Radiation Archives

The schematic diagram of the Space Radiobiological Exposure Facility. -- Nature Communications

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Radiation, Status Report

Space Ionizing Radiation Triggers The Formation Of Peptides And Organophosphates On Olivine Surfaces

by Keith CowingMarch 8, 2026March 8, 2026

Bioorganic molecules, such as amino acids, nucleobases, and sugars, are widely distributed in space.

How ESA's Mars orbiters make use of radio occultation -- ESA

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

ESA Orbiters Watch A Solar Superstorm Hit Mars

by Keith CowingMarch 6, 2026March 6, 2026

What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency’s Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.

Formation of membrane vesicles following depletion of CwlA. Cells (∆cwlA/prepUTS::cwlA+) in exponential growth phase cultivated at 30 °C in medium supplemented with spectinomycin were harvested by centrifugation, diluted in antibiotic-free medium and incubated at 30 °C (upper part) or at 37 °C (lower part). In each part, the first line contains the pictures of the Nomarski interference contrast (DIC), the second line, the pictures of membrane DNA staining (DAPI) and the third line the pictures of membrane staining (FM4–64). All pictures are the same scale (bar = 5 μm). Membrane vesicles are indicated by blue arrows. -- Current Research in Microbial Sciences

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Radiation, Status Report

Specific Role Of Two NlpC/P60 Endopeptidases In Cell Division And Membrane Vesicle Formation In Deinococcus radiodurans

by Keith CowingMarch 4, 2026March 4, 2026

The bacterial cell wall is composed of peptidoglycan (PG), a sugar polymer cross-linked by short peptide stems. PG determines cell morphology and protects it from environmental stresses.

Two-dimensional wireframe representation of the atmospheric geometry implemented in the Geant4 simulations. The model consists of four concentric spherical layers corresponding to the altitude ranges 15–20 km, 20–25 km, 25–30 km, and 30–35 km, surrounding the Earth’s surface. -- astro-ph.HE

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Energy Deposition By Galactic Cosmic Rays And Implications For Ozone Chemistry

by Keith CowingMarch 2, 2026March 2, 2026

We present a Monte Carlo study of galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) energy deposition and its implications for stratospheric chemistry, performed with the Geant4 toolkit.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Radiation, Status Report

Topography-Induced Stationary Waves And The Onset Of Nightside Warming On Rocky Planets Around M-dwarf Stars

by Keith CowingFebruary 26, 2026February 26, 2026

Among potentially habitable worlds, rocky planets orbiting M dwarfs offer the most favorable prospects for atmospheric characterization, yet their climates may differ substantially from those of Earth analogs.

ultraviolet aurorae on Ganymede ©️ NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/UVS/ULiège/Gusbin/Bonfond

Ganymede, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Similarities Between Auroras On Ganymede And Earth

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2026February 25, 2026

A team of astrophysicists from the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Planetary Physics (LPAP) has observed for the first time the fine details of the auroras on Ganymede, the only moon […]

Illustration of some of the multi-modal factors that may contribute to an IHZ in our solar system, overlaid on traditional habitable zones: the circumstellar habitable zone and the zone where closed icy ocean worlds can exist. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

The Interplanetary Habitable Zone

by Keith CowingFebruary 17, 2026February 17, 2026

The concept of a system-wide measure of the sustainment of life (habitability) for space-faring interplanetary species is introduced and explored.

LEA of microbial communities from torus room waters and other environmental samples. Symbol “+” indicates the positions of the samples analyzed in this study, together with the sample names (TW1, TW2, SW, SS, RW, and SO). -- Environmental Microbiology

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Radiation, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Studying Bacteria That Live Inside A Damaged Radioactive Nuclear Power Station

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

A major incident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station following the tsunami triggered by the Tohoku–Pacific Ocean Earthquake in March 2011, whereby seawater entered the torus room in […]