Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrobiology (general), Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Subglacial Microbial Life On Earth And Beyond

by Keith Cowing

The search for life beyond Earth fascinates many and inspires big questions: Are we truly alone in the Universe? Is our Earth unique? Is it possible that life beyond Earth […]

Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Status Report, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Mission Star List for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (2023)

by Keith Cowing

Full document The Astro 2020 Decadal Survey “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s” has recommended that “after a successful mission and technology maturation program, NASA should […]

Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Pluto, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Moderate D/H Ratios in Methane Ice on Eris and Makemake as Evidence of Hydrothermal or Metamorphic Processes in Their Interiors: Geochemical Analysis

by Keith Cowing

Dwarf planets Eris and Makemake have surfaces bearing methane ice of unknown origin. D/H ratios were recently determined from James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of Eris and Makemake, giving […]

Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Searching For Clues In The History Book Of Earth’s Oceans

by Keith Cowing

Oxygen is fundamental to sustaining life on Earth. The ocean gets its oxygen from its uppermost layers in contact with the atmosphere. As our planet continues to warm, the ocean […]

Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Callisto, Comets and Asteroids, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

SwRI Scientists Find Evidence Of Geothermal Activity Within Icy Dwarf Planets

by Keith Cowing

A team co-led by Southwest Research Institute found evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake, located in the Kuiper Belt. Methane detected on […]

Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Cosmic Radiation Drives Quasi-periodic Changes In The Diversity Of Siliceous Marine Microplankton

by Keith Cowing

Radiolarians are significant contributors to the oceanic primary productivity and the global silica cycle in the last 500 Myr. Their diversity throughout the Phanerozoic shows periodic fluctuations.

Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Transform Faults Study Reveal Previously Unknown Part Of Earth’s Geological Carbon Cycle

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago was visited by the HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin aboard in 1832 and again by the HMS Challenger – the namesake […]

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