Komatiites represent the oldest known terrestrial rocks, and their composition has been cataloged as the closest to that of the first terrestrial crust after the cooling of the magma ocean.
Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Deep-sea Black Carbon Comes From Hydrothermal Vents
Hydrothermal vents have been identified as a previously undiscovered source of dissolved black carbon in the oceans, furthering the understanding of the role of oceans as a carbon sink.
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A Window Into Prebiotic Worlds?
A perspective article published today in Science magazine’s Insights section provides a unique assessment of the study by Dustin Trail and Thomas McCollom contextualizing a new calibration they built to […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrobiology (general), Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Mars, Press Release
Away Team Tech: Spain’s Hypersaline Tirez Lagoon Proposed As A Mars ‘Astrobiological Time-Analog’
The ongoing search for signs of life on Mars relies in part on terrestrial analogs – places on Earth closely resembling the past or current geology and climate of the […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Status Report
Constraints On The Size and Composition Of The Ancient Martian Atmosphere From Coupled CO2-N2-Ar Isotopic Evolution Models
Present-day Mars is cold and dry, but mineralogical and morphological evidence shows that liquid-water existed on the surface of ancient Mars.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Role Of Minerals In The Early Stage Of The Hadean Earth
In particular, the interaction between functional ribozymes and ancient minerals under simulated primitive conditions is a recent research focus.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Curiosity Rover Finds Surprising Clues to Mars’ Watery Past
Among other discoveries made by the rover, rippled rock textures suggest lakes existed in a region of ancient Mars that scientists expected to be drier.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Prebiotic Chemistry Has Been Observed Around Shallow-Sea Vents
NASA-supported Astrobiologists have revealed that alkaline hydrothermal vents in shallow seas could have been a favorable environment for the chemistry leading up to the origin of life on the early […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Exploring Nitrous Oxide As An Indication Of Life
Researchers supported by NASA have used a model to predict the concentration of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere of planets over a range of conditions. On Earth, N2O can […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Press Release
Mercury Helps to Detail Earth’s Most Massive Extinction Event
The Latest Permian Mass Extinction (LPME) was the largest extinction in Earth’s history to date, killing between 80-90% of life on the planet, though finding definitive evidence for what caused […]