Organic haze plays a key role in many planetary processes ranging from influencing the radiation budget of an atmosphere to serving as a source of prebiotic molecules on the surface. […]
Origin & Evolution of Life
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Origin & Evolution of Life
Influence of Galactic Cosmic Rays on Ion-Neutral Hydrocarbon Chemistry in Upper Atmospheres of Free-Floating Exoplanets
Cosmic rays may be linked to the formation of volatiles necessary for prebiotic chemistry. We explore the effect of cosmic rays in a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere, as a proof-of-concept that ion-neutral […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Ancient Minerals: Which Gave Rise to Life?
Life originated as a result of natural processes that exploited early Earth’s raw materials. Scientific models of life’s origins almost always look to minerals for such essential tasks as the […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Evolution can Select for Evolvability
Evolution does not operate with a goal in mind; it does not have foresight. But organisms that have a greater capacity to evolve may fare better in rapidly changing environments. […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
Evidence of 3.5 Billion Year Old Bacterial Ecosystems Found in Australia
Reconstructing the rise of life during the period of Earth’s history when it first evolved is challenging. Earth’s oldest sedimentary rocks are not only rare, but also almost always altered […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
Clay May Have Been The Birthplace of Life
Clay, a seemingly infertile blend of minerals, might have been the birthplace of life on Earth. Or at least of the complex biochemicals that make life possible, Cornell University biological […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Origin & Evolution of Life
Modelling the globally-integrated spectral variability of the Archean Earth
The ongoing searches for exoplanetary systems have revealed a wealth of planets with diverse physical properties. Planets even smaller than the Earth have already been detected, and the efforts of […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
Oxygen Does Not Necessarily Lead to Evolution of Advanced Life
Any textbook will tell you that oxygen is essential for advanced life to evolve. But why did life not explode when oxygen levels rose dramatically 2.1 billion years ago? This […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Origin & Evolution of Life
Life May Be Harder to Identify on Some Exoplanets
Finding life on exoplanets may be more difficult than people thought, said Feng Tian, a professor at the Center for Earth System Science at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life
Climate Puzzle Over The Origin of Life on Earth
The mystery of why life on Earth evolved when it did has deepened with the publication of a new study in the latest edition of the journal Science. Scientists at […]