Enceladus is the Saturnian satellite known to have water vapor erupting from its south pole region called Tiger Stripes.
biosignature
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Biogenic Sulfur Gases As Biosignatures On Temperate Sub-Neptune Waterworlds
Theoretical predictions and observational data indicate a class of sub-Neptune exoplanets may have water-rich interiors covered by hydrogen-dominated atmospheres. Provided suitable climate conditions, such planets could host surface liquid oceans.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Offworld Tricorder Tech: Nanogap Solid-State Single-Molecule Detection at Mars, Europa, and Microgravity Conditions
Solid-state nanogap systems are an emerging technology for in-situ life detection due to their single-molecule resolution of a wide range of biomolecules, including amino acids and informational polymers, at the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Relative Contribution From Comets And Carbonaceous Asteroids To Earth’s Volatile Budget In The Context Of An Early Instability
Recent models of solar system formation suggest that a dynamical instability among the giant planets happened within the first 100 Myr after disk dispersal, perhaps before the Moon-forming impact. As […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Juno Measures Oxygen Production On Europa
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has directly measured charged oxygen and hydrogen molecules from the atmosphere of one of Jupiter’s largest moons, Europa. According to a new study co-authored by SwRI scientists […]
Posted inAnalog 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
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 […]
Posted inBiosignatures & 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
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 […]
Posted inBiosignatures & 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
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 […]
Posted inAnalog 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?
Discrepancies have emerged concerning the application of sulfur stable isotope ratios as a biosignature in impact crater paleolakes.
Posted inBiochemistry & 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”
The term biosignature has become increasingly prevalent in astrobiology literature as our ability to search for life advances.