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Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Ice World Microbiology: Cryorhodopsins

by Keith Cowing

Imagine the magnificent glaciers of Greenland, the eternal snow of the Tibetan high mountains, and the permanently ice-cold groundwater in Finland. As cold and beautiful these are, for the structural […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report

Planetary Bioinformatics: Breaking Through Biology’s Data Wall On Earth

by Keith Cowing

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 […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Expedition: Robots Map Unexplored Depths

by Keith Cowing

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) from the University of Sydney has taken a deep dive in the oceans surrounding Norfolk Island on an scientific expedition to document previously unexplored reefs.

Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return

The Nanoscale Molecular Chemistry Of Outer Solar System Organic Matter In Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith Cowing

The analysis of biorelevant molecules in returned mission samples such as from the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu is key to unravelling the role of extraterrestrial organics in the evolution of […]

Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Space Stations, Status Report

Exploring The Potential Of A Bioassembler For Protein Crystallization In Space

by Keith Cowing

Protein crystallization holds paramount significance in structural biology, serving as a pivotal technique for unveiling the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of proteins.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Missions & Hardware, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Exploration: Submersible Robot Surfs Water Currents

by Keith Cowing

An autonomous underwater vehicle can propel itself efficiently by using the energy in nearby water currents. Underwater and aerial vehicles must make their way through a complex environment of gusts […]

Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Ceres, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report

Challenges and Opportunities in Using Amino Acids to Decode Carbonaceous Chondrite and Asteroid Parent Body Processes

by Keith Cowing

Carbonaceous chondrite (CC) meteorites are fragments of planetesimals that hold clues about the early solar system’s organic matter. Amino acids are key to life on Earth; thus their study from […]

Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Microbial Diversity Of Coastal Microbial Mats Formations In Karstic Habitats From The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

by Keith Cowing

In this study, we report for the first time an exploration of the physicochemical characteristics and the prokaryotic diversity of three different types of microbial mats from karstic habitats located […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Tricorder Tech: Biosignature Detection: DNA Floating In The Air Tracks Life Forms

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of the clouds of Venus and the long-hypothesized notion of airborne life forms on Saturn and Jupiter these studies from Earth […]

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