Editor’s note: As we expand outward from Earth to other worlds we are almost certainly going to encounter things we did not expect to find – things that are unlikely […]
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Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Ancient Metagenomics Reveals Subglacial Microbiomes Driven By Oxygen Availability
Beneath Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets lies an aquatic realm where ice, water, rock, and microbial life interact, driving chemical reactions that can collectively influence the global carbon cycle, polar […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Gravitational Biology, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Born On Mars: Multigenerational Phenotypic Change In Caenorhabditis Elegans Under Martian Analog Gravity And Hypomagnetic Fields
Life on Mars will require organisms to endure sustained exposure to reduced gravity and near-absent planetary magnetism, yet little is known about how these environmental factors may combine to potentially […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
First Growth, Then Information: The Path To Genetic Heredity In Protocells
Most theoretical work on the origin of heredity has focused on how genetic information can be maintained without mutational degradation in the absence of error-proofing systems. A simple and parsimonious […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Status Report
An Asgard Archaeon With Internal Membrane Compartments
The emergence of eukaryotes from a merger between an archaeon and a bacterial cell ~two billion years ago involved a profound change in cellular organisation.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report
A Geothermal Amoeba Sets A New Upper Temperature Limit For Eukaryotes
The study of temperature limits has transformed our knowledge of the boundaries of life but has been largely focused on bacteria and archaea. We isolated a novel geothermal amoeba, Incendiamoeba […]
Posted inGravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report
Peas on Mars: A Study Of Garden Pea, Lathyrus Oleraceus (Pisum sativum), Growth In Martian Regolith Simulant Treated With Black Soldier Fly Frass
Future long-duration missions to Mars will require in situ food production systems to reduce dependence on resupply missions and enhance crew autonomy.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Time-resolved Phylogenomics Analysis Reveals Patterns In Biosphere Nutrient Limitation Through Earth History
The co-evolution of life and Earth has profoundly transformed global biogeochemical cycles over the past 3.5 billion years.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Mineral-guided Molecular Enrichment: An Interfacial Driving Force For Protocell Emergence On Early Earth
The emergence of protocells from a dilute prebiotic environment is a fundamental challenge in origins-of-life research which requires the simultaneous overcoming of molecular dilution, the establishment of metabolic cycles and […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Prebiotically Plausible Peptides Can Self-assemble Into β-rich Nanostructures
Modern proteins are remarkable polymers built from a 20-amino-acid alphabet, shaped by billions of years of evolution. Yet in Earth’s prebiotic era, several amino acids – particularly the canonical basic […]