The quest for evidence of life on Mars could be more difficult than scientists previously thought. A scientific paper published today details the investigation of a chemical in the Martian […]
exobiology
Posted inMars
Water-Rock Reactions Could Be 'Food' for Life on Mars
A new study has shown how low temperature chemical reactions between iron-containing minerals and water could produce hydrogen ‘food’ for microorganisms that inhabit pores and cracks in rocks below the […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), NASA Astrobiology Program, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Developing a New Astrobiology Roadmap
The NASA Astrobiology Program has begun the process of developing a new Astrobiology Roadmap to chart the future directions of astrobiology research. During the month of May, NASA hosted a […]
Posted inMars, Planetary Protection & Biosafety
Sterilized Mars Spacecraft Largely a Waste of Money
Writing in the journal Nature Geoscience, astrobiologists Alberto Fairen of Cornell University and Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University say the NASA Office of Planetary Protection’s “detailed and expensive” efforts […]
Posted inMars, Meteorites & Asteroids
Studying Meteorites May Reveal Mars' Secrets of Life
In an effort to determine if conditions were ever right on Mars to sustain life, a team of scientists, including a Michigan State University professor, has examined a meteorite that […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life
Rethinking Early Atmospheric Oxygen on Earth
A research team of biogeochemists at the University of California, Riverside has provided a new view on the relationship between the earliest accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere, arguably the […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Brinicles or sea stalactites provide clues to origin of life
Life on Earth may have originated not in warm tropical seas, but with weird tubes of ice — sometimes called “sea stalactites” — that grow downward into cold seawater near […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 2 December 2012, Lake Untersee, Antarctica
Keith’s note: Dale Andersen just phone in his latest status report from his base camp at Lake Untersee, Antarctica. Dale was able to make his first dive under the ice […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 30 November 2012, Lake Untersee, Antarctica
Keith’s note: I spoke with Dale Andersen at Lake Untersee, Antarctica today via satphone. The dive hole has been completed and is about 3 meters deep. Valeri and Vladimir are […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Status Report 29 November 2012, Lake Untersee, Antarctica
29 Nov 2012 11:15 am EST (4:15 pm UTC at Lake Untersee)