Antarctica Archives

Dale Andersen preparing to submerge on a dive in Antarctica -- Dale Andersen

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 24 November 2012, Lake Untersee, Antarctica

by Keith CowingNovember 24, 2012January 11, 2026

We are now fully operational at the Lake Untersee, all the tents are up and the weather has been cooperating nicely with little wind and sunny skies. I guess we need […]

Weather image today via NOAA. Novolazarevskaya Station (Novo) is located on the coast in the top center of this image. Larger image below

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 21 November 2012, Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctica

by Keith CowingNovember 21, 2012January 11, 2026

Received from Dale Andersen Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctica, on 21 November 2012 via Iridium email:

Image: Enjoying the last rays of the sun in April – the sunset for the last time in May – it has only just this week risen again at Concordia Station (Credit: Alexander Kumar)

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Icy Worlds, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Space Physiology & Medicine

An Interview With Alexander Kumar at Concordia Station, Antarctica

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2012December 17, 2023

Dr. Alexander Kumar is currently residing at Concordia station located at Dome C, Antarctica at 75°06’06”S – 123°23’43”E at an elevation of 3,800 meters. Alex is serving as Concordia Station […]

The late Robert A. Wharton Jr., an alumnus of the Virginia Tech College of Science, in 2012. Photo courtesy of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, People Of Astrobiology

Astrobiologist And Explorer Robert Wharton Has Died

by Keith CowingSeptember 19, 2012April 13, 2024

Editor’s note: I am profoundly saddened to hear of Bob’s passing. I got to know Bob very well when he and I worked at the old Life Sciences Division at […]

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Conferences and Meetings, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving

Human and Robotic Astrobiological Research in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

by Keith CowingMay 19, 2012March 25, 2023

Presenter: Peter T. Doran (University of Illinois, Chicago) May 21, 2012 11:00 AM Pacific The extreme cold and dry environment of the McMurdo Dry Valleys have made it one of […]

This image of the large conical stromatolites in Lake Untersee was made using a Nikon D3s with a Nikkor 14-24mm lens inside a Subal Housing. Lighting was provided by two Sea & Sea YS-250 Pro strobes in manual mode. Credit: Dale T. Andersen

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Field Reports: Lake Untersee, Antarctica (Gigapixel Panorama) 7 March 2012

by Keith CowingMarch 7, 2012January 11, 2026

Three and a half billion years ago our planet was quite different and Earth’s earliest biosphere was dominated by microbial communities – complex multicellular organisms were not to evolve for […]

Meteorites contain a large variety of nucleobases, an essential building block of DNA. (Artist concept credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith)

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

NASA Research Shows DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space

by Keith CowingAugust 9, 2011April 13, 2024

NASA-funded researchers have found more evidence meteorites can carry DNA components created in space.

Microbial mats in Lake Untersee - Dale Andersen 2011

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds

Astrobiologists Discover Strange Benthic Microbial Mats in Lake Untersee, Antarctica

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2011April 13, 2024

Photosynthetic microbial mats forming large conical structures up to half a meter tall have been discovered by astrobiologists in Lake Untersee, Antarctica. This research is described in an article in […]

Lake Joyce in the Pearse Valley is off of a "tributary" of Taylor Glacier. Photo Courtesy: Tyler Mackey

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Life In An Antarctic Lake

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2011April 14, 2024

UC Davis geologists have been using laser scanning and underwater video to capture images of life in an ice-covered Antarctic lake.

ALH84001 - NASA Astromaterials - NASA.gov

Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report

ALH84001: The Key to Unlocking Secrets About Mars-15 Years and Counting

by Keith CowingJanuary 1, 2011December 1, 2025

From the December 27, 1984 discovery of ALH84001, and its subsequent identification as a sample of Mars in 1993, mystery and debate has surrounded the meteorite [1].

Antarctica

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 24 November 2012, Lake Untersee, Antarctica

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 21 November 2012, Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctica

An Interview With Alexander Kumar at Concordia Station, Antarctica

Astrobiologist And Explorer Robert Wharton Has Died

Human and Robotic Astrobiological Research in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Field Reports: Lake Untersee, Antarctica (Gigapixel Panorama) 7 March 2012

NASA Research Shows DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space

Astrobiologists Discover Strange Benthic Microbial Mats in Lake Untersee, Antarctica

Life In An Antarctic Lake

ALH84001: The Key to Unlocking Secrets About Mars-15 Years and Counting

Perseverance Astrobiology Rover – A Selfie While Working

NASA ROSES-25 Amendment 60: Due Date Extended for C.2 Solar System Science

Demographics Of Planet-forming Disks With The SKAO

Chemical Abundances of the Bioessential Elements C, O and S, and the Refractory Elements

Narrowband Radio Technosignature Search Toward 3I/ATLAS with FAST