cryobiology Archives

Blood Falls seeps from the end of the Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney. The tent at left provides a sense of scale for just how big the phenomenon is. Scientists believe a buried saltwater reservoir is partly responsible for the discoloration, which is a form of reduced iron. — by Peter Rejcek National Science Foundation via Wikipedia

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Multi-technique Characterization Of Iron Reduction By An Antarctic Shewanella: An Analog System For Putative Martian Biosignature Identification

by Keith CowingOctober 6, 2025October 6, 2025

Microbes from terrestrial extreme environments enable testing of biosignature production in conditions relevant to astrobiological targets.

A directional flux beneath Navicula sp. via raphe grooves is revealed using fluorescent polystyrene beads (0.5 μ m), indicating that tracer particles latched to the ventral raphe move opposite to diatom motion. The thick curve shows the diatom’s trajectory; thin curves show tracer particles’ trajectories. Inset: Schematic illustrates tracer particles latched to mucilage threads that are moving along the ventral raphe. The tracer particle movement reflects internal acto-myosin kinetics. (Scale bar, 20 μm.) -- PNAS via PubMed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Ice Gliding Diatoms Establish Record-low Temperature Limits For Motility In A Eukaryotic Cell

by Keith CowingSeptember 29, 2025September 29, 2025

In the harsh Arctic environments, ice-dwelling diatoms remarkably survive and thrive, but their behavioral adaptations are poorly understood.

Habitable snow area changes across the Antarctic Peninsula. 50 km hexagonal grids showing the sum of area of habitable snow for green snow algae (GSA – (B, C)) and red snow algae (RSA – (F, G)) under 2021 (B, F) and predicted 2100 (C, G) climate conditions. Habitable area is cumulative from 1st November to 21st January (2021 or 2100). Maps (A) and (E) show the length of the 95% credible interval for areas that meet the models’ threshold criteria. Maps (D) and (H) show whether habitable area increased or decreased between 2021 and 2100 within each 50 km grid cell. The triangle marker line is the boundary of greater melt in 2021 than in 2100, where melt was greater to the east of the line and less to the west. Map insets are of the South Orkney Islands and are a different scale (also depicting a 50 km hexagonal grid). The map overview in h shows the extent of the main map views of the Antarctic Peninsula and of the South Orkney Islands inset in yellow. -- Frontiers

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Modelling Snow Algal Habitat Suitability And Ecology Under Extreme Weather Events On The Antarctic Peninsula

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2025September 23, 2025

Snow algae form extensive blooms within Antarctica’s coastal snowpacks and are a crucial contributor to its scarce terrestrial ecosystems.

Pentameric architecture of CryoRs and unusual central channel. (A) Overall view of the CryoR1 pentamer in detergent micelles and nanodiscs. (B) View at the CryoR1 pentamer from the cytoplasmic side. (C) Side view of the central channel in CryoR1. (D) Overall view of the CryoR2 pentamer in crystals. (E) View at the CryoR1 pentamer from the cytoplasmic side. (F) Side view of the central channel in CryoR1. C terminus is colored dark red. -- Science Advances

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Ice World Microbiology: Cryorhodopsins

by Keith CowingJuly 6, 2025July 6, 2025

Imagine the magnificent glaciers of Greenland, the eternal snow of the Tibetan high mountains, and the permanently ice-cold groundwater in Finland. As cold and beautiful these are, for the structural […]

The Antarctic midge is the only known insect native to Antarctica. Credit Yuta Shimizu / Osaka Metropolitan University

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release

Antarctica’s Only Native Insect’s Unique Survival Mechanism

by Keith CowingJune 18, 2025June 18, 2025

Picture an Antarctic animal and most people think of penguins, but there is a flightless midge, the only known insect native to Antarctica, that somehow survives the extreme climate. How […]

The Tibetan Plateau is a region of stunning beauty, and as this true-color Terra MODIS image from December 14, 2002, shows, is graced with hundreds of lakes that sparkle like emeralds and sapphires against the delicate tan and peach colors of the land. The plateau´s elevation averages 4,880 meters (16,010 feet) above sea level, and is bounded by mountain ranges to the north—the Kunlun—and the south—the Himalayas. Four of the largest Asian rivers originate in Tibet: the Chang (Yangtze), the Mekong, the Thanlwin, and the Brahmaputra. larger image -- NASA

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Microscopic Life Inhabiting Glacial Habitats On The Tibetan Plateau

by Keith CowingJune 10, 2025June 10, 2025

Glaciers are important regulators of the Earth’s climate system, affecting the hydrological cycle, energy balance and the development of downstream ecosystems. Other than the polar regions, the Tibetan Plateau stands […]

Rubisco form II structural differences between T. arctica UC1 and H. marinus. (A) AlphaFold-generated structures for H. marinus (transparent white) and T. arctica UC1 (dark blue) Rubisco form II dimers. Active sites are colored red. Arrows point to the additional exposed active site residues in UC1 compared to H. marinus. The missing residues in UC1 at amino acid positions 78–82 (Fig. 4) are colored yellow on H. marinus structure (a close-up view in B). (C) UC1 form II dimer with residue differences to H. marinus that confer a semi-conservative or non-conservative change highlighted in orange. -- Applied and Environmental Microbiology via PubMed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Chemoautotrophy In Subzero Environments And The Potential For Cold-adapted Rubisco

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2025June 9, 2025

The act of fixing inorganic carbon into the biosphere is largely facilitated by one enzyme, Rubisco. Beyond well-studied plants and cyanobacteria, many bacteria use Rubisco for chemolithoautotrophy in extreme environments […]

McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. -- NASA

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

Humidity Enhancement in Dry Permafrost: The Effects of Temperature Cycles on Habitability

by Keith CowingApril 21, 2025April 21, 2025

The search for life in the solar system often focuses on water and on environments where habitable conditions exist, persistently or occasionally.

Scanning electron micrograph of Psychrobacter strain NF23T. Cells were grown on TSB for 24 h at 15 °C. Bar = 2 microns, -- MIDAS Field Guide

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Metabolic Responses, Cell Recoverability, and Protein Signatures of Three Extremophiles: Sustained Life During Long-Term Subzero Incubations

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2025April 9, 2025

Few halophilic strains have been examined in detail for their culturability and metabolic activity at subzero temperatures, within the ice matrix, over the longer term.

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Ancient Glaciers Helped Life Evolve On Earth

by Keith CowingApril 6, 2025April 6, 2025

New Curtin University research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping Earth’s surface and paving the way for complex life to flourish.

cryobiology

Multi-technique Characterization Of Iron Reduction By An Antarctic Shewanella: An Analog System For Putative Martian Biosignature Identification

Ice Gliding Diatoms Establish Record-low Temperature Limits For Motility In A Eukaryotic Cell

Modelling Snow Algal Habitat Suitability And Ecology Under Extreme Weather Events On The Antarctic Peninsula

Ice World Microbiology: Cryorhodopsins

Antarctica’s Only Native Insect’s Unique Survival Mechanism

Microscopic Life Inhabiting Glacial Habitats On The Tibetan Plateau

Chemoautotrophy In Subzero Environments And The Potential For Cold-adapted Rubisco

Humidity Enhancement in Dry Permafrost: The Effects of Temperature Cycles on Habitability

Metabolic Responses, Cell Recoverability, and Protein Signatures of Three Extremophiles: Sustained Life During Long-Term Subzero Incubations

How Ancient Glaciers Helped Life Evolve On Earth

A New Earth-like Exoplanet Discovered

Curiosity Rover Takes a Close Look at Martian Sulfur Crystals

Unraveling The Building Blocks Of Earth’s Pigments

Astrochemical Study of Early Embedded Discs

A Panspermia Origin For Venus Cloud Life