The search for exoplanet biosignatures is guided by whether planetary environments can sustain photosynthesis.
Plant Biology
Posted inTerraforming & Geoengineering
Conceptual Thermal Constraints On The Growth Of The First Tree On A Terraformed Mars
The environmental conditions on present‑day Mars are far outside the range tolerated by known complex terrestrial life.
Posted inAstronauts and Explorers, Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Microgravity, People Of Astrobiology, Plant Biology, Sample Return, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report
Offworld Biotech: Handling Microbial And Botanical Samples
NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Jessica Meir activates tubes filled with microbial and botanical samples associated with a variety of student-designed experiments inside the International Space Station’s Harmony […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Plant Biology, Press Release
Hidden Fungal Networks Could Stretch From The Earth To The Sun A Billion Times Over
Mycorrhizal fungi form underground networks that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth’s climate by drawing carbon into soils.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
Nucleomorph Phylogenomics Suggests A Deep And Ancient Origin Of Cryptophyte Plastids Within Rhodophyta
The evolutionary origin of red algae‐derived complex plastids remains obscure. Cryptophyta, one of four eukaryotic lineages harboring these plastids, still contains nucleomorphs, which are highly reduced remnants of red algal […]
Posted inAstronauts and Explorers, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Conferences and Meetings, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Plant Biology, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Limits of Terrestrial Life and the Probability of Growth on Mars (Virtual Meeting)
Committee on Planetary Protection (CoPP) (Virtual Meeting June 1-2, 2026)June 1 – 2, 2026 This meeting is to provide information to NASA so it can develop a prioritized list of […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Plant Biology, Status Report
Novel Raman Signature Evidences An Unknown Cyanobacterial Pigment
From the first botanical characterization of cyanobacteria about two centuries ago to contemporary studies, only two categories of extracellular UV-screening pigments have been considered: scytonemin which is very well described […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Plant Biology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Biosignature Assay: Phytoplankton Bloom Off The U.S. Mid-Atlantic Coast
Editor’s note: As we begin to study worlds in our own solar system that might have life we use our home world as a testbed for the various ways to […]
![Blue bars indicate the total number of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) identified in each plant family, including WGDs in a family’s most recent common ancestor (MRCA) and in its descendant lineages. Numbers in parentheses specifically indicate the number of WGDs in the MRCA lineage of families, shared by all species thereof. For instance, five WGDs were identified in Brassicaceae, one of which is present in the MRCA of the clade (i.e., “5[1]”). Blue lines in nodes of the tree indicate 95% highest posterior density (HPD) intervals for estimated divergence times. Shaded gray bars in the tree indicate families that belong to the same order. Orders with two or more families are labeled. Colored horizontal bars at the bottom of the tree indicate geological periods. Tr, Triassic; J, Jurassic; K, Cretaceous; Pg, Paleogene; and Ng, Neogene -- Cell Press](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Plants-Survived-1.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Impact events, Plant Biology, Press Release
Plants Survived The Dinosaur-killing Asteroid By Duplicating Genomes
When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Plant Biology, Press Release
The Big Bang Of Plant life: Discovery Sheds Light On How Cells Form Walls
Cell walls are a crucial structure of plant life, protecting cells from damage, giving plants shape, and containing energy-rich nutrients. And yet the process of how the walls begin to […]