Precursors of the molecules needed for the origin of life may have been generated by chemical reactions promoted by iron-rich particles from meteors or volcanic eruptions on Earth approximately 4.4 […]
Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release
How Geobiological Feedback Makes Some Yellowstone Hydrothermal Pools Acidic
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Ken Sims, Professor of Geology and Geophysics, and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Isotopic Constraints On Lightning As A Source Of Fixed Nitrogen In Earth’s Early Biosphere
Bioavailable nitrogen is thought to be a requirement for the origin and sustenance of life. Before the onset of biological nitrogen fixation, abiotic pathways to fix atmospheric N2 must have […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Elation Through Filtration: An Oceanographer’s Sensations at Sea Aboard R/V Sally Ride
By Dante Capone, Ph.D. student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Aboard R/V Sally Ride
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Driving Action On The Climate Crisis Through Astronomers For Planet Earth And Beyond
While an astronomer’s job is typically to look out from Earth, the seriousness of the climate crisis has meant a shift in many astronomers’ focus.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
A Potentially Volcano-Covered Earth-Size World Discovered
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size exoplanet, or world beyond our solar system, that may be carpeted with volcanoes. Called LP 791-18 d, the planet could undergo volcanic outbursts as often […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
LP 791-18 d: A Terrestrial Exoplanet – With Volcanoes
A large international team led by astronomers at the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at Université de Montréal (UdeM) today announced in the journal Nature the discovery of a […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Press Release
Astronomical Forces Control Earth’s Ice Age Cycles
A research team, composed of climatologists and an astronomer, have used an improved computer model to reproduce the cycle of ice ages (glacial periods) 1.6 to 1.2 million years ago.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ancestors Of Prochlorococcus Microbes Rode Out To Sea On Exoskeleton Particles
Throughout the ocean, billions upon billions of plant-like microbes make up an invisible floating forest. As they drift, the tiny organisms use sunlight to suck up carbon dioxide from the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Exoplanet Volatile Carbon Content as a Natural Pathway for Haze Formation
We explore terrestrial planet formation with a focus on the supply of solid-state organics as the main source of volatile carbon.