Interstellar molecules, which play an important role in astrochemistry, are identified using observed spectral lines.
biosignature
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Biosignature Survey: A Bright Blue Coccolithophore Bloom In The Barents Sea
When summer arrives at high northern latitudes, peripheral seas to the Arctic Ocean lose some of their ice cover and bask in long daylight hours. That’s when phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Life Detection Knowledge Base (LDKB)
Life Detection Knowledge Base (LDKB) is an online, community owned resource to provide knowledge and support discourse about the detection of signs of life.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
NASA Trains Machine Learning Algorithm for Mars Sample Analysis
When a robotic rover lands on another world, scientists have a limited amount of time to collect data from the troves of explorable material, because of short mission durations and […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
The Search For The Earliest Traces Of Life On Earth
The isotopic composition of carbon in iron formations from the Saglek-Hebron Complex in Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador) has been seen as evidence of the earliest traces of life on Earth. But […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Status Report
Taphonomy Of Biosignatures In Carbonate Nodules From The Mars-analog Qaidam Basin
Early diagenetic nodules with low permeable and weather-resistant structures are considered to be favorable for biosignature preservation.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Venus
A Novel Abiotic Pathway For Phosphine Synthesis Over Acidic Dust In Venus’ Atmosphere
Recent ground-based observations of Venus have detected a single spectral feature consistent with phosphine (PH3) in the middle atmosphere, a gas which has been suggested as a biosignature on rocky […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return
Mars Perseverance Rover Imagery Of A Rock With Possible Biosignatures
Editor’s note: I will make this simple: did NASA find evidence of life on Mars? No. Did NASA find an interesting rock feature that might signal or indicate that there […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Status Report
Methane Formation Efficiency on Icy Gains: Role of Adsorption States
Methane (CH4) is one of the major components of the icy mantle of cosmic dust prevalent in cold, dense regions of interstellar media, playing an important role in the synthesis […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts
Watch Carbon Dioxide Move Through An Inhabited World’s Atmosphere
Editor’s note: As we begin to mount Astrobiology expeditions to other worlds with potential habitable zones, understanding a world’s global climate will be important. Short term trends (“weather”) as well […]