On May 11, a sealed capsule containing fungi and bacteria fell from the sky and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Microbiologist Kasthuri Venkateswaran could hardly wait to see what […]
genomics
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
First Minimal Synthetic Bacterial Cell
Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) announced today the design and construction of the first minimal synthetic bacterial cell, JCVI-syn3.0. Using the first […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Sequencing DNA in Space
NASA is not often known for making the best use of existing COTS (commercial off the shelf technology) aboard the ISS. Then again, sometimes they are. This is an example […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Sequencing an Antarctic Extremophile – A cold-loving microbe from the Upper Dry Valleys
A high-quality draft genome sequence has been published for the Antarctic microbe Rhodococcus sp. JG-3. This psychrophilic (cold-loving) microorganism was isolated from permafrost in Antarctica’s Upper Dry Valleys and has been […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, Space Stations
Spacewalk Marks End of ESA's Exposed Space Chemistry Experiment
ESA’s Expose facility was retrieved today from outside the International Space Station by cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko and Sergei Volkov, who were completing a spacewalk to place new experiments on the […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Evolution of the Ribosome: Looking Back 3.8 billion Years
NASA-funded researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are tapping information found in the cells of all life on Earth, and using it to trace life’s evolution. They have learned […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release, Tardigrades
A Huge Chunk of a Tardigrade's Genome Comes From Foreign DNA
Tardigrades, nearly microscopic animals that can survive the harshest of environments, including outer space, hold the record for the animal that has the most foreign DNA Researchers from the University […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Oldest Known Redox Gradient Discovered
By analyzing iron isotopes against the uranium content in the jasper rock from the ancient ocean of the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa, scientists have found a defined vertical […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Tree of Life for 2.3 Million Species Released
A first draft of the “tree of life” for the roughly 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes — from platypuses to puffballs — has been released. […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Microscopic Evidence of Bacteria at the Lower Size Limit of Life
Scientists have captured the first detailed microscopy images of ultra-small bacteria that are believed to be about as small as life can get. The research was led by scientists from […]