NAI’s Deep Time Drilling Project supported the drilling of several pristine cores from ancient rocks in Western Australia in 2004, and a new paper in Science, led by University of […]
Habitable Zones
Posted inHabitable Zones, Journal articles, Origin & Evolution of Life
A Revised, Hazy Methane Greenhouse for the Archean Earth
Geological and biological evidence suggests that Earth was warm during most of its early history, despite the fainter young Sun. Upper bounds on the atmospheric CO2 concentration in the Late […]
Posted inEducation and Outreach, Habitable Zones
NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program: Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology in Systems of AstrobiologicalInterest
Our groups work focuses on characterizing microbial ecology and biogeochemistry in natural ecosystems that are relevant in an astrobiological context. We are particularly interested in understanding how the distribution and […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Marine Subsurface is a Distinct Microbial Habitat
Researchers from NAI’s Penn State, MBL, and UCLA Teams have completed a study of the subseafloor marine biosphere, which may be one of the largest reservoirs of microbial biomass on […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Journal articles
Quantitative Habitability
Astrobiology December 2007, 7(6): 839-851 http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2007.0137 A framework is proposed for a quantitative approach to studying habitability. Considerations of environmental supply and organismal demand of energy lead to the conclusions […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Journal articles
An Energy Balance Concept for Habitability
Astrobiology December 2007, 7(6): 824-838 http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.0095 Habitability can be formulated as a balance between the biological demand for energy and the corresponding potential for meeting that demand by transduction of […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
New Issue of Astrobiology Online
Search for Habitable Planets Outside Earth’s Solar System in Astrobiology “Which planets outside of Earth’s Solar System are most likely to be capable of supporting life is a question that […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Comparing Worlds: Climate Catastrophes in the Solar System
Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 7 p.m. Astronomer David Grinspoon of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: “Comparing Worlds: Climate Catastrophes in the […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report
NASA Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition Field Report: Getting Samples – 11 August 2006
Friday Today the helicopter came in! The hike to our first site on the volcano was much shorter than the one in Ebbadalen, but since we had the use of […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Strategies for Evolutionary Success – Sulfolipids
Researchers from NAI’s University of Rhode Island Team and their colleagues have studied the use of phosphorus vs. sulfur in the membrane lipid sythesis pathways of organisms resident in the […]