[physics.gen-ph] Natural panspermia is a transport-and-establishment hypothesis, not a theory of abiogenesis. The Earth-specific question is whether any nonterrestrial donor remains competitive with terrestrial origin once launch, planetary-system escape, transit, […]
Meteorites & Asteroids
![HAADF image and quantified EDX map (at%) of a GEMS-like assemblage in UCAMM DC06- 18, which is located at the top of the FIB section, probably close to the external surface of the UCAMM. - [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/STXM-XANES.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
STXM-XANES And TEM Analysis Of UltraCarbonaceous Antarctic MicroMeteorites (UCAMMs)
[astro-ph.EP] The Concordia micrometeorite collection contains UltraCarbonaceous Antarctic MicroMeteorites (UCAMMs) of probable cometary origin. Eight FIB sections of UCAMMs were studied by Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy – X-ray Absorption Near […]
Posted inMars
Meteorite Helps Bridge The Data Gap In the Geologic History Of Mars
[Boston College] Scientists have determined a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27-billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet, the team reported […]
Posted inMars
A Mars Impact Crater Surrounded By Chunks Of Water Ice
[NASA] Boulder-size blocks of water ice can be seen around the rim of this giant meteoroid impact crater on Mars, as viewed by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE camera) […]
Posted inMars
Crustal Water Reservoir On Early Mars
[Geophysical Research Letters]. The next great leap in Martian exploration is the return of samples to Earth. Maximizing their scientific value requires non-destructive analytical techniques for early three-dimensional characterization.
Posted inPhobos
Infrared-to-visible Albedo Ratio Of Phobos: Comparison With Primitive Asteroids
[astro-ph.EP] Aims. The ratio between infrared and visible albedo, pIR/pV, provides a simple proxy for the spectral slope of asteroid surfaces between the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges. The aim […]
![Ni, Cu and Zn elemental maps of three chondrules from Paris, that show microspherule regions partitioned by zones enriched in siderophile elements (i.e., Fe, Ni, Co, Cu; pink arrows). The color bars reflect μg/g concentrations of the elements. While in BSE mode and lithophile element space, these would appear as single ~300 μm diameter chondrules, they represent aggregates of ~100 μm grape-bunch chondrules (pink spheres), where these microchondrules contained metal-rich rims. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Chondrule.png?resize=1200%2C714&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Chondrule Formation In The Outer Disk From The Primary Three-dimensional Chemical Composition Of CM Chondrules
[astro-ph.EP] Chondrules and their associated fine-grained rims record key processes in the early protoplanetary disk, yet the links between chondrule chemistry, morphology, and matrix complementarity remain poorly constrained.
![Inclination vs. semimajor axis for the NEOs. The main asteroid families that have been linked to ordinary chondrites are represented by gray squares. The ν6 secular resonance with Saturn and the 3:1 and 5:2 mean motion resonances with Jupiter are represented with dashed lines. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Size-Constraints.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Size Constraints For The Pre-atmospheric Parent Bodies Of Ordinary Chondrites
[astro-ph.EP] The study of S-complex near-Earth objects (NEOs), the parent bodies of ordinary chondrites, has shown that they are dominated by asteroids with LL chondrite-like compositions. This is surprising because […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
An Interstellar Energetic And Non-aqueous Pathway To Peptide Formation
[astro-ph.SR] The origin of the molecular building blocks of life is a central question in science. A few α-amino acids such as glycine, the simplest proteinogenic amino acid, have been […]
![(A) C1 clast containing numerous magnetite (white), pyrrhotite (light gray), and dolomite grains (dark gray). (B) C1 clast with numerous dolomites marked “D,” indicating the dolomite crystal where the FIB was cut (bottom, arrowed, and outlined in yellow). (C) Bright-field TEM image of the FIBed dolomite crystal. Numerous cracks are arrowed. (D) Na x-ray map of the same area as in (C). -- [Science Advances]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Meteor-over-New-.png?resize=1200%2C715&ssl=1)
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
Brines Discovered In A Meteorite From A Primitive CM Asteroid
[Science Advances] The CI (Ivuna-type) carbonaceous material returned from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu contain mobilized sodium from the evaporation or freezing of liquid water into brines, shedding light on the […]