Hydrocarbons play key roles in atmospheric and biogeochemistry, the energy economy, and climate change. Most hydrocarbons form in anaerobic environments through high temperature or microbial decomposition of organic matter. Microorganisms […]
Microbiology & Virology
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology, Press Release
Martian Soil Detox Could Lead To New Medicines
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is one of humankind’s major long-term health challenges. Now research into helping humans live on Mars could help address this looming problem. Dennis Claessen, associate professor […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Space Stations
NASA Researchers Catalogue All Microbes and Fungi on the International Space Station
A comprehensive catalogue of the bacteria and fungi found on surfaces inside the International Space Station (ISS) is being presented in a study published in the open access journal Microbiome. […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Space Stations
Pathogenic Microbes Have Colonized The International Space Station
Astronauts leave behind many things when they boldly go. Bacteria, however, stay with them. Extreme spaceflight conditions can force these bacteria to toughen up, while simultaneously lowering the immune defenses […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release
Amoebae Diversified At Least 750 Million Years Ago, Far Earlier Than Expected
Brazilian researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary history of amoebae and demonstrated that at the end of the Precambrian period, at least 750 million years ago, life on Earth was much […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology, Press Release
Study of Archaeal Cells Could Teach Us More About Ourselves
Forty-two years after Carl Woese defined archaea as the third domain of life, scientists at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) at the University of Illinois at […]
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Press Release, Space Stations
Bacteria on the International Space Station Are Adapting to Survive, Not to Harm
A new Northwestern University study has found that — despite its seemingly harsh conditions — the ISS is not causing bacteria to mutate into dangerous, antibiotic-resistant superbugs. While the team […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astronauts and Explorers, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, People Of Astrobiology, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 6 November 2018: Wind Damage
“Our winds have continued unabated likely hitting 40-50 m/s at times.” “We did lose four of our tents yesterday despite our best efforts to save them – the winds were […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Harvesting Solar Fuels Through a Bacterium's Unusual Appetite For Gold
A bacterium named Moorella thermoacetica won’t work for free. But UC Berkeley researchers have figured out it has an appetite for gold. And in exchange for this special treat, the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Developing An Instrument for Finding Extraterrestrial Bacteria
A NASA scientist wants to create a planetary robot that would mimic what biologists do every day in terrestrial laboratories: look through microscopes to visually identify microbial life living in […]