Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is preparing for his second expedition to Lake Untersee, Antarctica for 2026. The first 2026 Field season at Lake Untersee was conducted from January – March […]
Away Teams & Field Reports
Posted inSample Return
An Interdisciplinary Approach To Sampling Hard Rock Cores Of The Oceanic Crust For Microbiological And Biogeochemical Research
[Scientific Drilling] Studying life in the deep, rocky subseafloor involves many layers of technological and methodological challenges, and each drilling project or expedition must make a series of choices to […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Assessing the Preservation of Polysaccharides from a Sea-Ice Bacterium Through Analog Icy Moon Plume Ejection
[Astrobiology (Journal)] Detection of complex organics emitted from Saturn’s moon Enceladus has intensified the search for biosignatures accessible to future missions.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
Global Genome Atlas Reveals Hidden Life In Lakes
[University of Zurich] A single drop of lake water teems with life too small to see: microscopic algae and tiny single-celled organisms such as amoebae. Like our own cells, theirs […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Where Does Earth’s Nitrogen Go? Two Atoms Offer A Clue
[Science] Nitrogen is one of life’s building blocks, but it’s only helpful in the right amounts. Too much nitrogen in water, for example, can lead to poor water quality and […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
A Geochemical Precursor of ATP
[Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf] Where did the energy come from to power the chemical origin of life and how did phosphate come to be the universal energy currency of cells?
Posted inFossils & Paleontology
Protocells Reproduce Morphological And Chemical Signatures Of Early Microfossils
[biorxiv.org] Identification of early microfossils relies on morphological and chemical criteria assumed to be unique to life, but whether abiotic microstructures can satisfy these criteria has not been rigorously tested.
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Controlled Near-space Exposure Induces Community Restructuring In An Ocean Water Microbiome
[biorxiv.org] Marine microbiomes may experience extreme environmental stress during atmospheric transport, yet how near-space conditions reshape natural microbial communities remains poorly understood.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports
NASA Scientists Search For Clues About Mars’ Past In Scotland
[NASA] This summer, NASA scientists headed to the Scottish Highlands to follow up on last year’s announcement of potential biosignatures on Mars and prepare for future research.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Whole-Genome Metagenomics Insights Revealed a Uranium Bio-remediating Cross-Domain Microbiome in the Dhala Impact Structure, India
[biorxiv.org] Meteorite impact structures on earth represent unique terrestrial analogues of extreme planetary environments where fractured lithologies, hydrothermal alteration, elevated concentrations of radionuclides, and prolonged water-rock interactions create ecological niches […]