Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept method for programming mechanical properties into solid Lego-like building blocks. By controlling the solidity of hundreds of individual cells in specific […]
Nanotechnology & SynBio
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Sample Return
Amino Acids Discovered In Asteroid Bennu Formed In Space In The Early Solar System
Amino acids, the building blocks necessary for life, were previously found in samples of 4.6-billion-year-old rocks from an asteroid called Bennu, delivered to Earth in 2023 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Xeno Amino Acid Alphabets Form Peptides With Familiar Secondary Structure
The central dogma of molecular biology describes how genetic information stored in nucleic acids guides the formation of structured proteins from a single molecular alphabet of twenty amino acids (C20)1,2.
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: A Non-Invasive, Label-Free Method for Examining Tardigrade Anatomy Using Holotomography
Background/Objectives: Holotomography is an advanced imaging technique that enables high-resolution, three-dimensional visualization of microscopic specimens without the need for fixation or staining.
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report
Microbial Biomining From Asteroidal Material Onboard The International Space Station
Expanding human space exploration necessitates technologies for sustainable local resource acquisition, to overcome unviable resupply missions. Asteroids, some of which rich in metals like platinum group elements, are promising targets.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Gravitational Biology, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Geometry Shapes Life
Cell–cell coupling repositions the mitotic wave origin to the margin and prevents desynchronization.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
A Gene-Free Minimal System for Synthetic Quorum Sensing in Protocell Communities
Synthetic communication networks are key to engineering life-like behaviors in artificial cells. Inspired by natural quorum sensing, we developed a coacervate-based system that exhibits quorum-sensing-like communication, driven by an autocatalytic […]
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Radiation, Space Physiology & Medicine
Artemis II AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response)
The AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) investigation will use organ-on-a-chip devices, or organ chips, to study a effects of increased radiation and microgravity on human health.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Ultra-low Noise Mid-infrared Detector Could Help Detect Biosignatures On Exoplanets
The mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength range, from 5 to 25 micrometers, is an important regime for astrophysics as it can be used to detect the biosignatures of life that may exist […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
AI Learns From The Tree Of Life To Support Rare Disease Diagnosis
Editor’s note: If we aspire to mount expeditions to new worlds and then embrace the task of characterizing and quantifying whatever life forms we find, the ability to map and […]