biosignature Archives

Blood Falls, Antarctica, where microbes live under the ice. Iron and other elements from the bedrock below the ice become oxidized when it interacts with air, producing the rusty red coloring. Source: Jill Mikucki

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrobiology (general), Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Subglacial Microbial Life On Earth And Beyond

by Keith CowingFebruary 23, 2024February 23, 2024

The search for life beyond Earth fascinates many and inspires big questions: Are we truly alone in the Universe? Is our Earth unique? Is it possible that life beyond Earth […]

Rocks made of barium sulphate (known as barite rocks) from the from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia CREDIT Gerhard Hundertmark

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microgravity, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

High Resolution Techniques Reveal Clues In 3.5 Billion-year-old Biomass

by Keith CowingFebruary 22, 2024February 22, 2024

To learn about the first organisms on our planet, researchers have to analyse the rocks of the early Earth. These can only be found in a few places on the […]

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy (O-PTIR): A Promising New Tool For Bench-top Analytical Palaeontology At The Sub-micron Scale

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2024February 14, 2024

The identification of preserved organic material within fossils is challenging. Well-established vibrational spectroscopy techniques, such as micro-FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy), have been widely used to investigate organic fossils molecular […]

Nördlinger Ries is an impact crater in Nördlingen, Bavaria, Germany. -- Wikipedia

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Mars, Status Report

Are Large Sulfur Isotope Variations Biosignatures in an Ancient, Impact-Induced Hydrothermal Mars Analog?

by Keith CowingFebruary 12, 2024February 11, 2024

Discrepancies have emerged concerning the application of sulfur stable isotope ratios as a biosignature in impact crater paleolakes.

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The Call For Aa New Definition Of A “Biosignature”

by Keith CowingFebruary 7, 2024February 7, 2024

The term biosignature has become increasingly prevalent in astrobiology literature as our ability to search for life advances.

We select 10 and 5 candidate planets around nearby stars for ELT/HARMONI and ELT/METIS, respectively. As the spatial resolution of ELT/HARMONI is smaller than the plotting range, we only show the spatial resolution for ELT/METIS as the vertical dotted blue line. Planets located to the right of the dotted line are suitable planets for ELT/METIS. All colored points are suitable planets for ELT/HARMONI. The size of the colored point is proportional to the planet radius. The color of the point is based on the equilibrium temperature. All colored data points are the candidate planets listed in Table 1. Selection criteria can be found in Section 2.1. The gray points are other exoplanets from NEA that are less suitable for direct imaging with ELT. -- Ohio State University

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Proxima Centauri

Biosignatures: Looking For Signs Of Life Among Exoplanet Atmospheres

by Keith CowingFebruary 1, 2024February 1, 2024

The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by closely scrutinizing the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, new research suggests.

Intensity of key gas isotopologues, which could potentially be metabolically fractionated. The intensity is shown along the y-axis and the wavelength in microns along the x-axis. The wavelength range shown includes the strongest features of each isotopologues relevant for JWST. The 13CO2 and 12CO2 isotopologues (in green) are both the strongest absorbers and the most well spectrally separated, making them the best isotopologue pair for spectroscopic detection with JWST. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Can Isotopologues Be Used as Biosignature Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres?

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2024January 30, 2024

Isotopologue ratios are anticipated to be one of the most promising signs of life that can be observed remotely. On Earth, carbon isotopes have been used for decades as evidence […]

Technology now under development could reveal signs of possible life – biosignatures – in the atmospheres of exoplanets. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lizbeth B. De La Torre

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Is There Such A Thing As A Biosignature?

by Keith CowingJanuary 16, 2024January 16, 2024

The concept of a biosignature is widely used in astrobiology to suggest a link between some observation and a biological cause, given some context. The term itself has been defined […]

Planets capable of supporting high O2 concentrations and, hence, technological civilizations. This figure shows the likely composition of planetary atmospheres based on mass and equilibrium temperature. For planets whose temperature and mass would lead to primarily CO2/N2/H2O atmospheres, high oxygen levels require a biological origin, i.e. photosynthesis. For higher equilibrium temperatures, high O2 levels can occur via the runaway greenhouse effect and the photolysis of water vapor at high altitudes. (Figure adapted with permission from [7], Royal Society Publishing.) -- astro-ph.EP

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Press Release, Science Fiction, SETI & Technosignatures

Is Oxygen The Cosmic Key To Alien Technology?

by Keith CowingJanuary 3, 2024January 3, 2024

In the quest to understand the potential for life beyond Earth, researchers are widening their search to encompass not only biological markers, but also technological ones.

Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

PIXL Instrument on Perseverance Rover Studies ‘Bills Bay’

by Keith CowingDecember 19, 2023December 17, 2023

Analyzing this abraded rock patch dubbed “Bills Bay,” the PIXL instrument on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover found it rich in carbonates and silica, both of which are good at preserving […]