Billions of years ago, it rained on Mars. The water collected in valleys and rivers, filled and spilled over the rims of craters, and was funneled into canyons, perhaps even […]
The breadth of topics that encompass the search for life has expanded and evolved significantly since the emergence of the field of astrobiology.
Yellowstone is not just a fantastic natural laboratory for Earth-based studies. A better understanding of hydrothermal activity in the first National Park can also provide clues about what Mars might […]
![Raman optical observations at 10× and 100× showing original halite hopper crystal and microbial movement within fluid inclusions entombed within the crystal structure. (A) Entire halite cubic crystal showing rectangular fluid inclusions on all four faces with an air bubble on the left face. Scale bar is at 100 μm. (B) Enhanced image of (A) showing fluid inclusion patterns within cubic halite habits. Scale bar is at 100 μm. (C) 100× image highlighting a fluid inclusion within a single crystal. Red arrows show microbial movement. Green targeting dot highlights an entombed biomass. Scale bar is 2 μm. (D) Another 100× image showing a larger fluid inclusion [when compared with (C)] with increased microbial movement within the fluid inclusion. Scale bar is 2 μm for 2C,D. -- Astrobiology via Sage Journals](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Evaporitic-Preservation-of-Modern.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Our investigation in Mars-relevant terrestrial environments where biological material is entombed within rapidly precipitated evaporite crystals has given us the ability to evaluate the preservation potential of a hypersaline brine […]
A new study uncovered fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks more than 3.3 billion years old, along with molecular traces showing that oxygen-producing photosynthesis emerged nearly a billion years […]
The transition from aquatic to terrestrial life has been one of the most significant evolutionary challenges. This decisive process in the evolution of life on Earth required a profound renewal […]
![The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over one of Earth’s most extreme environments: the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia. [If you go to the original ESA posting] Zoom in or click on the circles to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution.](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Astrobiology-Analog-Site-Copernicus.jpg?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Located in northeastern Ethiopia, near the border with Eritrea, the Danakil Depression lies between the Danakil Alps on the east and the Ethiopian Plateau on the west. It is a […]
Pairing cutting-edge chemistry with artificial intelligence, a multidisciplinary team of scientists today published fresh chemical evidence of Earth’s earliest life – concealed in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks – and molecular evidence that […]
The astonishing capability of life to adapt to extreme conditions provides a new perspective on what habitable means.
During the Cambrian Explosion, episodic radiations of major animal phyla occurred in concert with repeated coupled carbon-sulfur isotope excursions.
