![Kultur von Hypomyces completus Public Domain, Quelle: US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory, [1] Larger image](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Fungi-Set-The-Stage.png?resize=1200%2C724&ssl=1)
New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution sheds light on the timelines and pathways of evolution of fungi, finding evidence of their influence on ancient terrestrial ecosystems.
Fossils & Paleontology
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The First Animals On Earth May Have Been Sea Sponges, Study Suggests
A team of MIT geochemists has unearthed new evidence in very old rocks suggesting that some of the first animals on Earth were likely ancestors of the modern sea sponge.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Minute Witnesses From Earth’s Primordial Sea
Earth scientists often face huge challenges when researching the earth’s history: many significant events occurred such a long time ago that there is little direct evidence available. Consequently, researchers often […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Carbon Cycle Flaw Can Plunge Earth Into An Ice Age
UC Riverside researchers have discovered a piece that was missing in previous descriptions of the way Earth recycles its carbon. As a result, they believe that global warming can overcorrect […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Status Report
Shocked Quartz At The Younger Dryas Onset Supports Cosmic Airbursts/Impacts
Shocked quartz grains are an accepted indicator of crater-forming cosmic impact events, which also typically produce amorphous silica along the fractures. Furthermore, previous research has shown that shocked quartz can […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Mars, Sample Return, Status Report
Brine Composition And UV Photochemistry Effects On Halobacterium Salinarum Cell Envelope Biosignature Preservation
Hypersaline environments, including brines and brine inclusions of evaporite crystals, are currently of great interest due to their unique preservation properties for the search for terrestrial and potentially extraterrestrial biosignatures […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Multiple Episodes of Fluid Alteration in Jezero Crater Indicated by MIST Mineral Identifications in PIXL XRF Data
The Mineral Identification by Stoichiometry (MIST) algorithm can identify mineral species in geochemical data sets. MIST is applied to X-ray fluorescence chemical analyses from the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release
ESA Away Team Training: Lunar Geology Lessons For Artemis
Editor’s note: when it comes to conducting field trips – sorties – Away Team missions – on another world, astrogeology and astrobiology and astrochemistry overlap with one another all the […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
The Biology, Microclimate, and Geology of a Distinctive Ecosystem Within the Sandstone of Hyper-Arid Timna Valley, Israel
Microbial endolithic communities in the sandstone rocks of the southern Negev Desert, particularly in Timna Park, were initially discovered by Imre Friedmann and Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann in their pioneering study about […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Mid-Devonian Ocean Oxygenation Enabled The Expansion Of Animals Into Deeper-water Habitats
The oxygenation history of Earth’s surface environments has had a profound influence on the ecology and evolution of metazoan life.