The present Martian climate is characterized by a cold and dry environment with a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxides (CO2).
habitability
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
NASA ROSES-24 Amendment 65: D.19 Habitable Worlds Observatory System Technology Demonstrations and Mission Architecture Studies Final Text and Due Date
D.19 Habitable Worlds Observatory System Technology Demonstrations and Mission Architecture Studies (HWOTAS) solicits industry-led proposals to carry out (1) system-level critical technology demonstrations for ultra-stable observatories and/or (2) mission architecture […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Exo-Daisy World: Revisiting Gaia Theory through An Informational Architecture Perspective
The Daisy World model has long served as a foundational framework for understanding the self-regulation of planetary biospheres, providing insights into the feedback mechanisms that may govern inhabited exoplanets.
![Images of cells via optical microscopy for 95-level (a), and via fluorescence microscopy combined with SYTO-9 staining for the (b) 101-level, (c) 1200-level, and (d) service water. Scale bar on the lower right of each image represents 5 μm. Magnification was 50x for (a) and 1000x for (b), (c) and (d). Cells in (a) are circular features entrapped in halite fluid inclusions and identified by red arrows. Cells in (b), (c), and (d) appear as bright green shapes. In (b), green background fluorescence highlights the high level of dissolved organic carbon debris for this sample [29]. Cell counts for the 95-, 101-, service water, and 1200-levels were 102 cells/mL ±10, 104 cells/mL ± 102, 106 cells/mL ± 104.5, 105 cells/mL ±103.3, respectively (error in standard deviation). A schematic is included to the right showing the depth and major lithology of fluid sampling sites considered in this study. -- ISME Communications](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Radiolytic-Support-For-Oxidative-Metabolism-In-An.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Radiation, Status Report
Radiolytic Support For Oxidative Metabolism In An Ancient Subsurface Brine System
Long-isolated subsurface brine environments (Ma-Ga residence times) may be habitable if they sustainably provide substrates, e.g. through water-rock reaction, that support microbial catabolic energy yields exceeding maintenance costs.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Light Scattering Measurements of KCl Particles as an Exoplanet Cloud Analog
Salt clouds are predicted to be common on warm exoplanets, but their optical properties are uncertain. The Exoplanet Cloud Ensemble Scattering System (ExCESS), a new apparatus to measure the scattering […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Condensation and the Volatility Trend of the Earth
This article describes condensation of the elements and use of condensation temperatures (Tcond) to interpret the volatility trend of the Earth.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Venus
Our Solar System Neighborhood: Three Diverging Tales of Planetary Habitability and Windows to Earth’s Past and Future
Understanding planetary habitability is one of the major challenges of the current scientific era, particularly given the discovery of a large and diverse terrestrial exoplanet population.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
A Dynamical Systems Perspective On The Celestial Mechanical Contribution To The Emergence Of Life
Biological activities are often seen entrained onto the day-night and other celestial mechanical cycles (e.g., seasonal and lunar), but studies on the origin of life have largely not accounted for […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Building and Maintaining a Habitable World and the Early Conditions that Could Favor Life’s Beginnings on Earth and Beyond
The Hadean, once thought to be uninhabitable and tumultuous, has more recently been recontextualized as a clement time in which oceans, land, and life likely appeared on Earth. This non-exhaustive […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Database of Candidate Targets for the LIFE Mission
We present the database of potential targets for the Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE), a space-based mid-infrared nulling interferometer mission proposed for the Voyage 2050 science program of the European […]