The origin of life is an event so rare that, to the best of our knowledge, it has only happened once: here on Earth. The questions of how life developed […]
Cosmic Dust
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Status Report
Cosmic Dust Fertilization Of Glacial Prebiotic Chemistry On Early Earth
Earth’s surface is deficient in available forms of many elements considered limiting for prebiotic chemistry. In contrast, many extraterrestrial rocky objects are rich in these same elements. Limiting prebiotic ingredients […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Intelligence & Language, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe Will Capture Interstellar Stardust
Scientists and engineers at the CU Boulder will soon take part in an effort to collect a bit of stardust—the tiny bits of matter that flow through the Milky Way […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Meteorites & Asteroids, Panspermia, Status Report
Polarized Microwave Emission From Space Particles In The Upper Atmosphere Of The Earth
Tons of space particles enter the Earth atmosphere every year, being detected when they produce fireballs, meteor showers, or when they impact the Earth surface.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Interstellar, Press Release
Size Determines The Stickiness Of Cosmic Dust Aggregates
Microparticle dust aggregates, which are thought to play a role in the formation of new planets, are less likely to stick together after a collision when the aggregates are larger.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Webb Sees Carbon-rich Dust Grains In The First Billion Years Of Cosmic Time
For the first time, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has observed the chemical signature of carbon-rich dust grains at redshift ~ 7 [1], which is roughly equivalent to one […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Press Release
Wolf-Rayet Star WR 124 Dust Contains Materials Needed For Life
A Wolf-Rayet star is a rare prelude to the famous final act of a massive star: the supernova. As one of its first observations in 2022, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Panspermia, Press Release
Solid Grains Ejected From Terrestrial Exoplanets As A Probe Of The Abundance Of life In the Milky Way
Searching for extrasolar biosignatures is important to understand life on Earth and its origin.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Press Release
Mapping the aliphatic hydrocarbon content of interstellar dust in the Galactic plane
We implement a new observational method for mapping the aliphatic hydrocarbon content in the solid phase in our Galaxy, based on spectrophotometric imaging of the 3.4 μm absorption feature from […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Physics and Chemistry on the Surface of Cosmic Dust Grains: A Laboratory View
Dust grains play a central role in the physics and chemistry of cosmic environments. They influence the optical and thermal properties of the medium due to their interaction with stellar […]