Searches for phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere have sparked a debate. Cordiner et al. 2022 analyse spectra from the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and infer <0.8 ppb of PH3.
biosignature
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving
Perseverance Investigates Fine-grained Sedimentary Rock On Mars For Biosignatures
Exploring a sediment-rich location in this Mars delta offers tantalizing opportunities for the six-wheeler’s science team.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Panspermia, Press Release
Solid Grains Ejected From Terrestrial Exoplanets As A Probe Of The Abundance Of life In the Milky Way
Searching for extrasolar biosignatures is important to understand life on Earth and its origin.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Broccoli Gas (methyl bromide): A Better Way To Find Life In Space
Broccoli, along with many other plants and microorganisms, emit gases to help them expel toxins. Scientists believe these gases could provide compelling evidence of life on other planets.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
NASA ROSES-22 Amendment 54: C.22 Concepts for Ocean Worlds Life Detection Technology Not Solicited This Year
The goal of Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTech) is to support the development of spacecraft-based technology for surface and subsurface exploration of ocean worlds such as Europa […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Evaluating The Plausible Range Of N2O Biosignatures On Exo-Earths: An Integrated Biogeochemical, Photochemical, And Spectral Modeling Approach
Nitrous oxide (N2O) — a product of microbial nitrogen metabolism — is a compelling exoplanet biosignature gas with distinctive spectral features in the near- and mid-infrared, and only minor abiotic […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
University of Colorado Boulder’s Europa SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA)
In less than a decade, technology developed in Colorado will travel to Jupiter’s moon Europa—a cold moon where a thick crust of ice covering the surface obscures a potentially vast […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Searching For Biosignatures At The Wildcat Ridge Abrasion Patch On Mars
A video from NASA’s Perseverance rover shows increasingly close views of an abraded rock at “Wildcat Ridge” in Mars’ Jezero Crater, an area scientists consider one of the best places […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Is LTT 1445 Ab a Hycean World or a cold Haber World? Exploring the Potential of Twinkle to Unveil Its Nature
We explore the prospects for Twinkle to determine the atmospheric composition of the nearby terrestrial-like planet LTT 1445 Ab, including the possibility of detecting the potential biosignature ammonia (NH3).
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Moon, Press Release
OWL-Moon: Very high Resolution Spectropolarimetric Interferometry And Imaging From The Moon: Exoplanets To Cosmology
We outline a concept for OWL-Moon, a 50-100m aperture telescope located on the surface of the Moon, to address three major areas in astronomy, namely the detection of biosignatures on […]