Oxygen plays a crucial role for all living organisms on Earth.
Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Oxygen Controls On Magmatism In Rocky Exoplanets
Refractory oxygen bound to cations is a key component of the interior of rocky exoplanets. Its abundance controls planetary properties including metallic core fraction, core composition, and mantle and crust […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release
Life May Have Thrived On Early Mars Until It Drove Climate Change That Caused Its Demise
If there ever was life on Mars – and that’s a huge “if” – conditions during the planet’s infancy most likely would have supported it, according to a study led […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release
Internal Or External Magma Oceans In The Earliest Protoplanets — Perspectives From Nitrogen And Carbon Fractionation
When the extent of protoplanetary melting approached magma ocean (MO)-like conditions, alloy melts efficiently segregated from the silicates to form metallic cores.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
NASA ROSES-22 Amendment 54: C.22 Concepts for Ocean Worlds Life Detection Technology Not Solicited This Year
The goal of Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTech) is to support the development of spacecraft-based technology for surface and subsurface exploration of ocean worlds such as Europa […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Evaluating The Plausible Range Of N2O Biosignatures On Exo-Earths: An Integrated Biogeochemical, Photochemical, And Spectral Modeling Approach
Nitrous oxide (N2O) — a product of microbial nitrogen metabolism — is a compelling exoplanet biosignature gas with distinctive spectral features in the near- and mid-infrared, and only minor abiotic […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
An Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Of HCN Production In The Hadean Earth Atmosphere
A critical early stage for the origin of life on Earth may have involved the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in a reducing, predominantly H2 atmosphere. HCN is crucial for […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Life Imitates Mica
In mythologies and origin stories around the world, various cultures and religions point to clay as the vessel of life, the primordial material that creator gods imbued with a self-sustaining […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Evidence For Habitability In Enceladus’ Ocean
The search for extraterrestrial life just got more interesting as a team of scientists including Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Christopher Glein has discovered new evidence for a key building block […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Quantifying The Bioavailable Energy In An Ancient Hydrothermal Vent On Mars And A Modern Earth-based Analogue
Putative alkaline hydrothermal systems on Noachian Mars were potentially habitable environments for microorganisms. However, the types of reactions that could have fueled microbial life in such systems and the amount […]