infrared spectroscopy Archives - Astrobiology

Peptide formation induced by energetic processing in the interstellar medium.

An Interstellar Energetic And Non-aqueous Pathway To Peptide Formation

by Keith CowingJuly 30, 2026July 30, 2026

[astro-ph.SR] The origin of the molecular building blocks of life is a central question in science. A few α-amino acids such as glycine, the simplest proteinogenic amino acid, have been […]

Schematic of a PHA granule structure from Maestro and Sanz (Reference Maestro and Sanz2017). -- International Journal of Astrobiology

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Status Report

Applications of Microbial Bioplastic Polyhydroxyalkanoates as Biosignatures for Astrobiological Detection

by Keith CowingDecember 19, 2024December 19, 2024

Determining a reliable method to detect life on another planet is an essential first step in the pursuit of discovering extraterrestrial life.

Infrared image of the center of the Orion Nebula taken with the NIRCam instrument on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The insets show expanded images of two faint proplyds from the Hubble Space Telescope at optical wavelengths and Webb at infrared wavelengths. For each proplyd, a small protoplanetary disk is detected in silhouette in the optical image, which is surrounded by a bright ionization front that is produced by the intense UV radiation from the most massive stars. The brown dwarf at the center of each disk is detected in the infrared image from Webb. Spectroscopy from the NIRSpec instrument on Webb has confirmed that these objects are brown dwarfs based on their cool temperatures. -- NASA/ESA/CSA, Mark McCaughrean/ESA, Massimo Robberto/STScI/JHU, Kevin Luhman/Penn State, Catarina Alves de Oliveira/ESA

Astronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Webb And Hubble Discover Brown Dwarf Protoplanetary Disks In The Orion Nebula

by Keith CowingNovember 25, 2024November 25, 2024

Newborn stars are surrounded by disks of gas and dust within which planets are born, known as protoplanetary disks. In the Orion Nebula, the brightest and most massive stars emit […]

A representation of 1-cyanopyrene detected in space. Credit: NSF/NSF NRAO/AUI/S. Dagnello.

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

The Largest Molecule Ever Detected Using Radioastronomy

by Keith CowingOctober 25, 2024October 25, 2024

The discovery of a four-ring carbon molecule in a distant interstellar cloud may help to reveal how our own solar system formed.

This picture shows many tiny cells in which DNA is abundantly included inside the cells. First, the microbial cells were detected in fractures in the rock sample using an infrared imaging technique called O-PTIR spectroscopy. After that, they were stained with a green solution and analyzed using both a scanning electron microscope and then fluorescent microscopy. The combination of readings from these three imaging techniques enabled the researchers to confirm the indigenous and living microbial cells in the 2-billion-year-old rock fissure. -- University of Tokyo

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

A 2-billion-year-old Rock Is Home To Living Microbes

by Keith CowingOctober 4, 2024October 4, 2024

Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for […]

Inferring Molecular Assembly from infrared spectroscopy. (A) XTB-calculated IR spectrum of 5-aminoisophthalic acid with highlighted fingerprint region (400–1500 cm–1 ). (B) Example of the six most intense vibrational bands in the fingerprint region demonstrating its collective-motion nature. (C) Assembly index vs. IR-inferred assembly index estimated from the number of IR peaks in the fingerprint region (400–1500 cm–1 ) based on XTB calculation on 10,000 molecules (see Eq. 1). Correlation between the predicted and expected assembly index is 0.86. (D) Assembly index vs. IR-inferred assembly index estimated from the number of IR peaks in the fingerprint region (400–1500 cm–1 ) based on the experimental measurement on 99 molecules (see Eq. 2). Correlation between the predicted and expected assembly index is 0.75. -- physics.bio-ph

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Multimodal Techniques For Detecting Alien Life Using Assembly Theory And Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2023March 20, 2023

Detecting alien life is a difficult task because it’s hard to find signs of life that could apply to any life form. However, complex molecules could be a promising indicator […]

Dwarf planet Ceres.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Ceres, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

An Unknown Class Of Water-rich Asteroids Has Been Identified

by Keith CowingFebruary 20, 2023February 20, 2023

New astronomical measurements in the infrared range have led to the identification of a heretofore unknown class of asteroids