Sample Return Archives

Graphical Abstract -- Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Microstructural And Biochemical Constraints On Cryptoendolithic Life In Atacama Halite: Implications For Extreme Habitability

by Keith CowingApril 11, 2026April 11, 2026

Halite pinnacles from the Yungay area in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert harbor cryptoendolithic microbial colonies.

Selected pictures of microbial diversity of Gourgouthakas isolated bacteria. (A-B) Initial screenings of sample material prior to purecultures. (C) A “color palette” of isolated microbes from the collection of Gourgouthakas cave. Variaty of colors from yellow, purple and bioiridescent colonies. -- biorxiv.org

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A Thousand Meters Deep: Vertical Profiling of the Subterranean Microbiome of Gourgouthakas Cave

by Keith CowingApril 11, 2026April 11, 2026

Introduction: Caves represent unique, nutrient-limited windows into the deep biosphere, yet the microbiology of the deep terrestrial subsurface remains remarkably under-explored. In this work, we took advantage of a rare […]

Structural features of Nerearchaeum marumarumayae cell -- Current Biology

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return

From Asgard to Earth: Tiny Discoveries Hold Clues To Life’s Greatest Leap

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Stromatolites – and their close relatives, microbial mats – could be mistaken for what seems like a bunch of old dark rocks. But instead, they are dense, layered communities of […]

Heatmap analysis of bacterial community composition across cave samples at phylum (A) and class (B) levels. A Euclidean dendrogram visualizes the hierarchical clustering of both samples and taxa. -- Microorganisms via PubMed

Analog Studies, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Evaluation Of The Bacterial Diversity In The World’s Deepest Cave—Veryovkina, Arabika Massif, Western Caucasus

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Veryovkina Cave is the world’s deepest known cave (2212 m deep). It is located in the Arabika Massif of Gagra Mountain in the Western Caucasus. Its microbiome remains unknown because […]

A) Subcluster of viral genomes within the family Microviridae. Network constructed using vConTACT3 and visualized in Cytoscape. Reference nodes are colored by genus (RefSeq and vConTACT3 predictions), while fumarole viruses are colored by sample site. Edges represent genesharing strength. The blue node (phiX174) forms a weakly resolved clade with fumarole viruses in the maximum-likelihood phylogeny based on major capsid protein amino acid sequences. B) Pairwise genome comparisons of RefSeq and fumarole Microviridae using local alignment (MMseqs2). The top row and left column indicate predicted genus assignments (vConTACT3) for fumarole and RefSeq viruses. The top-left quadrant shows RefSeq–RefSeq comparisons; the top-right shows fumarole–RefSeq comparisons (RefSeq colored by genus). The second row (genome source) is colored by fumarole sample site. The star denotes comparisons involving the phiX174 RefSeq genome. -- biorxiv.org

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Hawaiian Geothermal Fumaroles Contain Diverse and Novel Viruses

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2026April 9, 2026

Microbial communities of geothermal habitats are central to understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Metagenomics has provided insight into the role of viruses in shaping microbial diversity of complex […]

Correlations of Asgardarchaeota with other microbial lineages in DAN-LK4 microbial mats inferred by co-occurrence network analyses. a, Sankey plot showing positive correlations of Asgard archaeal orders based on normalized USCGs (RPKM) inferred by SparCC alongside their distribution across the redox gradient in the indigenous and mesocosm-maintained microbial mat. The size of boxes is proportional to the relative abundance of Asgard archaea (center) and the number of links with prokaryotic taxa (left) in co-occurrence networks. The relative abundance of the different asgardarchaeal orders is indicated by the thickness of links connecting with the different mat layers (right). -- biorxiv.org

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report

Redox distribution Of Asgard Archaea And Co-occurring Taxa In Microbial Mats From An Early Proterozoic Ecosystem Analog

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2026April 9, 2026

Eukaryotes originated from the symbiosis of an Asgard archaeon, the alphaproteobacterial ancestor of mitochondria, and possibly additional bacterial contributions.

A deuterostome cambroernid fossil from the Jiangchuan Biota and artist’s reconstruction (IMAGE)

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return

Spectacular Fossil Treasure Trove Pushes Back Origins Of Complex Animals

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

A newly discovered fossil site in southwest China has transformed our understanding of how complex animal life emerged on Earth, revealing that many key animal groups had already evolved before […]

Chemical processes in molecular clouds, such as grain-surface reactions and reactions in the gas phase, yield fundamental molecules, such as water, methanol, and ammonia. After experiencing further processes induced by energetic particles such as vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons and cosmic rays in the pre- or protosolar nebula stage, as well as (hydro)thermal events occurring on Solar System bodies after their formation, further complex organic molecules, such as those found in Bennu, Ryugu, and carbonaceous meteorites, may have been synthesized. (Image credit: NAOJ, NASA).

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report

Distribution Of Extraterrestrial Nucleobases, Other N-heterocycles, And Their Precursors In A Sample From Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

The recent discovery of all five canonical nucleobases in samples from Bennu provides compelling evidence that some of life’s ingredients were synthesized abiotically in the parent body of this asteroid […]

Relationship between total group age T and crown group age tcg across various diversification rates λ − µ, equation 4. The heatmap represents the crown group age for a given rate and total group age (isolines are presented for reference). The orange dot-dashed line is the minimum value for T to fit the observed eukaryotic-grade fossil record of the late Palaeoproterozoic (1780 Ma), the red-dashed isoline is the minimum age for tcg fitting the observed crown-eukaryote fossil record from the end of the Mesoproterozoic (1050 Ma), and the grey interval is the range of possible tcg require to obtain the living diversity for a given rate and total age. The isolines for late LECA (tcg = 1200) or generous late LECA (tcg = 1400 Ma) are the red-dotted lines. -- biorxiv.org

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report

Clade Dynamics Support An Early Origin Of Crown Eukaryotes

by Keith CowingApril 7, 2026April 7, 2026

The timing of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) remains a fundamental question in evolutionary biology and palaeontology. Unambiguous eukaryotic-grade fossils appear from 1780 Ma, but no crown-group supergroups are […]

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A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars

by Keith CowingApril 7, 2026April 7, 2026

Full report Exploration as a scientific endeavor exemplifies great American innovation. The first human steps on Mars will be a watershed moment for humanity and for science. The endeavor to […]

Sample Return

Microstructural And Biochemical Constraints On Cryptoendolithic Life In Atacama Halite: Implications For Extreme Habitability

A Thousand Meters Deep: Vertical Profiling of the Subterranean Microbiome of Gourgouthakas Cave

From Asgard to Earth: Tiny Discoveries Hold Clues To Life’s Greatest Leap

Evaluation Of The Bacterial Diversity In The World’s Deepest Cave—Veryovkina, Arabika Massif, Western Caucasus

Hawaiian Geothermal Fumaroles Contain Diverse and Novel Viruses

Redox distribution Of Asgard Archaea And Co-occurring Taxa In Microbial Mats From An Early Proterozoic Ecosystem Analog

Spectacular Fossil Treasure Trove Pushes Back Origins Of Complex Animals

Distribution Of Extraterrestrial Nucleobases, Other N-heterocycles, And Their Precursors In A Sample From Asteroid Bennu

Clade Dynamics Support An Early Origin Of Crown Eukaryotes

A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars

Missed Detections and False Alarms in a CNN Technosignature Detector on Breakthrough Listen Data

Ancient Clays Near The Hellas Basin On Mars

A Hydrogen Atmosphere Could Keep Exomoons Habitable For Billions Of Years

Ring Pattern Reveal The Mechanism By Which Unseen Planets And Dust Particles Gather On Their Own

Capture of Interstellar Planetesimals in Protoplanetary Discs in Binary Star Systems