All cells in animals, plants, fungi, and protists share a fundamental characteristic: they are eukaryotic cells—complex cells with specialized internal compartments. The cells that make up our bodies are no […]
genetics
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Tricorders & Sensors
Planetary Genomics: Basecamp Research Launches The Trillion Gene Atlas
Editor’s note: If we aspire to mount expeditions to new worlds and then embrace the task of characterizing and quantifying whatever life forms we find, the ability to map and […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Discovery Of A Universal Enzyme That Makes All Four Nucleotide Building Blocks Of Life
A bacterial enzyme called universal PPK2 may simplify and lower the cost of RNA synthesis.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Single-molecule Peptide Sequencing Through Reverse Translation Of Peptides Into DNA
Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of other worlds and understanding the processes whereby other biospheres arise and evolve, thought needs to be given to developing sensor […]
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A Parasitic Origin For The Ribosome?
Ribosomes are the components of cells that read RNA and build proteins. Without the ribosome, the chemistry of life would still be catalyzed by raw RNA. And yet the origin […]
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Simultaneous Synthesis Of All 21 Types Of tRNA In Vitro
Collaborative research by the University of Tokyo and RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research has led to the development of a new method for simultaneously synthesizing all transfer RNA (tRNA) […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Space Life Science, Status Report
Reflections on Keywords: Definition, Life and Origin
Would a definition of life be really helpful? Undoubtedly, scientists have to specify what they are trying to reproduce in the laboratory. The same applies when implementing a space mission […]
![Adapted from fig. 1.8 of [2]. Modern protein synthesis; the anticodon at one end of a tRNA molecule binds to its complementary codon in mRNA derived directly from the genome. Sequence-to-sequence translation is not highly parallel, in this model, and the process can be characterized in terms of the Shannon uncertainty in the transmission of information between codon machinery and amino acid machinery. -- biorxiv.org](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Biochemical-%E2%80%98Cambrian-explosion.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Biochemical ‘Cambrian’ Explosion-implosions: The Generation And Pruning Of Genetic Codes
Tlusty’s topological analysis of the genetic code suggests ecosystem changes in available metabolic free energy that predated the aerobic transition enabled a punctuated sequence of increasingly complex genetic codes and […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Chemists Recreate How RNA Might Have Reproduced For The First Time
Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth – a key process in the origin […]
Posted inCourses, Education and Outreach, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Space Life Science, Status Report
GeneLab For High Schools 2025 Summer Program Is Still Accepting Applications
The GeneLab for High Schools program is now open to all students who satisfy the eligibility requirements and get their applications in on time!