Iceland’s diverse volcanic terrain is an excellent stand-in for lunar and planetary processes and provides an ideal environment in which to simulate surface science operations. Editor’s note: when it comes […]
Away Team
Posted inAnalog Studies
Astrobiology In A Mesophilic Tropical Country: A Database And A Review Of Analog Environments In Brazil
[Life Sciences in Space Research] Astrobiological analog environments comprise Earth-based environments that share similarities with a target setting (another planetary body or Precambrian Earth conditions) and whose defining features influence […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Orbital Biosignature Assay: Pyramid Lake in Bloom
[NASA] The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on the Landsat 9 satellite acquired this natural-color image of the bloom in October 2024. One day earlier, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe noted […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Biosignature Reservoirs In The Rozel Point Tar Seeps At Great Salt Lake, Utah
[Frontiers in Microbiology] On the north shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA, naturally occurring tar seeps at Rozel Point provide an opportunity to study a petroleum-rich environment adjacent to […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Small-Scale Mineral And Microbial Heterogeneities Near A Fumarole At The Furnas Hydrothermal Zone On The Azores
[Life (Basel)]. The Azores are characterized by intense volcanic activity, creating unique environments such as fumarole sites, where geothermal gases and high temperatures drive distinct chemical and biological processes.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports
Microorganisms Actively Shape Earth’s Ocean Floor
[MARUM]. In August 2023, the German research vessel METEOR set sail on Expedition M192 to the Greek island of Milos with Dr. Solveig Bühring as the chief scientist. The mission […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech
A Pressure-Supported Pneumatic Architecture for Robust Deep Drilling on Mars: Performance Modeling, Sizing, and Mission Integration.
[Astrobiology] Accessing the martian deep subsurface is a long-standing scientific priority for astrobiology, climate reconstruction, and planetary evolution, yet robotic drilling missions have historically been limited by wellbore instability, loss […]
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Water Planet Ecosystems: How An Underwater Volcano Is Fertilizing The South Pacific
[Paige Wise USC] There is a volcano beneath the surface of the South Pacific that most people will never see, never hear about, and never think about. But it is […]
![Deep-sea microbial sample processing. Detailed sample processing steps for HPG assimilating cells and total cell counts are denoted in grey and black arrows/squares, respectively. Processing steps and samples used for metagenomic sequencing are denoted in light-blue arrows and squares. “Whole sample” correspond to triplicate 50 ml aliquots, each filtered onto a 0.22 μm filter directly from the cryopreserved material, and then released with 200 μl of 0.025% (v/v) Tween 20 in PBS to be processed through MDA and DNA sequencing; “all cells” correspond to samples of cryopreserved material that were stained with a DNA dye, collected on a 0.22 μm filter, processed through the BONCAT labelling assay, and then sorted by flow cytometry, aiming to select events that presented the DNA dye; “BONCAT+” cell samples originated from the same material as ‘all cells’, but their sorting aimed for events that presented both the DNA dye and the fluorescent dye Alexa-Fluor 488 (attached to the HPG incorporated by the active cells). The selection of BONCAT+ cells was established for each sample based on the level of BONCAT background labelling to the microbial community when not exposed to HPG, or when fixed before being exposed to HPG (i.e. reflecting the adhesion of the fluorescent label to cells that did not incorporate HPG). -- [ISME Journal via PubMed]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Sample-Return.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inSample Return
Sample Return: Minimizing Decompression And Warming During Deep Seawater Collection Increases Abundance And Activity Of Autochthonous Bacteria And Archaea
[ISME Journal via PubMed] The deep ocean hosts autochthonous pressure-adapted microorganisms that are unique to this environment, as well as allochthonous pressure-sensitive members transported from shallow depths by vertical advection […]
Posted inTricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Identifying Proteins, Molecule By Molecule
[Université de Genève] Proteins are responsible for most functions in the human body. However, their analysis, which is essential for understanding diseases, developing drugs, and discovering new biomarkers, remains highly […]