[NASA] This summer, NASA scientists headed to the Scottish Highlands to follow up on last year’s announcement of potential biosignatures on Mars and prepare for future research.
Imaging & Spectroscopy
![D.2: Transit signals recovery analysis in the TESS light curve of TOI-210. TOI-210 b is shown in gold at its period of 9.01 days. Candidate planets at 2.15 and 3.76 days tentatively detected in the NIRPS RVs are indicated as lower limits, with arrows extending from minimum (iron density) to realistic (Earth density) radii based on their minimum masses. The expected transit depths fall within the TESS sensitivity, suggesting that if these RV signals are planets, they are unlikely to be transiting. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/A-temperate.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
A Temperate Sub-Neptune Transiting The M4 Dwarf TOI-210 Identified By NIRPS And TESS — Uncovering Hidden M-dwarf Planetary Systems In The Near-infrared
[astro-ph.EP] Super-Earths and sub-Neptunes dominate the exoplanet population, yet their compositions, formation mechanisms, and capability of retaining atmospheres remain poorly understood. M-type stars offer a unique opportunity to investigate these […]
![Visual abstract -- [Journal of the American Chemical Society]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nonequilibrium.jpg?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Nonequilibrium Formation of Pyridine (C5H5N) in Interstellar Ice Analogs: Implications for Biorelevant Nitrogen Heterocycles in Ryugu and Bennu
[Journal of the American Chemical Society] Biorelevant nitrogen heterocycles, including the five canonical nucleobases found in RNA and DNA, have recently been identified in samples returned from the carbonaceous asteroids […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Modeling The Radiolysis In H2O:HCOOH ice: Connecting Laboratory Experiments With Astronomical Measurements
[RSC Advances] We present a computational study of radiolytic chemistry and desorption dynamics in astrophysical ice composed of H2O:HCOOH (1 : 1), irradiated with Ni11+ ions at 46 MeV and […]
Posted inEuropa
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Astrobiology Droid Completes Earth Flyby
[ESA] The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) skimmed the very outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere on 28 September, using the gravity of our home planet to alter […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Roman Space Telescope’s Wide Field Instrument Activated – Coronagraph Checked Out
[NASA] NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the Wide Field Instrument, a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow scientists to explore wide swaths of the cosmos […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Nonequilibrium Formation of C4 Carbonyls in Interstellar Ices Linked to Amino Acids
[ACS Central Science] Complex organic molecules in interstellar ices and carbonaceous asteroids record key steps in the chemical evolution toward life, yet the origin of branched carbonyl compounds a fundamental […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Large Planets Ruled Out After 70 Ophiuchi AB Binary System Search
[University of Michigan] New research led by the University of Michigan is helping set the stage for future observatories to characterize rocky planets outside our solar system, planets that could […]
Posted inEnceladus
How Enceladus’ Ocean Spray Becomes Chemically Diverse Ice Grains
[Institute of Science Tokyo] Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus hides a global ocean beneath its frozen surface. From fractures near its south pole, material from this ocean is ejected into space […]
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy
A Missing Continental Impact Melt Sheet Signal In The Early Earth Detrital Zircon Record
[Nature Communications] Impact-derived melting has been proposed as a significant process in the formation of Earth’s early crust which could mean that impact melts are a source for Earth’s oldest […]