[University of Göttingen] What did the algae that gave rise to the first land plants look like?
Algae
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
How A Desert Alga Helps Us Understand Plants’ Adaptability To Extreme Environmental Conditions
[Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau] A single-celled green alga from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert has, within just a few years, become a key model organism in modern photosynthesis […]
Posted inSpace Life Science
Assessing The Susceptibility Of Microalgae To Space Conditions Using Stratospheric Balloons
[Scientific Reports via Xmol] Biological exposure experiments under near-space conditions remain limited by the high cost and low accessibility of spaceflight platforms, motivating low-cost analog approaches for initial screening.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Biosignature Recon: NASA-developed AI Could Help Track Harmful Algae
Editor’s note: for more than half a century we have been learning how to use the viewpoint from space to study our home world. The instruments we have developed often […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return
Microfossils interpreted as animal traces were actually algae and bactéria
A reexamination of microfossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul shows that the marks previously interpreted as traces of worms or other small oceanic animals are […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
The Phylogenetic Context For The Origin Of A Unique Purple-green Photosymbiosis
Symbioses are widespread in nature and have been the source of much evolutionary innovation. While some types of symbioses evolved multiple times across space and time (e.g., oxygenic photosymbioses or […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Plant Biology, Press Release, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Biosignature Assay: Lake Eyre
Editor’s note: As we begin to study worlds in our own solar system that might have life we use our home world as a testbed for the various ways to […]
![Kultur von Hypomyces completus Public Domain, Quelle: US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory, [1] Larger image](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Fungi-Set-The-Stage.png?resize=1200%2C724&ssl=1)
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Fungi Set The Stage For Life On Land Hundreds Of Millions Of Years Earlier Than Thought
New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution sheds light on the timelines and pathways of evolution of fungi, finding evidence of their influence on ancient terrestrial ecosystems.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Modelling Snow Algal Habitat Suitability And Ecology Under Extreme Weather Events On The Antarctic Peninsula
Snow algae form extensive blooms within Antarctica’s coastal snowpacks and are a crucial contributor to its scarce terrestrial ecosystems.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ocean Sugars Are Responsible For A Large Part Of The Ice Nuclei In Clouds Over Southern Oceans
Current climate models have so far been unable to adequately reproduce the clouds over the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. An international team has now taken an important step towards filling […]