[PNAS] The evolutionary selection of thymine over uracil in DNA presents a paradox from a photostability perspective, since thymine is found to be more susceptible to photodamage from the intense […]
Origin & Evolution of Life
Posted inBiophysics
Reversion To The Meta Body Form Of Life After Complete Cell Death In Pure Liquid Water
[biorxiv.org] The prevailing view holds that simpler animate beings predating the dawn of cellular life once existed, yet they have long since vanished from the present-day Earth. Our hypothesis posits […]
Posted inCryobiology
How High-pressure Ices On Large Ocean Worlds Can Support Habitability: The Compatibility Of Amino Acids Into Ice VI And VII
[Science Advances] Water oceans in large icy moons and exoplanets are isolated from the rocky interior by thick layers of high-pressure ice, which hinder the direct release of nutrients and […]
![The RDP network of molecular cell biology. A schematic representation of the autocatalytic (RAF) set arrangement of components and processes constituting the biosynthesis network for the production of new RNA, DNA and protein (i.e., RDP) strands in living cells (gray background). The monomer units of RNA, DNA, and protein strands—ribonucleoside triphosphates (rNTPs), deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs), and amino acids—are considered to represent raw materials (“food”) -- [q-bio.MN]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/System.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
System-evolutionary View Of RNA Presence In Living Cells
[q-bio.MN] Our guiding question for this article was: How did RNA adjust its life when the RNA world era came to an end? RNA has its practical execution side in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Intimate Link Between Prebiotic Chemistry And Meteorites: Mechanisms Of Organic Molecule Formation
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed] Whether meteorites brought ingredients necessary for the origin of life exogenously or they were produced endogenously on early Earth, having a prebiotic chemical inventory of organic […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Beyond The Prebiotic Soup: Solid Organic Films And Protocell-Like Formation in Prebiotic Discharge Experiments
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed] The original Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds under early Earth conditions, yet the physicochemical properties and internal organization of the associated insoluble […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 20 Oct 2026: Wheels Down In Cape Town
[Dale Andersen]: The 787 Dreamliner rolled to a stop far out on the apron, as the big jets often do here, and I climbed down into a gray afternoon and […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general)
The Evolution Of Oxygen, Temperature, And Marine Aerobic Habitat For Animals Over The Last Billion Years Of Earth History
[Current Biology (Cell)] Atmospheric and ocean oxygen levels and temperature have changed considerably over Earth history, and many of these changes coincided with similarly dramatic changes in marine life.
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: Preview: Fall 2026 Lake Untersee Field Season
Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is preparing for his second expedition to Lake Untersee, Antarctica for 2026. The first 2026 Field season at Lake Untersee was conducted from January – March […]
![[Tree of Life] The Wellcome Sanger Institute’s Tree of Life programme has announced ambitious plans to accelerate publication of genome notes from approximately 30 per month to 200, expanding access to research that is supporting advances in agriculture, conservation, and medicine. This significant increase will be facilitated by a new specialised workflow developed by F1000 and the Wellcome Sanger Institute for Wellcome Open Research.](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/treeoflife1-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics
Tree of Life Program Targets Publication Of 200 Genome Notes Per Month
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 […]