Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is an indispensable ingredient in making bread, beer, and biotechnology products. But this humble organism also holds clues to something more cosmic – how life could […]
Plant Biology
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Status Report
Priority Effects Inhibit The Repeated Evolution Of Phototrophy
The emergence of phototrophy is one of the most significant innovations in the history of life, vastly increasing available metabolic energy. Phototrophy is, however, known to have arisen only twice.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Plant Biology, Status Report
Photosynthetic Exergy I. Thermodynamic Limits For Habitable-zone Planets
Photosynthesis is central to Earth’s biosphere and a prime candidate for sustaining complex life on habitable exoplanets, yet a thermodynamically consistent treatment of the work potential of stellar radiation at […]
Posted inGaia - Planetary Perspectives, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
From Sea To Soil: Molecular Changes Suggest How Algae Evolved Into Plants
Before plants evolved, vegetative life consisted of primitive green algae living in the sea. Like plants, these algae survived by performing photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy. However, little light reaches […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
Lichen Paved The Way For Plants And Animals To Thrive On Earth
Lichens were already widespread over 410 million years ago, according to a new international study which identifies a fossil from Brazil as one of the oldest lichen in Earth’s history.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Sample Return, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Extreme Environmental Tolerance And Space Survivability Of The Moss, Physcomitrium patens
Climate change highlights the importance of understanding life’s survival limits for addressing global challenges and supporting future human habitation beyond Earth. Plants, as photosynthetic organisms, play a vital role in […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Plant Biology, Press Release, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Biosignature Assay: Lake Eyre
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 […]
Posted inLife Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report
Understanding The ‘Spaceflight Treatment’ In Plant Space Biology: Experimental Practices, Metadata Workflows, And Data Re-analysis
The boundaries between targeted interventions, background factors, and confounders are concerns in all biological experimentation.
Posted inGravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report
Peas on Mars: A Study Of Garden Pea, Lathyrus Oleraceus (Pisum sativum), Growth In Martian Regolith Simulant Treated With Black Soldier Fly Frass
Future long-duration missions to Mars will require in situ food production systems to reduce dependence on resupply missions and enhance crew autonomy.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Conferences and Meetings, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Plant Biology, Press Release
NASA Exoplanets System Science Extraterrestrial Photosynthesis Workshop
May 15-17, 2026Heidel House, Green Lake, Wisconsin, USAPreceding AbSciCon 2026 Applications for the NExSS Extraterrestrial Photosynthesis Workshop are now open. Deadline to apply is January 11, 2026.