Atomic Force Microscope Archives

Scanning tunneling microscope image of a molecule from the Ryugu sample. b Atomic force microscope image acquired by the multi-pass method. c Processed image of (b). Ring structure is overlaid. The colors are the same as in Fig. 1, but orange represents an eight-membered ring. Red arrows in (a, b) indicate a single CO molecule. The scale bars are 1 nm. -- Nature Communications

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return

Discovery Of Unexpectedly Large Organic Molecules from Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2026April 15, 2026

Overview Using a high-resolution atomic force microscope ( AFM ), we directly observed the skeletal structures of individual organic molecules extracted from the Ryugu sample. We discovered numerous gigantic organic […]

A computer-generated rendition of a bacteriophage. Credit: NIAID

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Intelligence & Language, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report

Astrovirology, Astrobiology, Artificial Intelligence: Extra-Solar System Investigations

by Keith CowingAugust 18, 2025August 18, 2025

This chapter attempts to encompass and tackle a large problem in Astrovirology and Astrobiology. There is a huge anthropomorphic prejudice that although life is unlikely, the just-right Goldilocks terrestrial conditions […]