Current paradigms for the origin and evolutions of life and the environment on early Earth have been based on the premises that carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen gas (N2) were […]
early earth
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search For Life Beyond Earth
NASA-supported scientists have resurrected an enzyme first used by organisms on Earth 3.2-billion years ago and, in the process, have validated a chemical biosignature in rocks that is used to […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Atmospheric Oxygen And Methane On The Early Earth
The habitability of the early Earth was affected by various factors. We focus here on atmospheric oxygen (O2) and methane (CH4). O2 is essential for supporting eukaryotic life, including plants […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
From Polymerization-Enabled Folding and Assembly to Chemical Evolution: Key Processes for Emergence of Functional Polymers in the Origin of Life
Chemical and geological processes on prebiotic Earth are believed to have resulted in the emergence of life through the increasing organization and functionality of organic molecules.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Revisiting The Eoarchean Akilia Quartz-pyroxene Rock With Potassium Isotopes: Implications For Early-ocean Sedimentation
The Eoarchean quartz-pyroxene rock from Akilia Island in Greenland has been proposed as one of Earth’s oldest banded iron formations (BIF) and a potential host for the earliest biosignatures.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Biological, Equilibrium and Photochemical Signatures of C, N and S Isotopes in the Early Earth and Exoplanet Atmospheres
The unambiguous detection of biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres is a primary objective for astrobiologists and exoplanet astronomers.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Suppression of Hydrodynamic Escape of an H2-rich Early Earth Atmosphere by Radiative Cooling of Carbon Oxides
Radiative cooling by molecules is a crucial process for hydrodynamic escape, as it can efficiently remove the thermal energy driving the outflow, acquired through X-ray and extreme UV absorption. Carbon […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Evolution And Spread Of Sulfur-cycling Enzymes Reflect Volcanic Sulfur Sources And The Redox State Of The Early Earth
The biogeochemical sulfur cycle plays a central role in fueling microbial metabolisms, regulating the redox state of the Earth, and impacting climate through remineralization of organic carbon.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
What The Rise Of Oxygen On Early Earth Tells Us About Life On Other Planets
Deeper understanding of Earth’s atmosphere could help us identify signs of life beyond our solar system
Posted inHabitable Zones
Weathering Rocks Hold Clues To Earth's Great Oxidation Event
About 2.4 billion years ago, Earth’s atmosphere underwent what is called the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). Prior to the GOE, early Earth had far less molecular oxygen than we have […]