An international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol has shed light on Earth’s earliest ecosystem, showing that within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, life […]
Bacteria
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Dust storm-driven Dispersal of Potential Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes In The Eastern Mediterranean
The atmosphere hosts a microbiome that connects remote ecosystems but remains underexplored. In this study, we employed metagenomics to examine the ecological roles of the atmospheric microbiome, including the dispersal […]
Posted inApps - Games, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Rapid, Simultaneous Detection Of Multiple Bacteria Achieved With Handheld Sensor
Hear the words E. coli or salmonella and food poisoning comes to mind. Rapid detection of such bacteria is crucial in preventing outbreaks of foodborne illness. While the usual practice […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations
Offworld Life Science: MIT Engineers Find A Way To Protect Microbes From Extreme Conditions
Microbes that are used for health, agricultural, or other applications need to be able to withstand extreme conditions, and ideally the manufacturing processes used to make tablets for long-term storage. […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Cryobiology: How Viruses Affect Algal Blooms In Snow
NASA-supported scientists have reported how interactions between viruses and bacteria during algal blooms could affect snowmelt in polar and subpolar regions on Earth.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Newly Discovered Hydrothermal Vents At Depths Of 3,000 Meters Off Svalbard
Hydrothermal vents are seeps on the sea floor from which hot liquids escape. “Water penetrates into the ocean floor where it is heated by magma. The overheated water then rises […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Siderite and Vivianite as Energy Sources for the Extreme Acidophilic Bacterium Acidithiobacillus Ferrooxidans in the Context of Mars Habitability
Past and present habitability of Mars have been intensely studied in the context of the search for signals of life. Despite the harsh conditions observed today on the planet, some […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Giant Viruses Have Been Found On Greenland’s Ice Sheet
Every spring when the sun rises in the Arctic after months of darkness, life returns. The polar bears pop up from their winter lairs, the arctic tern soar back from […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report
Microbial Adaptation To Spaceflight Is Correlated With Bacteriophage-encoded Functions
Evidence from the International Space Station suggests microbial populations are rapidly adapting to the spacecraft environment; however, the mechanism of this adaptation is not understood. Bacteriophages are prolific mediators of […]
Posted inBiophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
NASA Researchers Develop ‘Founding Document’ on Synthetic Cell Development
Cells are the fundamental units of life, forming the variety of all living things on Earth as individual cells and multi-cellular organisms. To better understand how cells perform the essential […]