A substance poisonous to humans — hydrogen cyanide — may have helped create the seeds of life on Earth. At cold temperatures, hydrogen cyanide forms crystals. And, according to computer […]
American Chemical Society
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors
Fluorescent Caves Could Explain How Life Persists In Extraterrestrial Environments
Deep below Earth’s surface, rock and mineral formations lay hidden with a secret brilliance. Under a black light, the chemicals fossilized within shine in brilliant hues of pink, blue and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Interstellar, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Extraterrestrial Chemistry With Earthbound Possibilities
Who are we? Why are we here? As the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song suggests, we are stardust, the result of chemistry occurring throughout vast clouds of interstellar gas […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Protein Fragments ID Two New Extremophile Microbes — And May Help Find Alien Life
Perfectly adapted microorganisms live in extreme environments from deep-sea trenches to mountaintops. Learning more about how these extremophiles survive in hostile conditions could inform scientists about life on Earth and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts
Complex Chemistry In The Cold Depths Of Space (video)
For years, scientists thought some complex molecules could only be formed on Earth. But what if we found these kinds of molecules out in space after all? In this episode […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Away Teams & Field Reports, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving
Possible Off World AwayTeam Applications: Lab-on-a-drone That Tracks Air Pollution On Earth
Editor’s note: NASA is currently flying the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars as part of the Mars Perseverance rover mission. As of this posting it has flown 67 times and continues […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Building Blocks For Life Could Have Formed Near New Stars And Planets
While life on Earth is relatively new, geologically speaking, the ingredients that combined to form it might be much older than once thought.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: I-SMEL Device Smells Seawater To Detect Novel Molecules
Under the ocean’s surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as medications. Now, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Two Meteorites Are Providing A Detailed Look Into Astrochemistry
If you’ve ever seen a shooting star, you might have actually seen a meteor on its way to Earth. Those that land here are called meteorites and can be used […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
New Insights Into The Origin Of Life on Earth
A famous experiment in 1953 showed that amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, could have formed spontaneously under the atmospheric conditions of early Earth. However, just because molecules could […]