Abiotic Archives

Schematic of terrestrial planet geochemical evolution model. The planetary redox budget, thermal-climate evolution, and volatile budget are modeled from initial magma ocean (left) through to temperate geochemical cycling (right). Oxygen fluxes are shown by green arrows, energy fluxes by black arrows, carbon fluxes by orange arrows, and water fluxes by blue arrows. Note that the net loss of H to space adds oxygen to the atmosphere. During the magma ocean phase, the radius of solidification, rs, begins at the core-mantle boundary and moves toward the surface as internal heat is dissipated. The rate at which this occurs is controlled by radiogenic heat production, Qradioactive, convective heatflow from the mantle to the surface, qmantle, and core heatflow, Qcore. This internal heatflow balances the difference between outgoing longwave radiation, OLR, and incoming shortwave radiation, ASR. The oxygen fugacity of the mantle, fO2, and the water and carbon content mantle and surface reservoirs are tracked throughout.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Oxygen False Positives On Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun-Like Stars

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2021March 4, 2023

Oxygen is a promising exoplanet biosignature due to the evolutionary advantage conferred by harnessing starlight for photosynthesis, and the apparent low likelihood of maintaining oxygen-rich atmospheres without life.

Abiotic

Oxygen False Positives On Habitable Zone Planets Around Sun-Like Stars

Complex Water Systems Revealed On Early Mars

An Accidental Impact Crater Discovery

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Community Participation Program

Unveiling Microbial Communities And Biogeochemical Cycles In Antarctic Colored Snow

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,217 21 September 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)