Chile
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Gravitational Biology, Microgravity, Panspermia, Radiation, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Status Report

Antarctic Microbe Survival Tests Aboard The International Space Station

by Keith Cowing

An international team is sending microbes from Antarctica and Chile to the International Space Station (ISS) to study how they withstand radiation and other spaceflight stressors.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Gypsum Sustains Microbial Life Under Extreme Conditions – This Could Help Us Study Mars

by Keith Cowing

Terraces near Flamencos Lagoon in the southeastern Salar de Pajonales (Chile), located at 3,517 m above sea level in the arid Altiplano, host relic gypsum stromatolites and crusts formed under […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Sample Return

Organisms In The Atacama Desert Soil Are Remarkably Diverse

by Keith Cowing

A new study shows that resilient and remarkably diverse populations of organisms can persist in the soil despite harsh and extremely dry conditions. An international team led by researchers from […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Idiomarina aminovorans sp. nov., A Halophilic Bacterium Isolated From The Llamara Salt Pan In The Atacama Desert Of Northern Chile

by Keith Cowing

The Atacama Desert, one of the most extreme environments on our planet, harbors a plethora of unique microbial communities adapted to the harsh conditions of the habitat.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

The Limit of Life at Extremely Low Water Activity: Lithium-concentration Ponds in a Solar Saltern (Salar de Atacama, Chile)

by Keith Cowing

Extremely hyper-saline ponds from an industrial lithium-concentration process in solar salterns in the Atacama Desert were studied to determine the limits of life at very low water activity.

Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Extremophile Spinoffs: Bioactive Compounds Identified In Bacteria From The Andes

by Keith Cowing

An article published in the journal Scientific Reports describes how researchers analyzed biofilm produced by bacteria found in the El Medano hot springs, located in Chile in the central Andes, […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release

Prospecting the First Chilean Martian Simulants From the Atacama Desert for ISRU and Potential Applications

by Keith Cowing

Martian simulants are an essential part of in situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology development and testing, and aid in providing new astrobiology insights regarding Mars’s past habitability.

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Living Microbes Discovered In Earth’s Driest Desert

by Keith Cowing

The Atacama Desert, which runs along the Pacific Coast in Chile, is the driest place on the planet and, largely because of that aridity, hostile to most living things. Not […]

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report

Hyperexpansion of Genetic Diversity and Metabolic Capacity of Extremophilic Bacteria and Archaea in Ancient Andean Lake Sediments

by Keith Cowing

The Andean Altiplano hosts a repertoire of high-altitude lakes with harsh conditions for life. These lakes are undergoing a process of desiccation caused by the current climate, leaving terraces exposed […]

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