Earth’s surface is deficient in available forms of many elements considered limiting for prebiotic chemistry. In contrast, many extraterrestrial rocky objects are rich in these same elements. Limiting prebiotic ingredients […]
Meteorites & Asteroids
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Astrogeology / Astrobiology Analysis Update
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu when it returned to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023; the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Ultrasound Assisted Extraction Of Amino Acids And Nucleobases From Clay Minerals And Astrobiological Samples
The study of organic molecules in meteorite and return samples allows for the understanding of the chemistry that undergoes in our Solar System. The present work aims at studying ultrasound […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Renaissance For Magnetotactic Bacteria In Astrobiology
Capable of forming magnetofossils similar to some magnetite nanocrystals observed in the Martian meteorite ALH84001, magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) once occupied a special position in the field of astrobiology during the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
The Asteroid That Impacted Near Berlin Has Been Identified As A Rare Aubrite
The official classification now aligns with what many suspected from merely looking at the images of the strange meteorites that fell near Berlin on January 21, 2024. They belong to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Cosmic Building Blocks Of Life Discovered Through An Electron Microscope
Meteorites are fragments of asteroids which find their way to Earth as shooting stars. These cosmic sediments have frozen the primordial soup from which our solar system emerged – preserving […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation During Aqueous Alteration in Small Bodies: The Effects of Compositions of Starting Solutions
Organic compounds, such as amino acids, are essential for the origin of life, and they may have been delivered to the prebiotic Earth from extra-terrestrial sources, such as carbonaceous chondrites.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Investigating Organic Carbon and Thermal History of CM Carbonaceous Chondrites Using Spectroscopy and Laboratory Techniques
The CM chondrites are characterized as primary accretionary rocks which originate from primitive water-rich asteroids formed during the early Solar System.
Posted inAstrogeology, Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report
Testing Microbial Biomining From Asteroidal Material Onboard The International Space Station
Expanding human space exploration beyond Earth’s orbit necessitates efficient technologies for self-sustainable acquisition of local resources to overcome unviable resupply missions from Earth. Potential source of materials are asteroids, some […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Grain Size Effects on UV-MIR (0.2-14 micron) Spectra of Carbonaceous Chondrite Groups
Carbonaceous chondrites are among the most important meteorite types and have played a vital role in deciphering the origin and evolution of our solar system.