to ROSES-25. It solicits proposals for experimental and analytical research facilities to be made available to the […]
Posted inFossils & Paleontology
Where Was This Fossil 200 Million Years Ago?
[University of Barcelona] Calculating a fossil’s position throughout geological history is a complex process. In palaeontology and other disciplines, determining a location in the past is quite a challenge that […]
Posted inTricorders & Sensors
TricorderTech: PerkinElmer Partners With eXXpedition Using Advanced FTIR Spectroscopy
[PerkinElmer], a global leader in analytical solutions that drive human and environmental health, today announced a partnership with eXXpedition, the all-women global sailing research organization dedicated to investigating the causes […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration
Offworld Science Training: From Lava Fields To Antarctica, Students Pave The Way For Artemis Moon Missions
[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa] The Artemis missions will return human beings to the surface of the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. This next generation […]
![This artist’s concept depicts a cutaway view showing Europa’s ice shell. Data used to generate a new result on the ice thickness and structure was collected by the microwave radiometer instrument on NASA’s Juno during a close flyby of the Jovian moon on Sept. 29, 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/Koji Kuramura/ Gerald Eichstädt (CC BY) [Enhanced by Grok via Astrobiology.com]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Why-Europa.jpg?resize=1200%2C752&ssl=1)
Posted inEuropa
Why Europa’s Hidden Ocean May Be More Difficult To Reach Than Scientists Thought
[Rutgers University] Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons, long has fascinated scientists because of what may lie beneath its frozen shell: a global ocean of liquid water.
Posted inAstronauts and Explorers
Astronaut Training For Underground Science Expeditions
ESA CAVES (Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills) is an ESA astronaut training program. The three-week course prepares astronauts to work safely and effectively in […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech
A Pressure-Supported Pneumatic Architecture for Robust Deep Drilling on Mars: Performance Modeling, Sizing, and Mission Integration.
[Astrobiology] Accessing the martian deep subsurface is a long-standing scientific priority for astrobiology, climate reconstruction, and planetary evolution, yet robotic drilling missions have historically been limited by wellbore instability, loss […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Mineral Biosignature Identification From Raman Spectroscopy Using Machine Learning
[PNAS] Biosignature detection remains a key challenge in astrobiology, yet robust mineral biosignatures remain limited. Raman spectroscopy is increasingly applied in planetary exploration, but its high-dimensional spectral information has not […]