borehole Archives - Astrobiology

The first forms of life on Earth were microbial, preceding the evolution of multicellular life by more than two billion years. -- Microbial Biotechnology via PubMed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report

Subsurface Life On Earth As A Key To Unlock Extraterrestrial Mysteries

by Keith CowingDecember 24, 2025

The first forms of life on Earth were microbial, preceding the evolution of multicellular life by more than two billion years.

Analog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Sample Return

Earthquakes Shake Up Yellowstone’s Subterranean Ecosystems

by Keith CowingDecember 1, 2025December 1, 2025

Up to 30% of life, by weight, is underground. Seismic activity may renew the energy supply for subterranean ecosystems.

Accurate magnification of microbes on the surface of the rock material.Under the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program infrastructure, the Outokumpu project has also investigated the binding of bacteria and fungi collected from the deep borehole to rock surfaces. An electron microscope image of oblong microbial cells originating in the Outokumpu bedrock on the surface of serpentinite. -- Credit Mari Raulio, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Wide Variety Of Organic Compounds Found Deep Within The Outokumpu Borehole

by Keith CowingFebruary 12, 2025September 18, 2025

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), were usually associated with poor indoor air, were discovered in Finland in a borehole more than two kilometres deep. Previously, groundwater dating back tens of millions […]

A mud volcano at the seafloor where methane-rich fluids from the subsurface are emitted to the water column. These ecosystems are at the interface between the subsurface and surface realms and are often oases of life in the deep ocean. Credit Mandy Joye/UGA

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Insights From The First Global Appraisal Of Microbiomes In Earth’s Subsurface Environments

by Keith CowingFebruary 5, 2025February 4, 2025

Which microbes thrive below us in darkness – in gold mines, in aquifers, in deep boreholes in the seafloor – and how do they compare to the microbiomes that envelop […]

Borehole -- Sanford Underground Research Facility

Analog Studies, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Calorimetric Measurement Of Energy And Nutrient Stimulation Of Microorganisms From The Continental Deep Subsurface

by Keith CowingJanuary 18, 2025January 18, 2025

Microbial activity in the deep continental subsurface is difficult to measure due to low cell densities, low energy fluxes, cryptic elemental cycles and enigmatic metabolisms. Nonetheless, direct access to rare […]

WATSON Testing Setup at Greenland's Summit Station NASA ID: PIA24169 Date Created:2021-04-07 larger image

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Away Team Field Test Of WATSON Biosignature Tricorder In Greenland

by Keith CowingApril 11, 2024April 11, 2024

During 2019 field tests near Greenland’s Summit Station, a high-elevation remote observing station, the WATSON (Wireline Analysis Tool for the Subsurface Observation of Northern ice sheets) instrument is put through […]