Biosafety Archives

A computer-generated rendition of a bacteriophage. Credit: NIAID

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Intelligence & Language, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report

Astrovirology, Astrobiology, Artificial Intelligence: Extra-Solar System Investigations

by Keith CowingAugust 18, 2025August 18, 2025

This chapter attempts to encompass and tackle a large problem in Astrovirology and Astrobiology. There is a huge anthropomorphic prejudice that although life is unlikely, the just-right Goldilocks terrestrial conditions […]

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

The 33 Sample Tubes Collected by Mars Perseverance

by Keith CowingJuly 27, 2025July 27, 2025

Shown here is an annotated composite image of the interiors of the 33 tubes NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has used to collect samples as of July 24, 2025, the 1,574th […]

High containment technology is being developed at Space Park Leicester, by the University of Leicester, to support the analysis of the first samples returned from Mars. The Mars Perseverance Rover at Jezero Crater is part of the NASA-ESA ‘Mars Sample Return’ mission to bring samples of Mars material back to Earth for detailed study. ESA’s Double Walled Isolator (DWI) has been proposed as the likely technology to handle the samples in a way that protects both their scientific integrity and that of our terrestrial biosphere, in the unlikely event that the returned samples are hazardous. -- University of Leicester

Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors

Planetary Protection: Technology For Ultra-clean Mini-lab To Contain Extraterrestrial Samples

by Keith CowingJuly 7, 2025July 7, 2025

Work has begun to design and build a Double-Walled Isolator (DWI), akin to an ultra-clean miniature laboratory to safely store and analyse extra-terrestrial materials, such as the first material from […]

On November 14, 1963, an Icelandic fisherman noticed a plume of smoke rising from the open water. Within a day, Surtsey, a new volcanic island, had formed off the southern coast of Iceland This image was acquired on June 12, 2001, by Space Imaging’s IKONOS satellite. The data are archived by the NASA Scientific Data Purchase. Source

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report

Rethinking Planetary Protection: An Island Biogeographical Analysis

by Keith CowingJune 30, 2025June 28, 2025

We reconsider the problem of planetary protection using, by the analogy of planets as islands, the theory of island biogeography.

The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Martian Samples, Hazards, And Biosecurity: Between Science And Bioethics

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2025June 9, 2025

The fact that life-pastor present-has not been detected on Mars does not mean that it does not exist there. Indeed, the article is quite precise in highlighting that “a special […]

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers conducts research operations inside the Life Science Glovebox NASA ID: iss073e0118821 (May 30, 2025) larger image

Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Space Stations, Status Report

Using An Offworld Life Science Glovebox

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2025June 9, 2025

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers conducts research operations inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox aboard the International Space Station.

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Space Microbial Culture Collection Selected As The Official Microbial Isolate Repository For Planetary Protection Research

by Keith CowingJune 2, 2025June 2, 2025

The Space Microbial Culture Collection (SMCC) has been awarded a grant from NASA’s Planetary Science Division through the Planetary Protection Research (PPR) program to serve as the official repository for […]

Phoenix spacecraft being tested in a clean room at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Extremotolerant Bacteria Identified In The NASA Mars Phoenix Cleanroom

by Keith CowingMay 13, 2025May 13, 2025

Abstract Background Human-designed oligotrophic environments, such as cleanrooms, harbor unique microbial communities shaped by selective pressures like temperature, humidity, nutrient availability, cleaning reagents, and radiation. Maintaining the biological cleanliness of […]

Astromaterials curation team at NASA's Johnson Space Center continues to collect the bonus asteroid Bennu particles located outside the OSIRIS-REx TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head.-- NASA

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report

Identification of Bacillus Species Isolated From Cleanrooms at NASA Johnson Space Center

by Keith CowingMay 8, 2025May 8, 2025

Bacteria are frequently isolated from surfaces in cleanrooms, where astromaterials are curated, at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC). Bacillus species are of particular interest because endospores can endure […]

The First American To Walk On Mars -- Grok/Astrobiology.com

Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Life Support Systems, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report

Status Update Of NASA’s Assessment Of The Biological Contamination Threat Of Crewed Mars Surface Missions

by Keith CowingMay 1, 2025May 1, 2025

As we prepare for a future first mission to Mars with a human crew, the United States, under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, has an obligation to protect against […]

Biosafety

Astrovirology, Astrobiology, Artificial Intelligence: Extra-Solar System Investigations

The 33 Sample Tubes Collected by Mars Perseverance

Planetary Protection: Technology For Ultra-clean Mini-lab To Contain Extraterrestrial Samples

Rethinking Planetary Protection: An Island Biogeographical Analysis

Martian Samples, Hazards, And Biosecurity: Between Science And Bioethics

Using An Offworld Life Science Glovebox

Space Microbial Culture Collection Selected As The Official Microbial Isolate Repository For Planetary Protection Research

Extremotolerant Bacteria Identified In The NASA Mars Phoenix Cleanroom

Identification of Bacillus Species Isolated From Cleanrooms at NASA Johnson Space Center

Status Update Of NASA’s Assessment Of The Biological Contamination Threat Of Crewed Mars Surface Missions

Mystery Surrounding The Formation Of Asteroid Bennu Solved

Scientists Uncover Gravity’s Impact On The Human Genome

Discovery Of Radio Emission From The Exoplanet β Pictoris b

Could Earth’s Magnetic Field Influence How Earth Life Ages?

Is A Nearby Advanced Alien Civilization Out There Waiting To Pounce On Earth? Unlikely, Says New Study