Editor’s note: When we begin to conduct Away Team visits to other worlds that host life we will need to do an assay of how everything on these worlds works […]
Away Teams & Field Reports
Posted inCryobiology
Ancient Marine Life May Be Hiding In Antarctica’s Blood Falls
[Scripps/JCVI] Blood Falls has long been one of Antarctica’s strangest landmarks: a red-stained outflow that spills from the face of Taylor Glacier into the cold, dry landscape of the McMurdo […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine
Molecular Evidence For A Relict Marine Community In An Antarctic Dry Valleys Subglacial Brine-fed System
[Nature] The McMurdo Dry Valleys contain a mosaic of specialized microbial habitats structured by strong physical and chemical gradients.
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology
Pigmented Fungi Derived From Hot And Cold deserts Ecosystems: Taxonomy, Genomic And Biotechnological Approach
[World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology] Safer and more efficient products and processes are current global demands that drive the field of bioprospective research. Microbial sources are the main natural […]
![This global map of Mars (greys) is overlaid with a map of ice “consistency,” C. Values of C near one (dark blue) indicate a high likelihood of ice in three independent mappings. Lower values of C (lighter blues) indicate lower confidence in ice being present, and indicate detection in at least one dataset. The extreme north and south are both rich in ice (dark blues), ice is absent near the equator, and the presence of ice is uncertain (light blues) in the mid-latitude regions best for astronauts. Credit: Morgan & Putzig et al., 2025; Sizemore et al., 2026 -- [PSI]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Laying-Odds.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
Laying Odds On The Potential For Martian Water
[PSI] We know Mars has water ice in its polar regions, but astronauts (and their solar powered equipment!) would much rather experience life closer to Mars’ equator. As NASA looks […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Small-Scale Mineral And Microbial Heterogeneities Near A Fumarole At The Furnas Hydrothermal Zone On The Azores
[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.
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 inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Rock-eating Fungi Flourish Deep Within Earth
[University of Michigan] Hundreds of feet below Earth’s surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study, which […]
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 […]