[Michigan State University] For decades, scientists have studied iron preserved in ancient rocks to reconstruct how Earth’s oceans and atmosphere became rich in oxygen. A new study suggests iron has […]
Gaia
Posted inGaia - Planetary Perspectives
Global Carbon Fixation In Earth’s Subsurface Biosphere
[biorxiv.org] The subsurface of our planet hosts 15% of Earth’s biomass and plays a key role in mediating the exchange of volatiles and elements between deep, long-residence-time geological reservoirs and […]
![This illustration contrasts Earth's oceans during ancient glaciations (left) with deglacial conditions (right). Syracuse University researchers found that oceans lost oxygen not just during warm periods, but repeatedly during Earth's deepest ice ages, a pattern preserved in manganese deposits within ancient seafloor rock. (Courtesy: Xubin Wang, generated with AI)-- [Syracuse University]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Metal-deposits.jpg?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Metal Deposits Linked To Oceanic Oxygen Loss During Ancient Ice Ages
[Syracuse University] An international team of researchers analyzed manganese and other chemical signatures preserved in more than 27,000 ancient seafloor samples collected from six continents. Across six major glaciations spanning […]
From Gaia to GaiaNIR: Science from Precision Astrometry Across the Universe and Beyond the Extinction Barrier
This conference celebrates the achievements of the MWGaiaDN Doctoral Network, which features PhD projects focused on the science that can be extracted from Gaia DR3 and Gaia DR4. Topics covered […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Atmospheres As Habitats
[Astrobiology (Journal)]. The potential of planetary atmospheres as habitats is understudied and likely underestimated. Although planetary atmospheres can provide the fundamental physical, chemical, and energetic requirements for life, they also […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Euhabitability: A New Term To Aid In The Search For Life In Addition To The Habitable Zone Framework
[Space Science Reviews] The search for life on exoplanets is difficult due to observational limitations stemming from vast separating distances. The Habitable Zone (HZ) is a simplifying framework for identifying […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Orbital Biosphere Assays: Lowering Barriers To Big Data
Editor’s note: When we begin to conduct Away Team visits to other worlds that host life we will need to do an assay of how everything on these worlds works […]
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Underwater Oxygen Loss Threatens Earth’s Stability, Researchers Warn
[UCSD] A new review paper led by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography warns that the rapid loss of oxygen from the ocean and other aquatic ecosystems […]
![Averages over 100 trials of Siberian Traps injection scenario on a 31× 31 grid in the (fp, θ) parameter space. Mean number of DIC peaks (left), mean maximum DIC jump (top right), and mean time to return to equilibrium after end of injection phases (bottom right) are shown. The letters in the left panel correspond to parameters used in the example trials shown in Figure 10. -- [physics.ao-ph]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Modeling-the-response.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Modeling The Response Of Earth’s Marine Carbon Cycle To Extreme CO2 Injection Events
[physics.ao-ph] We explore how the response of a conceptual model of the marine carbon cycle depends on the way in which carbon is injected from the atmosphere.
Posted inExtinction events
Researchers Confirm The Cause Of Earth’s Biggest Mass Extinction
[Stanford University] A new Stanford-led study offers the clearest picture yet of how some ocean life survived our planet’s biggest mass extinction while most animals did not.