For decades, the search for life beyond Earth has revolved around a key question: What molecules should scientists be looking for on other planets or moons?
astrochemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Fatigue-crack Formation In Samples From Asteroid Bennu And Petrologic Controls On Boulder Properties And Evolution
Thermal fatigue has been observed to be an important driver of boulder evolution on asteroid Bennu through the development of morphological features such as exfoliation flakes and linear fractures in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
First Interstellar Detection of Methyl Carbamate: A New Observational Anchor for Glycine Chemistry
Glycine-the simplest amino acid-has remained undetected in the interstellar medium despite decades of sensitive searches, motivating alternative approaches to constrain its astrochemical origin.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Spectrally And Spatially Resolved (sub)millimeter HCN-to-HCO+ Flux Ratios In Nearby Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies
We present the results of our investigations of spectrally and spatially resolved (sub)millimeter HCN-to-HCO+ flux ratios at J=2-1, J=3-2, and/or J=4-3 in 18 nearby (z< 0.15) ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), […]
![The H2 and [Ne II] emission detected towards DoAr 25 on top of the ALMA 240 GHz continuum emission (shown in the background as a reddish-yellow image). The white central circle shows the inner working angle from JWST. In this case, the disk itself is seen in absorption against line emission from the Ophiuchus PDR for H2 S(1)-S(3) (17.03-9.66 µm). -- astro-ph.SR)](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Characterizing-The-Extended.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Characterizing The Extended Molecular Hydrogen Winds In Protoplanetary Disks From The JWST Disk Infrared Spectroscopic Chemistry Survey
We present a comprehensive analysis of extended H2 emission from 34 protoplanetary disks observed with the JWST Disk Infrared Spectroscopic Chemistry Survey (JDISCS), supplemented by archival data.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Detecting Fundamental Chiral Biosignatures in the Ultraviolet Polarization Spectrum
Chiral molecules are ubiquitous and necessary for life as we know it. In extant life, the amino acid and sugar constituents of proteins and biopolymers consist of only one enantiomer.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
From Gas To Stars Along The Spiral Wave: CO, HCN, And Star Formation Variations Across The Spiral Arms In NGC 4321 And M51
Molecular clouds form stars from the interstellar medium via gravitational collapse, following a sequence from low-density gas to high-density cores and eventually the formation of stars.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Overview Of The New Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive
The new Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive (HSLA) provides coadded spectra of individual targets that have been observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Activity And Composition of Periodic Comets 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and 103P/Hartley 2 At Two Different Perihelion Passages
Through photometry and spectroscopy, we studied the evolution of the activity and chemical composition of comet 67P during its 2025 and 2021 perihelion passages and of comet 103P during its […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How The Rise Of Continents May Have Set The Stage For Life On Earth
Earth’s earliest continents may have set the chemical stage for life by regulating boron levels in ancient oceans, a new study in Terra Nova suggests.