Europa’s subsurface ocean is a potential candidate for life in the outer solar system. It is thought that plumes may exist which eject ocean material out into space, which may […]
Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Asphalt Volcano Communities
Santa Barbara Channel’s natural oil seeps are a beach-goer’s bane, flecking the shores with blobs of tar.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Deep-sea Black Carbon Comes From Hydrothermal Vents
Hydrothermal vents have been identified as a previously undiscovered source of dissolved black carbon in the oceans, furthering the understanding of the role of oceans as a carbon sink.
Posted inEuropa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean
The search for life in the universe is often informed by the study of “extreme” environments on Earth, which provide analogs for habitable locations in the Solar System, and whose […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Ceres, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Bacterial Utilisation Of Aliphatic Organics: Is the Dwarf Planet Ceres Habitable?
The regolith environment and associated organic material on Ceres is analogous to environments that existed on Earth 3–4 billion years ago.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Origin Of Water In The Terrestrial Planets: Insights From Meteorite Data And Planet Formation Models
Water condensed as ice beyond the water snowline, the location in the Sun’s natal gaseous disk where temperatures were below 170 K. As the disk evolved and cooled, the snowline […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
World First Study Sheds Light On Why Microbes In The Deep Ocean Live Without Sunlight
A world first study reverses the idea that the bulk of life in the ocean is fuelled by photosynthesis via sunshine, revealing that many ocean microbes in fact get their […]
Posted inEnceladus, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Icy Ocean World Enceladus
A patchwork network of frozen ridges and troughs cover the face of Enceladus, Saturn’s most enigmatic of icy moons.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Prebiotic Chemistry Has Been Observed Around Shallow-Sea Vents
NASA-supported Astrobiologists have revealed that alkaline hydrothermal vents in shallow seas could have been a favorable environment for the chemistry leading up to the origin of life on the early […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Examining Proteomes And Earth’s Deep Oceans As The Location Of The Origin of Terrestrial Life
Some standard arguments are reviewed supporting deep ocean trenches as a likely location for the origin of terrestrial life.