Prototaxites was an extinct lineage of multicellular terrestrial eukaryotes. Prototaxites was the first giant organism to live on the terrestrial surface, reaching sizes of 8 metres in the Early Devonian.
biorxiv.org
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Unlocking the Full Potential of Nanopore Sequencing: Tips, Tricks, and Advanced Data Analysis Techniques
Editor’s note: If we aspire to mount expeditions to new worlds and then embrace the task of characterizing and quantifying whatever life forms we find, the ability to map and […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report
Genome Modeling And Design Across All Domains Of Life With Evo 2
All of life encodes information with DNA. While tools for sequencing, synthesis, and editing of genomic code have transformed biological research, intelligently composing new biological systems would also require a […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Career Opportunities, Courses, Education and Outreach, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Societal Issues, Space Stations, Status Report
Expanding Space Exploration Training Offworld
The public and commercial space industries are planning longer duration and more distant space missions, including the establishment of a habitable lunar base and crewed missions to Mars. To support […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Distinct Microbial Communities Within and On Seep Carbonates Support Long-term Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane and Novel pMMO Diversity
At methane seeps worldwide, syntrophic anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria (ANME-SRB) promote carbonate precipitation and rock formation, acting as methane and carbon sink.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Unveiling Hidden Microbial Diversity in Mars 2020 Mission Assembly Cleanrooms with Molecular Insights into the Persistent and Perseverance of Novel Species Defying Metagenome Sequencing
Due to strict cleaning procedures and nutrient-scarce conditions, aerospace industrial cleanrooms – which are essential for assembling space mission components – contain low microbial burdens but are tough to eradicate.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
A Novel Quinone Biosynthetic Pathway Illuminates The Evolution Of Aerobic Metabolism
The dominant organisms in modern oxic ecosystems rely on respiratory quinones with high redox potential (HPQs) for electron transport in aerobic respiration and photosynthesis. The diversification of quinones, from low […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
The Limit of Life at Extremely Low Water Activity: Lithium-concentration Ponds in a Solar Saltern (Salar de Atacama, Chile)
Extremely hyper-saline ponds from an industrial lithium-concentration process in solar salterns in the Atacama Desert were studied to determine the limits of life at very low water activity.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Nitrogenase Structural Evolution Across Earth’s History
Life on Earth is more than 3.5 billion years old—nearly as old as the age of the planet. Over this vast expanse of time, life and its biomolecules adapted to […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Structural Enzymology, Phylogenetics, Differentiation, and Symbolic Reflexivity at the Dawn of Biology
The reflexive translation of symbols in one chemical language to another defined genetics. Yet, the co-linearity of codons and amino acids is so commonplace an idea that few even ask […]