In 2016, a star KIC 8462852 caught the world’s attention due to a paper by citizen scientists who noticed its seemingly unexplainable brightness variations. The forward theory was offered – […]
biosignature
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Europa Clipper Astrobiology Explorer Sets Sail
NASA’s Europa Clipper has embarked on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life
One Of Earth’s Earliest Animals Discovered In The Australian Outback
By McKenzie Harris: In the shadow of South Australia’s largest mountain range beneath the outback soil lies a fossil record that reveals a rich history of life on Earth. Fossils […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Can Life Exist On An Icy Moon? The Europa Clipper Astrobiology Mission Aims To Find Out
Deep down, in an ocean beneath its ice shell, Jupiter’s moon Europa might be temperate and nutrient-rich, an ideal environment for some form of life — what scientists would call […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
Astrobiology Biosignature Recon of Europa: Map of Water At Manannán Crater
Colors were mapped onto infrared data from NASA’s Galileo mission in this image revealing locations around a crater on the Jovian moon Europa called Manannán where there are signatures of […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Habitable Worlds Observatory System Technology Demonstrations And Mission Architecture Studies DRAFT Text Released For Community Comment
When it is solicited, D.19 Habitable Worlds Observatory System Technology Demonstrations and Mission Architecture Studies (HWOTAS) will seek industry-led proposals to carry out (1) system-level critical technology demonstrations for ultra-stable […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program (ANSMET) Report October 2024
Early last February, ANSMET returned home from a short but successful field season: we recovered 208 meteorites in just over two weeks in our first return to Antarctica since the […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Evolution Of The Archean Atmosphere
Archean atmospheric evolution is the transition from an abiological atmosphere, to an atmosphere for which the composition and therefore climate is highly altered by life. We review the key processes […]
![Vertical velocity and condensate cross-sections in (x,z) taken in the middle of the y-domain for the adiabatic simulation initialized on the moist adiabat. The top row shows the vertical velocity in [m/s] at different times throughout the CM1 simulation. The bottom row shows the condensate mixing ratio in [g/kg] at different times throughout the CM1 simulation. The vertical velocity cross-sections show clear convective inhibition in the lower atmosphere in all time steps. The corresponding condensate mixing ratio show a condensate formation nearly in the whole domain, but re-evaporation occurs at the boundary between the stable and convection regions. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3D-Modeling-of-Moist-Convective-Inhibition.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
3D Modeling of Moist Convective Inhibition in Hydrogen-Dominated Atmospheres
Many planets have hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, including sub-Neptune exoplanets, recently formed planets with primordial atmospheres, and the Solar System’s giant planets. Atmospheric convection behaves differently in hydrogen-rich atmospheres compared to higher […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Decoding Organic Compounds In Lava Tube Sulfates To Understand Potential Biomarkers In The Martian Subsurface
Exploring molecular biomarkers in lava tube speleothems offers insights into environmental dynamics, biogeochemical processes, and subsurface life, with implications for astrobiology, particularly in Martian analog environments.