hot springs Archives - Astrobiology

Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. (Credit: CC photo via Wikimedia Commons) -- via CU Boulder

Astrobiology (general), Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, NASA Astrobiology Program, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrobiologists Search For Alien Life And Help Life On Earth In The Process

by Keith CowingFebruary 17, 2026February 17, 2026

On Earth, life thrives in some of the most seemingly inhospitable environments.

Conceptual illustration of terrestrial hot springs on early Earth -- Illustration by Alex Bosoy, Design & Illustration, LLC

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Possible Role Of Iron Sulfides In Creating Life In Terrestrial Hot Springs

by Keith CowingNovember 29, 2024November 29, 2024

An international team of scientists recently published a study highlighting the potential role of iron sulfides in the formation of life in early Earth’s terrestrial hot springs. According to the […]

WorldView-2 natural-color satellite image from December 9, 2017, showing thermal areas as snow-free zones on the north side of Mallard Lake resurgent dome in Yellowstone National Park. (Thanks to the NEXTVIEW End User License Agreement between Maxar (formerly DigitalGlobe, Inc.) and the US Government for providing access to these high-resolution commercial satellite data to support Earth science research and applications.) Larger image

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Planetary Astrobiology Surveys: Mapping Hydrothermal Areas From Orbit

by Keith CowingNovember 27, 2023November 27, 2023

Using high-resolution commercial satellite images to help map and monitor Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas

Narrow Gauge spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Vent area is between the two trees on top of the travertine deposits. Terraced pools form due to deposition of travertine from the fluids as they cool and degas carbon dioxide. - USGS

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Searching For Life In Hot Spring Carbonate Systems: Investigating Raman Spectra Of Carotenoid-Bearing Organic Carbonaceous Inclusions From Travertines Of Italy

by Keith CowingNovember 23, 2023November 22, 2023

Carotenoid pigments provide some of the most common exclusively biogenic markers on Earth, and these organic pigments may be present in extraterrestrial life. Raman spectroscopy can be used to identify […]

Scientists conducted microbial DNA sampling at a Yellowstone National Park hot spring for a study sponsored by DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research program, the National Science Foundation and NASA. Credit: Mircea Podar/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Life In Boiling Water

by Keith CowingSeptember 19, 2023September 19, 2023

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity. The findings yield clues to the evolution […]

Grand Prismatic Spring - USGS.Gov public domain Source: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/grand-prismatic-spring-0

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Do Yellowstone Lake Hot Springs Compare To Oceanic Hydrothermal Vents?

by Keith CowingApril 24, 2023June 13, 2025

Discovery of hydrothermal systems on the ocean floor in the late 1970s is regarded as one of the greatest scientific finds of the 20th century and has implications for the […]