Continents are part of what makes Earth uniquely habitable for life among the planets of the solar system, yet surprisingly little is understood about what gave rise to these huge […]
Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Status Report
Photosynthesis Under a Red Sun: Predicting The Absorption Characteristics Of An Extraterrestrial light-harvesting Antenna
Here we discuss the feasibility of photosynthesis on Earth-like rocky planets in close orbit around ultra-cool red dwarf stars.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
A Stormy, Active Sun May Have Kickstarted Life On Earth
The first building blocks of life on Earth may have formed thanks to eruptions from our Sun, a new study finds.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia Mission, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Bioverse: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Capabilities of Extremely Large Telescopes to Probe Earth-like O2 Levels in Nearby Transiting Habitable Zone Exoplanets
Molecular oxygen is a strong indicator of life on Earth, and may indicate biological processes on exoplanets too.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology
Away Teams: What Microbes Can Tell Us about Life On Earth And In Space
Microbes are just about everywhere, from the soil to the air to arctic ice to oceans, lakes, and rivers—not to mention all over your body and the phone or computer […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Narrow Loophole for H2-dominated Atmospheres On Habitable Rocky Planets Around M Dwarfs
Habitable rocky planets around M dwarfs that have H2-dominated atmospheres, if they exist, would permit characterizing habitable exoplanets with detailed spectroscopy using JWST, owing to their extended atmospheres and small […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Do Yellowstone Lake Hot Springs Compare To Oceanic Hydrothermal Vents?
Discovery of hydrothermal systems on the ocean floor in the late 1970s is regarded as one of the greatest scientific finds of the 20th century and has implications for the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy
There’s More To Life Than O2: Simulating the Detectability Of A Range Of Molecules For Ground-based high-resolution Spectroscopy Of Transiting Terrestrial Exoplanets
Within the next decade, atmospheric O2 on Earth-like M dwarf planets may be accessible with visible–near-infrared, high spectral resolution extremely large ground-based telescope (ELT) instruments.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Lorenz Energy Cycle: Another Way to Understand the Atmospheric Circulation on Tidally Locked Terrestrial Planets
In this study, we employ and modify the Lorenz energy cycle (LEC) framework as another way to understand the atmospheric circulation on tidally locked terrestrial planets.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Detection of Carbon Monoxide’s 4.6 Micron Fundamental Band Structure In WASP-39b’s Atmosphere With JWST NIRSpec G395H
Carbon monoxide (CO) is predicted to be the dominant carbon-bearing molecule in giant planet atmospheres, and, along with water, is important for discerning the oxygen and therefore carbon-to-oxygen ratio of […]