Nucleic acid replication is a central process at the origin of life. On early Earth, replication is challenged by the dilution of molecular building blocks and the difficulty of separating […]
biophysics
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
A Bayesian Analysis Of The Probability Of The Origin Of Life Per Site Conducive to Abiogenesis
The emergence of life from nonlife, or abiogenesis, remains a fundamental question in scientific inquiry. In this article, we investigate the probability of the origin of life (per conducive site) […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
New Study Sheds Light on Ancient Protoribosome and its Role in Early Life Evolution
Scientists have uncovered new insights into the protoribosome, a molecular fossil within the ribosome, which plays a key role in the origin of life on Earth. This research, published in […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
An Open-Ended Approach to Understanding Local, Emergent Conservation Laws in Biological Evolution
While fields like Artificial Life have made huge strides in quantifying the mechanisms that distinguish living systems from non-living ones, particular mechanisms remain difficult to reproduce in silico.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Venus
Simple Lipids Form Stable Higher-order Structures In Concentrated Sulfuric Acid
Venus has become a target of astrobiological interest because it is physically accessible to direct exploration, unlike exoplanets. So far this interest has been motivated not by the explicit expectation […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Plant Biology, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Optimizing Photosynthetic Light-harvesting Under Stars: Simple And General Antenna Models
In the next 10–20 years, several observatories will aim to detect the signatures of oxygenic photosynthesis on exoplanets, though targets must be carefully selected. Most known potentially habitable exo-planets orbit […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
AI And An Extreme Microbe Reveal How Earth Life’s Building Blocks Adapt To High Pressure
An assist from a Google Artificial Intelligence tool has helped scientists discover how the proteins of a heat-loving microbe respond to the crushing conditions of the planet’s deepest ocean trenches, […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Plant Biology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Iceworld Update: Photosynthesis in Near Darkness
Photosynthesis can take place in nature even at extremely low light levels. This is the result of an international study that investigated the development of Arctic microalgae at the end […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Biosignature Update: Why Dinosaur Collagen May Have Survived For Over A Hundred Million Years
Collagen, a protein found in bones and connective tissue, has been found in dinosaur fossils as old as 195 million years. That far exceeds the normal half-life of the peptide […]
![BSSE-corrected BE values of all the 75 d-H positions considering the 9 different ASW [H2O]20 clusters. The corresponding values are tabulated in Table A.2. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Assessing-realistic-binding-energies.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Interstellar, Status Report
Assessing Realistic Binding Energies of Some Essential Interstellar Radicals with Amorphous Solid Water: A Fully Quantum Chemical Approach
In the absence of laboratory data, state-of-the-art quantum chemical approaches can provide estimates on the binding energy (BE) of interstellar species with grains. Without BE values, contemporary astrochemical models are […]