In 2021, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, reported an astonishing new form of symbiosis: They found a unique bacterium that lives inside a […]
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Posted inAstronauts and Explorers, Commercial & Private Sector, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Update: Genes in Space Student-designed Experiment Conducted By Astronauts
On Saturday, September 28th, an experiment designed by Genes in Space 2023 contest winner (18) of Hillsborough, California, launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard NASA’s Crew-9 mission. The […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
AI Discovers Over 160,000 New Virus Species On Earth
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to reveal details of a diverse and fundamental branch of life living right under our feet and in every corner of the globe.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report
Hyperexpansion of Genetic Diversity and Metabolic Capacity of Extremophilic Bacteria and Archaea in Ancient Andean Lake Sediments
The Andean Altiplano hosts a repertoire of high-altitude lakes with harsh conditions for life. These lakes are undergoing a process of desiccation caused by the current climate, leaving terraces exposed […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Impact events, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release
Mass Extinction 66 million Years Ago Triggered Rapid Evolution Of Bird Genomes
Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Ancient Microbes Offer Clues To How Complex Life Evolved
A new study published in Science Advances reveals a surprising twist in the evolutionary history of complex life. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that a single-celled […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Structure-based Inference Of Eukaryotic Complexity In Asgard Archaea
Asgard archaea played a key role in the origin of the eukaryotic cell. While previous studies found that Asgard genomes encode diverse eukaryotic signature proteins (ESPs), representing homologs of proteins […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Oxygen Metabolism In Descendants Of The Archaeal-Eukaryotic Ancestor
Asgard archaea were pivotal in the origin of complex cellular life. Hodarchaeales (Asgardarchaeota class Heimdallarchaeia) were recently shown to be the closest relatives of eukaryotes. However, limited sampling of these […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Astrobiology Expedition To Lake Untersee, Antarctica: Genome-resolved Metagenomics Reveals Diverse Taxa And Metabolic Complexity
Lake Untersee, a lake in Antarctica that is perennially covered with ice, is home to unique microbial structures that are not lithified.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Convergence and Horizontal Gene Transfer Drive the Evolution of Anaerobic Methanotrophy in Archaea
Despite their large environmental impact and multiple independent emergences, the processes leading to the evolution of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) remain unclear.