Deep down in the ocean at tectonic plate boundaries, hot fluids rise from so-called hydrothermal vents. The fluids are devoid of oxygen and contain large amounts of metals such as […]
Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report
Habitability And Sub Glacial Liquid Water On Planets Of M-dwarf Stars
A long-standing issue in astrobiology is whether planets orbiting the most abundant type of stars, M-dwarfs, can support liquid water and eventually life.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Impact of Changing Stellar and Planetary Magnetic Fields on (Exo)planetary Environments and Atmospheric Mass Loss
The magnetic activity of a star — which modulates the stellar wind outflow — shapes the immediate environments of orbiting planets and induces atmospheric loss thereby impacting their habitability.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
ALMA Traces The History Of Water In Planet Formation Back To The Interstellar Medium
Scientists studying a nearby protostar have detected the presence of water in its circumstellar disk. The new observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mark the first detection […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Multiverse Predictions For Habitability: Stellar And Atmospheric Habitability
Stellar activity and planetary atmospheric properties have the potential to strongly influence habitability. To date, neither have been adequately studied in the multiverse context, so there has been no assessment […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
Interaction Dust-plasma In Titan’s Ionosphere: Feedbacks On The Gas Phase Composition
Titan’s organic aerosols are formed in the ionosphere, a layer ionized by solar VUV photons and energetic particles from the magnetosphere of Saturn, forming a natural N2-CH4-H2 plasma.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Titan
Experimental Characterization Of The Pyridine:Acetylene Co-crystal and Implications For Titan’s Surface
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has a plethora of organic compounds in the atmosphere and on the surface that interact with each other.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
12 Exotic Bacteria Found To Passively Collect Rare Earth Elements From Wastewater
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 chemically similar metals, which got their name because they typically occur at low concentrations (between 0.5 and 67 parts per million) […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mars, Press Release
Solid‒gas Carbonate Formation During Dust Events On Mars
A joint research team led by Dr. Xiaohui Fu and Dr. Zhongchen Wu from Shandong University, China, proposed a new carbonate formation mechanism in Martian dust activities based on simulation […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release
Astrobiology Away Team Training: For The Love Of Martian Soil
For Elizabeth Rampe, a planetary geologist in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) division, science isn’t just a passion—it could very well be in her DNA.