Two samples from Mars together deliver the “smoking gun” in a new study showing the origin of Martian organic material. The study presents solid evidence for a prediction made over […]
Meteorites & Asteroids
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Comets and Asteroids, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Shocked Quartz Reveals Evidence Of Historical Cosmic Airburst During The Younger Dryas
Researchers continue to expand the case for the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis. The idea proposes that a fragmented comet smashed into the Earth’s atmosphere 12,800 years ago, causing a widespread […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return
An OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Has Surprising Phosphate Content
Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Enceladus, Europa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Laboratory Characterization Of Hydrothermally Processed Oligopeptides In Ice Grains Emitted By Enceladus And Europa
The Cassini mission provided evidence for a global subsurface ocean and ongoing hydrothermal activity on Enceladus, based on results from Cassini’s mass spectrometers. Laboratory simulations of hydrothermal conditions on icy […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Moon, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Crash Chronicles: Relative Contribution From Comets and Carbonaceous Asteroids to Earth’s Volatile Budget In The Context of an Early Instability
Recent models of solar system formation suggest that a dynamical instability among the giant planets happened within the first 100 Myr after disk dispersal, perhaps before the Moon-forming impact. As […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Source of Hydrogen in Earth’s Building Blocks
Despite being pivotal to the habitability of our planet, the process by which Earth gained its present-day hydrogen budget is unclear. Due to their isotopic similarity to terrestrial rocks across […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Meteorite Impact Leaves Rare Rocks And Evidence Of Extreme Heat At Remote Lake In Quebec
For more than a decade, Western University planetary geologist Gordon “Oz” Osinski has led expeditions to Kamestastin Lake in Labrador. The environment is a perfect training ground because the properties […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release
Sulfur Molecules From Space Seeded Early Life On Earth
Important nutrients for the first living organisms on Earth may have come from space, according to new research from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return
Removal Of Magnetic Spacecraft Contamination Within Extraterrestrial Samples Is Easy To Do
For decades, scientists have pondered the mystery of the moon’s ancient magnetism. Based on analyses of lunar samples, its now-deceased magnetic field may have been active for more than 1.5 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Abundances Of Elements In Solar Systems
The relationship between stars and planets provides important information for understanding the interior composition, mineralogy, and overall classification of small planets (R ≲ 3.5R⊕).