Curiosity has discovered new “tough” organic molecules in three-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks on Mars, increasing the chances that the record of habitability and potential life could have been preserved on the […]
Carnegie Institution
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
First Evidence for Water Ice Clouds Outside Our Solar System
A team of scientists led by Carnegie’s Jacqueline Faherty has discovered the first evidence of water ice clouds on an object outside of our own Solar System. Water ice clouds […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Ancient Minerals: Which Gave Rise to Life?
Life originated as a result of natural processes that exploited early Earth’s raw materials. Scientific models of life’s origins almost always look to minerals for such essential tasks as the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
Evidence of 3.5 Billion Year Old Bacterial Ecosystems Found in Australia
Reconstructing the rise of life during the period of Earth’s history when it first evolved is challenging. Earth’s oldest sedimentary rocks are not only rare, but also almost always altered […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
One Star, Three Habitable Planets
A team of astronomers, including Carnegie’s Paul Butler, has combined new observations with existing data to reveal a solar system packed full of planets. The star Gliese 667C is orbited […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
New Earth-like Planets Found
A team of scientists, including Carnegie’s Alan Boss, has discovered two Earth-like planets in the habitable orbit of a Sun-like star. Their work is published in Science Express. Using observations […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Carnegie: Meteorites – Tool Kits for Creating Life on Earth
Meteorites hold a record of the chemicals that existed in the early solar system and that may have been a crucial source of the organic compounds that gave rise to […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Did Phosphorous Trigger Blue Skies?
The evolution of complex life forms may have gotten a jump start billions of years ago, when geologic events operating over millions of years caused large quantities of phosphorus to […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Frozen Microbes Reveal How To Test For Martian Life
“We tested equipment that we are developing to look for life on Mars and discovered a rare and complex microbial community living in blue ice vents inside a frozen volcano,” […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Major Milestone For Detecting Life On Mars
“To detect life on Mars, we have to devise instruments to recognize it and design them in such a way to get them to the Red Planet most efficiently,” said […]