Atacama Trench Archives - Astrobiology

Sediment core sampling procedure adapted from the expedition’s press release (Schmidt Ocean Institute, SOI), licensed under CC BY 4.0 -- CAB

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Sulfur-dependent Ecosystem In A Gas Vent In The Depths Of The Chilean Pacific

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2026May 7, 2026

Unlike most similar emanations described to date, this one shows no evidence of methane emission or consumption. The absence of this molecule and its abundance of sulfur make it a […]

A sea pig walks among some clams found at the bottom of the ocean floor near the methane seep. -- Stockton University

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Deep-Sea Discovery Could Help Find Alien Life

by Keith CowingAugust 1, 2024August 1, 2024

Lauren Seyler believes the search for alien life in the universe begins much closer to home — on the bottom of the ocean.

Deep Sea Sponge -- Schmidt Ocean Institute

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Tricorders & Sensors

Expedition To The Atacama Trench: Thinking Ahead To Enceladus and Europa

by Keith CowingMay 27, 2024May 27, 2024

The Atacama in northern Chile is the oldest and driest desert on Earth. While tectonic activity reconfigured the shape and arrangement of land masses over the last 150 million years, […]