desert Archives

Clavascidium lacinulatum, or brown stipplescale lichen, is a common sight in the Mojave Desert – credit: Bob O’Kennan via iNaturalist

Analog Studies, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Desert Lichen Offers New Evidence For The Possibility Of Life On Other Planets

by Keith CowingJune 25, 2025August 23, 2025

Lichen from the Mojave Desert can survive, and replicate, under levels of extreme solar radiation found on Earth-like planets in other solar systems.

Mars simulation chamber at PASLAB—DLR Berlin (A) and a detail of the experiment chamber with the samples in holders (B). A graphical representation of the rotating platform, showing the sample distribution in the sample holders (C). -- LIFE

Analog Studies, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Resilience of Metabolically Active Biofilms of a Desert Cyanobacterium Capable of Far-Red Photosynthesis Under Mars-like Conditions

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2025August 23, 2025

The response of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 010 was tested in Mars simulations to investigate the possibility of photosynthesis in near-surface protected niches.

Al Wahbah crater, Saudi Arabia larger image -- Wikipedia

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Enceladus, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report

Polyextremophilic Bacteria in Al Wahbah Crater: A Terrestrial Model for Life On Enceladus

by Keith CowingDecember 1, 2024November 30, 2024

The study of extremophilic microorganisms has sparked interest in understanding extraterrestrial microbial life.

(A and B) Circular phylogenetic tree of the microbial community composition exemplarily for the surface layer (0–5 cm depth) in Yungay (0.1% abundance); color codes reflect microbial classes (A). Clades unique to the e- or iDNA are shown in (B). Additionally, red and blue stars indicated predominate eDNA and iDNA clades in (A). NA means no taxonomic class. -- Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Away 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 CowingNovember 18, 2024January 11, 2026

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 […]

Kristen Bennett setting up a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (ground-based LiDAR) to acquire detailed topographic information for a complex esker system. The Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is visible in the background. -- USGS

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

USGS Away Team: A Martian Landscape Right At Home

by Keith CowingOctober 18, 2024October 18, 2024

Sitting in the middle of a vast landscape, bordered by a ridge and filled with loose rocks, Lauren Edgar held a hand lens to her eye as she peered at […]

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Saudi Arabia Crater Holds Clues For Extraterrestrial Life

by Keith CowingOctober 15, 2024November 30, 2024

In the search for life in space, scientists have studied life in some of the earth’s most extreme environments.

The long, thin snow dunes that cover much of Antarctica are easier to see from above than on the ground. They form in the direction of the wind. -- ESA Larger image

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release

Iceworld Update: Hidden Snow Dunes In Antarctica

by Keith CowingOctober 2, 2024October 2, 2024

Sand dunes are a familiar sight along beaches and in deserts. While we know how regular sand dunes are formed, much less is known about dunes made of snow. In […]

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership The Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024. Larger image

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Life In The Atlantic Ocean Thrives Due To Windblown Saharan Dust

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2024September 23, 2024

Iron is a micronutrient indispensable for life, enabling processes such as respiration, photosynthesis, and DNA synthesis. Iron availability is often a limiting resource in today’s oceans, which means that increasing […]

The cyanobacterial strains retain photosynthetic pigments in the biocoatings. Visualization of the cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 (A), Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (B), and Chroococcidiopsis cubana PCC 7433 (C) by means of their pigments using CLSM. Chlorophyll a fluoresces red, whereas the degradation of chlorophyll a reveals the secondary pigments fluorescing green. Bacterial cultures were either visualized untreated (viable controls) or heat-killed (killed controls). Biocoatings containing halloysite (LH) were visualized immediately after rehydration. Most of the bacterial cells within the biocoatings appeared red, which means that they contained chlorophyll a, as did the viable controls. -- ASM Journals

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Bacteria Found In The Desert Pave The Way For Paint That Produces Oxygen Whilst Capturing Carbon

by Keith CowingOctober 23, 2023August 23, 2025

Biocoatings are a type of water-based paint that encase live bacteria within layers. Besides capturing carbon, they can also serve as bioreactors or as biosensors.

This image, acquired on April 8, 2011, with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on NASA’s Terra satellite, shows Saharan dust over the Bay of Biscay. A phytoplankton bloom makes the water appear bright green and blue. Sediment is likely contributing to some of the color, especially in coastal areas. Credits: NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Plant Biology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Desert Dust Nourishes The Growth Of Phytoplankton In Earth’s Oceans

by Keith CowingJuly 10, 2023August 23, 2025

For the past few decades, scientists have been observing natural ocean fertilization events — episodes when plumes of volcanic ash, glacial flour, wildfire soot, and desert dust blow out onto […]