![Blue bars indicate the total number of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) identified in each plant family, including WGDs in a family’s most recent common ancestor (MRCA) and in its descendant lineages. Numbers in parentheses specifically indicate the number of WGDs in the MRCA lineage of families, shared by all species thereof. For instance, five WGDs were identified in Brassicaceae, one of which is present in the MRCA of the clade (i.e., “5[1]”). Blue lines in nodes of the tree indicate 95% highest posterior density (HPD) intervals for estimated divergence times. Shaded gray bars in the tree indicate families that belong to the same order. Orders with two or more families are labeled. Colored horizontal bars at the bottom of the tree indicate geological periods. Tr, Triassic; J, Jurassic; K, Cretaceous; Pg, Paleogene; and Ng, Neogene -- Cell Press](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Plants-Survived-1.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many […]
Cell Press
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gravitational Biology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations
This Moss Survived 9 Months Directly Exposed To The Elements Of Space
Mosses thrive in the most extreme environments on Earth, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the sands of Death Valley, the Antarctic tundra to the lava fields of active […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Gravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture
Lunar Soil Could Support Life On The Moon
Scientists have developed a technology that may help humans survive on the Moon. In a study publishing July 16 in the Cell Press journal Joule, researchers extracted water from lunar […]
Posted inAstronauts and Explorers, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Space Stations
The International Space Station Is Overly Sterile – Making It “Dirtier” Could Improve Astronaut Health
Astronauts often experience immune dysfunction, skin rashes, and other inflammatory conditions while traveling in space. A new study publishing February 27 in the Cell Press journal Cell suggests that these […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
Rare 3D Fossils Show That Some Early Trees Had Forms Unlike Any You’ve Ever Seen
In the fossil record, trees typically are preserved with only their trunks. They don’t usually include any leaves to show what their canopies and overall forms may have looked like.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Chemists Use Blockchain To Simulate Over 4 Billion Chemical Reactions Essential To The Origins Of Life
Cryptocurrency is usually “mined” through the blockchain by asking a computer to perform a complicated mathematical problem in exchange for tokens of cryptocurrency. But in research appearing in the journal […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
One Step Closer To Re-writing The First Synthetic Yeast Genome And Unravelling The Fundamental Building Blocks Of Life
Researchers have combined over seven synthetic chromosomes that were made in the lab into a single yeast cell, resulting in a strain with more than 50% synthetic DNA that survives […]
Posted inCaves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release
Mouse Mummies Point To Mammalian Life In “Mars-like” Andes
The dry, wind-swept summits of volcanoes in the Puna de Atacama of Chile and Argentina are the closest thing on Earth to the surface of Mars due to their thin […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Arctic Rotifer Lives After 24,000 Years In A Frozen State
Bdelloid rotifers are multicellular animals so small you need a microscope to see them. Despite their size, they’re known for being tough, capable of surviving through drying, freezing, starvation, and […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Press Release
When Viruses Infect Phytoplankton It Can Change The Clouds
Microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton are known to support the diversity of life in the ocean. Scientists in Israel now report that one species, Emiliania huxleyi, and a virus closely […]