Future observations of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres will occur for planets at different stages of geological evolution. We expect to observe a wide variety of atmospheres and planets with alternative evolutionary […]
biosignature
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Limited Phosphorus Recycling Can Suppress a Planet’s Biosphere
The amount of biomass — life — in Earth’s ancient oceans may have been limited due to low recycling of the key nutrient phosphorus, according to new research by the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Organic Haze as a Biosignature in Anoxic Earth-like Atmospheres
Early Earth may have hosted a biologically-mediated global organic haze during the Archean eon (3.8-2.5 billion years ago). This haze would have significantly impacted multiple aspects of our planet, including […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Exoplanets: Possible Biosignatures
The ancestor philosophers’ dream of thousands of new worlds is finally realised: about 3500 extrasolar planets have been discovered in the neighborhood of our Sun. Most of them are very […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Glint From Ice Particles In Earth's Atmosphere Could Be Used To Study Exoplanets
One million miles from Earth, a NASA camera is capturing unexpected flashes of light reflecting off our planet. The homeward-facing instrument on NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, launched […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Development Of Solid-State Nanopore Technology For Life Detection
Introduction: Biomarkers for life on Earth are an important starting point to guide the search for life elsewhere. However, the search for life beyond Earth should incorporate technologies capable of […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
A New Test for Life on Other Planets
A simple chemistry method could vastly enhance how scientists search for signs of life on other planets. The test uses a liquid-based technique known as capillary electrophoresis to separate a […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
New Instrument Could Search for Signatures of Life on Mars
A sensing technique that the U.S. military currently uses to remotely monitor the air to detect potentially life-threatening chemicals, toxins, and pathogens has inspired a new instrument that could “sniff” […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Identifying Planetary Biosignature Impostors
In order to identify inhabited worlds beyond the Solar System, scientists are exploring the possibility of detecting gases that could serve as biosignatures in the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. Molecular […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Identifying Planetary Biosignature Impostors: Spectral Features of CO and O4 Resulting from Abiotic O2/O3 Production
O2 and O3 have been long considered the most robust individual biosignature gases in a planetary atmosphere, yet multiple mechanisms that may produce them in the absence of life have […]