e. coli Archives

A deep-ocean submersible uses its lights to illuminate a hydrothermal vent field at Chammoro Seamount, within the Mariana Trench, June 24, 2016. Source NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research/NOAA

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Editorial: Life Under Pressure: Microbial Adaptation And Survival In High Pressure Environments

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2026March 11, 2026

A quantitative overview of Earth’s biomass has long been lacking, despite its importance for understanding the biosphere. The first global estimate—approximately 550 gigatons of carbon (Gt C)—reveals stark disparities across […]

Backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. S128-E-010004 (8 Sept. 2009) -- NASA

Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Gravitational Biology, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations

Aboard The International Space Station, Viruses And Bacteria Show Atypical Interplay

by Keith CowingJanuary 16, 2026January 16, 2026

In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless “microgravity” conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria […]

Evo composes realistic bacteriophage genomic sequences. (A) Key considerations highlight- ing the complexity of genome-scale design.

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report

Generative Design Of Novel Bacteriophages With Genome Language Models

by Keith CowingJanuary 12, 2026January 12, 2026

Editor’s note: As we expand outward from Earth to other worlds we are almost certainly going to encounter things we did not expect to find – things that are unlikely […]

Structure of Bas63, a virus which targets E. coli, in molecular detail. Credit University of Otago

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release

Structure Of Bacteriophage Bas63: The Potential And Beauty Of The World Unseen

by Keith CowingNovember 19, 2025November 19, 2025

A University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led study has produced a detailed blueprint of a bacteriophage, furthering their potential in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.

Analog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

Are There Living Microbes On Mars? Check The Ice.

by Keith CowingOctober 17, 2025October 17, 2025

Frozen in time, ancient microbes or their remains could be found in Martian ice deposits during future missions to the Red Planet.

Upper panel: UV flux reaching the surface of the planet TOI-700 d for an Archean atmosphere, depicted in purple (fUV=1) and red (fUV=10), and a modern Earth-like atmosphere, in green (fUV=1) and blue (fUV=10). The different surface pressures, namely 4.0, 2.0, 1.0, and 0.5, are represented by tones gradually shifting towards lighter shades, indicating a transition from higher to lower pressure. The solar flux reaching both Earth’s exosphere and surface is depicted by solid black line and dashed black line, respectively, primarily for the purpose of comparison. Lower panel: a blowup of the flux scale depicted on the upper panel. -- astro-ph.EP

Analog Studies, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report

Evaluating Habitability and Biosignature Detection on TOI-700 d: The Role of UV Environment and Atmospheric Pressure

by Keith CowingOctober 17, 2025October 17, 2025

M dwarfs have long been prime targets in the search for habitable exoplanets, owing to their abundance in the galaxy and the relative ease of detecting Earth-sized worlds within their […]

Codons for the amino acids serine and alanine plus one stop codon were eliminated, requiring over 101,000 recoding events. -- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Synthetic Biology: Syn57 Represents A New Chapter In The Genetic Code Of Life

by Keith CowingAugust 27, 2025

The genetic code, which has been nearly universal across all known life for billions of years, utilises 64 triplets of DNA and RNA bases, known as codons, to encode 20 […]

Schematic illustration of the experimental workflow. (a) E. coli was incrementally adapted to increasing concentrations of NaClO4, NaCl and glycerol. (b) Example growth profiles of wild-type (WT) E. coli (grey) and after its adaptation and subsequent propagation at concentrations of 0.2 mol/kg NaClO4 (blue), 1.2 mol/kg NaCl (green) and 4 mol/kg glycerol (pink). Data represent means ± SD (n = 3). (c) The adaptive phenotypes were analyzed using proteomics. First, triplicates of each treatment and the WT were prepared, harvested during late exponential growth and analyzed by mass spectrometry. Next, we aimed to identify those adaptation mechanisms, which were specific for perchlorate-induced stress in E. coli. For this, a post hoc test (FDR ≤ 0.01) was performed, giving information on which treatment combinations significantly differ from each other for each protein. Sets of proteins for solute-specific and shared adaptation mechanisms were extracted using a strict filtering process and graphically depicted as Venn diagrams (see Materials and Methods). Lastly, the protein sets were used to identify significant adaptive pathways (FDR ≤ 0.05) using protein-protein interaction networks with the help of the STRING database42. Science Reports via PubMed

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mars, Status Report

Proteomic Insights Into Survival Strategies Of Escherichia Coli In Perchlorate-rich Martian Brines

by Keith CowingApril 4, 2025

Brines, potentially formed by the deliquescence and freezing point depression of highly hygroscopic salts, such as perchlorates (ClO4-), may allow for the spatial and temporal stability of liquid water on […]

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Role Of Atmospheric Composition In Defining The Habitable Zone Limits And Supporting E. coli Growth

by Keith CowingJanuary 11, 2025January 11, 2025

Studying exoplanet atmospheres is essential for assessing their potential to host liquid water and their capacity to support life (their habitability).

A collage of five of the comb jelly species studied. Red coloration as seen in the two specimens at right is common among deep-sea animals. CREDIT 2021 Jacob Winnikoff

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Comb Jelly Adaptations To Life At Extreme Pressure

by Keith CowingJuly 14, 2024July 7, 2024

The bottom of the ocean is not hospitable: there is no light; the temperature is freezing cold; and the pressure of all the water above will literally crush you. The […]

e. coli

Editorial: Life Under Pressure: Microbial Adaptation And Survival In High Pressure Environments

Generative Design Of Novel Bacteriophages With Genome Language Models

Structure Of Bacteriophage Bas63: The Potential And Beauty Of The World Unseen

Are There Living Microbes On Mars? Check The Ice.

Evaluating Habitability and Biosignature Detection on TOI-700 d: The Role of UV Environment and Atmospheric Pressure

Synthetic Biology: Syn57 Represents A New Chapter In The Genetic Code Of Life

Proteomic Insights Into Survival Strategies Of Escherichia Coli In Perchlorate-rich Martian Brines

The Role Of Atmospheric Composition In Defining The Habitable Zone Limits And Supporting E. coli Growth

Comb Jelly Adaptations To Life At Extreme Pressure

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,206 2 July 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

Older Than The Sun: Astronomers Find New Clues To The Origin Of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Carl Sagan Month: Call For Participation

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

Searching For The Elusive CH2+ With The James Webb Space Telescope. Another Carbocation To Constrain Astrochemical Networks