ID: ESP_087131_2640 date: 26 February 2025 altitude: 316 km larger image

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Status Report

The Spring Awakening of Martian Polar Dunes

by Keith CowingJune 16, 2026June 16, 2026

During the Martian winter, carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) blankets various landforms, including dunes, in the northern high latitudes. As spring arrives, the ice sublimates, causing unique changes on the […]

An artist’s rendition of Saturn’s moon Enceladus depicts hydrothermal activity on the seafloor and cracks in the moon’s icy crust that allow material from the watery interior to be ejected into space. New research shows that instruments destined for the next missions could find traces of a single cell in a single ice grain contained in a plume. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report

Tidal Rock Grinding As A Source Of H2 On Enceladus

by Keith CowingJune 16, 2026June 16, 2026

The Solar System hosts multiple potentially habitable environments, including the subsurface ocean beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Schematic diagram of the domain (not to scale). The red line represents the outer boundary of the core; the blue line is the outer boundary of the BMO. (a) 𝑥–𝑧 (meridional) plane. The 𝑧 axis is Earth’s rotation axis and normal to the orbital plane. (b) 𝑥–𝑦 (orbital and equatorial) plane. The blue BMO ellipse always has its long axis aligned with the Moon, but the long axis of the red CMB ellipse can have a non-zero phase lag 𝛥𝜙 relative to the Moon. Throughout the main text, we assume that the solid mantle is static, in which case the BMO outer boundary is undeformed; we consider its deformation in appendix D. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Moon, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Resonant Lunar Tides Of Earth’s Core And Basal Magma Ocean

by Keith CowingJune 16, 2026June 16, 2026

Earth’s magnetic field is generated by fluid motion in the liquid-metal core and has been active for billions of year.

Modes of interstellar expansion across two dimensions. The horizontal axis (expansion agent) runs from biological (crewed colonization, settlers, generation ships) to machine (autonomous probes, robotic seed systems). The vertical axis (visibility) runs from quiet (low-mass, low duty cycle, weak technosignatures) to loud (high-power, high waste heat, galaxy-scale signatures). The four quadrants summarize alternative expansion modes considered in the literature; the quiet expansion filter proposed in this paper occupies the lower-right quadrant (highlighted). -- astro-ph.IM

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Autonomous AI-Cosmoindustry and the Quiet Expansion Filter: A Threshold-Based Resolution of the Fermi Paradox

by Keith CowingJune 16, 2026June 16, 2026

The Fermi paradox is sharpened, not weakened, by plausible extrapolations of artificial intelligence, autonomous robotics, in-situ resource utilization, orbital manufacturing, space-based computing, and uncrewed interstellar probes.

The interior of the Biomass Production Chamber at Kennedy Space Center in the 1980s replicated the closed growing environment astronauts will use in space or on other planets to grow fresh crops. As the first controlled environment vertical farm in the United States, the chamber helped NASA provide critical data for the indoor farming industry. Credit: NASA

Microgravity, Space Life Science, Space Stations, SPACELINE Current Awareness List, Status Report

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,204 12 June 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

by Keith CowingJune 15, 2026June 15, 2026

The abstract in PubMed or at the publisher’s site is linked when available and will open in a new window.

tRNA evolved from RNA repeats and inverted repeats (stem–loop–stems) of known and conserved sequence. See the text for details. ACCA-Gly (line 6) was the primordial adapter molecule. Colors reflect internal homologies and are consistent throughout the figures. The tRNA precursor (line 11) was generated by the ligation of a 31 nt D loop minihelix (line 9, lacking 3′-ACCA) and two 31 nt anticodon (Ac) minihelices (line 10, lacking 3′-ACCA). Internally deleted bases are indicated in bold with strike-throughs. Bases in white bold are anticodon bases or sequence changes to support the tRNA fold. During pre-life, RNAs were formed with and without ligated 3′-ACCA. Underscored positions separate sequence elements and indicate how stem and loop sequences were selected. We posit that GCC may have been the primordial anticodon. GCC can utilize a GGC repeat (line 1) as a pre-mRNA. Secondary structures are indicated (parentheses stand for stems; * stands for loops). -- Genes

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

The Evolution Of The First Code

by Keith CowingJune 15, 2026

Background/Objectives: tRNAs, tRNAomes, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs), the first proteins, ribosomes and the genetic code coevolved. We utilize sequence data to reconstruct key steps in establishing the first code on Earth.

Summary of active metabolisms based on metabolic marker gene transcripts found in White Glacier; phyla performing each metabolism are marked by the pie charts; the size of each of the microorganisms reflects the relative transcript abundance of each metabolism and is not intended to represent quantitative differences in metabolic rates; created in BioRender. O’Connor, B. (2026) https://BioRender.com/vmkmdge -- ISME Communications via PubMed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Bipolar Investigation Of Near-surface Glacial Ice Reveals An Active Microbial Ecosystem Driven By Photosynthesis And Chemolithoautotrophy

by Keith CowingJune 15, 2026June 15, 2026

Despite extreme conditions including freezing temperatures, low water activity, and few nutrients, active microorganisms are thought to inhabit glacial ice, yet little is known about their identities and methods of […]

The distribution of planetary radius and orbital period of TOIs and new false positives and planet candidates. COUNTESS discovered 38 new planetary signals, with 28 of them being FPs through triceratops validation and LEOVetter pixel-vetting. Note that the square symbols indicate TOI FPs that were successfully recovered as FPs through COUNTESS. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography

COUNTESS I: A Uniformly Vetted Catalog of Known and New Transiting Exoplanets in the TESS Northern Continuous Viewing Zone

by Keith CowingJune 15, 2026June 15, 2026

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has transformed the study of nearby exoplanetary systems; however, its nominal observing strategy limits sensitivity to planets with orbital periods shorter than ∼10 days […]

The DNA repair and ROS detoxification genes in the Curtobacterium aetherium L6-1 genome not found in strain DSM 20129.The genomes were compared using the BLAST Ring Image Generator (BRIG) with the blastp algorithm. The rings represent the following (from innermost to outermost): ① GC content, ② GC skew of the L6-1 genome, ③ percent identity to L6-1 of the protein orthologs found in strain DSM 20129, and ④ DNA repair (black) and ROS detoxification (gray) genes. The genes present in L6-1 but absent in DSM 20129 are indicated in red. -- Microorganisms

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

The Genetic Determinants of Extreme UV Radiation and Desiccation Tolerance in a Bacterium Recovered from the Stratosphere

by Keith CowingJune 15, 2026June 15, 2026

Microbes that survive transport to and in the stratosphere endure extremes of low temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity, as well as high fluxes in ultraviolet radiation (UVR).

Dunes in Hellas ESP_075654_1385 NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona https://www.uahirise.org/ESP_075654_1385

Astrogeology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

Dunes Along The Western Margin Of Hellas Planitia, Mars

by Keith CowingJune 15, 2026June 26, 2026

This beautiful dune field is located along the western margin of Hellas Planitia, the floor of a giant depression in the Southern Hemisphere of Mars.

Status Report

The Spring Awakening of Martian Polar Dunes

Tidal Rock Grinding As A Source Of H2 On Enceladus

Resonant Lunar Tides Of Earth’s Core And Basal Magma Ocean

Autonomous AI-Cosmoindustry and the Quiet Expansion Filter: A Threshold-Based Resolution of the Fermi Paradox

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,204 12 June 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

The Evolution Of The First Code

Bipolar Investigation Of Near-surface Glacial Ice Reveals An Active Microbial Ecosystem Driven By Photosynthesis And Chemolithoautotrophy

COUNTESS I: A Uniformly Vetted Catalog of Known and New Transiting Exoplanets in the TESS Northern Continuous Viewing Zone

The Genetic Determinants of Extreme UV Radiation and Desiccation Tolerance in a Bacterium Recovered from the Stratosphere

Dunes Along The Western Margin Of Hellas Planitia, Mars

NASA SMD ROSES-25 Amendment 68: New Opportunity: D.8 Habitable Worlds Observatory Precursor Science Investigations [UPDATE 2]

RED26 Astrobiology Lectures Are Now Online

The Refractory Fraction Of Phosphorus In Planet-forming Discs

Atmosphere Detected On The Coldest Lava World To Date

Thermal Anomaly Discovered Below Mars’s South Pole

Robotic One-Shot Exploration from Deep Ocean to Deep Space Workshop

The Impact of Impacts: An Interactive & Synchronous Virtual Workshop

77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026)

Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences Autumn 2026 Meeting

Introduction to Planetary Protection