[astro-ph.IM]. NASA planetary protection policy seeks to avoid inadvertent forward contamination of celestial bodies and backward contamination of Earth during space exploration.
Biosafety
Posted inPlanetary Protection & Biosafety
Predicting Fungal Contaminants for Space Missions Using Proteome-Wide Screening for Protein Orthologs
[biorxiv.org]. Fungal contamination poses a growing threat to spacecraft integrity, crew health, and planetary protection efforts.
Posted inPlanetary Protection & Biosafety
NAS Committee On Planetary Protection Seeks Membership Suggestions
The National Academies are seeking suggestions for experts to be considered for membership or other engagement with the Committee on Planetary Protection (CoPP). Learn more and submit suggestions here by […]
Posted inMars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return
Mars Sample Return Campaign: Biological Risk And A Proposed Sample Safety Assessment Protocol
Returning surface samples from Mars to Earth has been a major planetary science objective, with the potential for the detection of microbiological life and the possibility of improving our understanding […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return
How Resilient Fungus Might Survive Mars And Space
Scientists have long known that fungi are resilient, but a new study suggests that some strains might survive every step of the long, brutal trip to Mars.
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return
Contaminants, Including Ink, Detected In Meteorites Suggest Sample Preparation Needs Improving
Several contaminants, including traces of ink, originating in the preparation of subsamples, have been identified in Martian meteorites by the EHU’s research group. The finding highlights the importance of stricter […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report
Seminar: The Rare Microbiome, Contamination and Planetary Protection
Pushing back the detection limits, technological advances are now allowing the detection and analysis of very low content DNA samples. A so far unseen diversity of microbes emerges sometimes filling […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report
With Evo 2, AI Can Model And Design The Genetic Code For All Domains Of Life
The DNA foundation model Evo 2, first released in February 2025 as a preprint, is now published in the journal Nature. Trained on the DNA of over 100,000 species across […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return, Status Report
The COSPAR Policy On Planetary Protection: An Overview Of Governance And Activities
The search for both extant and extinct life within our Solar System and beyond has been a primary motivation for space exploration since its inception.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Short-term Survival Of Tardigrades In Martian Regolith Simulants
With future intended human missions to Mars, it is crucial to understand the potential habitability of martian regolith both to support plant growth and to mitigate accidental release of organisms […]