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 […]
Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
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 […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Evolution And Spread Of Sulfur-cycling Enzymes Reflect Volcanic Sulfur Sources And The Redox State Of The Early Earth
The biogeochemical sulfur cycle plays a central role in fueling microbial metabolisms, regulating the redox state of the Earth, and impacting climate through remineralization of organic carbon.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Press Release
Perseverance Rover Conducts Astrobiology And Geology Exploration On Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Land Plants Changed Earth’s Composition
Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered that the evolution of land plants caused a sudden shift in the composition of Earth’s continents. The Southampton researchers, led by Dr […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Impact events, Press Release
Study Finds Evidence That Giant Meteorite Impacts Created The Continents
New Curtin research has provided the strongest evidence yet that Earth’s continents were formed by giant meteorite impacts that were particularly prevalent during the first billion years or so of […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Life In Earth's Interior Is As Productive As In Some Ocean Waters
Terrestrial and marine habitats have been considered the ecosystems with the highest primary production on earth by far, i.e., the conversion of inorganic to organic carbon. Microscopic algae in the […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
Curiosity Takes Inventory of Key Life Ingredient on Mars
Scientists using data from NASA’s Curiosity rover measured the total organic carbon – a key component in the molecules of life – in Martian rocks for the first time.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
New Insights Into The Interaction Of Ocean, Continent And Atmosphere 2.7 Billion Years Ago
What did the Earth look like 2.7 billion years ago and what were the differences compared to today? What was the chemical composition of the oceans and atmosphere? When did […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Neptune
Can Carbon Fractionation Provide Evidence for Aerial Biospheres in the Atmospheres of Temperate Sub-Neptunes?
The search for signs of life on other worlds has largely focused on terrestrial planets. Recent work, however, argues that life could exist in the atmospheres of temperate sub-Neptunes. Here, […]