agnostic Photosynthetic Habitable Zone Archives

A: The average relative photosynthetic output rate, ν/νmax, as a function of main sequence stellar temperature/mass and orbital semi-major axis, a, for oxygenic, anoxygenic and hypothetical forms of photosynthesis (denoted by green crosses, red circles and blue triangles respectively). The error bars represent variance in antenna structure in the final evolved photosynthetic population output by the genetic algorithm. The faint dashed lines are a visual reference showing a 1/a2 dependence. B: The habitable zone (green) overlaid with contours of constant ν/νmax (coloured dashed lines) for oxygenic photosynthesis. The contours are interpolated from the data points which are shown as filled circles and the corresponding values of ν/νmax are shown as a percentage. For reference, several candidates worlds from the Habitable Worlds Catalogue (PHL UPR Arecibo 2026) are listed, alongside Earth. C: Same as B but for anoxygenic photosynthesis. D: Same as B but for the hypothetical NIR-driven oxygenic photosynthesis. Since only three stellar temperatures/masses were considered for the hypothetical form of photosynthesis (due to calculation cost), we added interpolated data points to generate the contours. -- astro-ph.EP

An Agnostic Machine Learning Model of Photosynthetic Habitability

by Keith CowingJune 26, 2026June 26, 2026

The search for exoplanet biosignatures is guided by whether planetary environments can sustain photosynthesis.

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Tricorder Tech: ESA CAVES 2026 Cavenauts Use An Electronic FieldBook

by Keith CowingJune 25, 2026June 26, 2026

Astronauts Tracy Dyson (NASA), Rosemary Coogan (ESA) and Ayu Yoneda (JAXA) measuring water parameters and recording them in the Electronic FieldBook during ESA CAVES2026 course.

Astronauts and Explorers

Cavenauts Begin ESA CAVES 2026 Training

by Keith CowingJune 24, 2026June 26, 2026

NASA astronaut candidate Ben Bailey takes a photo of John McFall, a member of ESA’s astronaut reserve and the Fly! Project, whilst measurements are being taken of the water parameters […]