A better understanding of the ice-ocean couplings is required to better characterise the hydrosphere of the icy moons. Using global numerical simulations in spherical geometry, we have investigated here the […]
geology
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Young Volcanic Terrains Are Windows Into Early Microbial Colonization
Volcanic eruptions create sterile environments with a variety of habitats available for colonization including hot springs, fumaroles, lava tubes, and rock surfaces.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Venus
Tides on Lava Worlds: Application to Close-in Exoplanets and the Early Earth-Moon System
Understanding the physics of planetary magma oceans has been the subject of growing efforts, in light of the increasing abundance of Solar system samples and extrasolar surveys. A rocky planet […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Diagenetic History and Biosignature Preservation Potential of Fine-Grained Rocks at Hogwallow Flats, Jezero Crater, Mars
The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover discovered fine-grained clastic sedimentary rocks in the “Hogwallow Flats” member of the “Shenandoah” formation at Jezero crater, Mars.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, NASA Astrobiology Program, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Marine Science Can Contribute to the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life
Life on our planet likely evolved in the ocean, and thus exo-oceans are key habitats to search for extraterrestrial life.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Liquid On Mars Was Not Necessarily All Water
Dry river channels and lake beds on Mars point to the long-ago presence of a liquid on the planet’s surface, and the minerals observed from orbit and from landers seem […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Early Ocean World Chemistry: Prebiotic Nucleoside Phosphorylation in a Simulated Deep-Sea Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Water Two-Phase Environment
Prebiotic synthesis of complex organic molecules in water-rich environments has been a long-standing challenge. In the modern deep sea, emission of liquid CO2 has been observed in multiple locations, which […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Hematite U-Pb Dating Of Snowball Earth Meltwater Events
The Snowball Earth hypothesis predicts global ice cover; however, previous descriptions of Cryogenian (720-635 Ma) glacial deposits are limited to continental margins and shallow marine basins.
Posted inEuropa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Radiation, Status Report
What Would The Nightside Of Europa Look Like?
This illustration of Jupiter’s moon Europa shows how the icy surface may glow on its nightside, the side facing away from the Sun.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
A Link Between Rocky Exoplanet Composition And Stellar Age
Interior compositions are key for our understanding of Earth-like exoplanets. The composition of the core can influence the presence of a magnetic dynamo and the strength of gravity on the […]