life detection Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Astrobiology

Types of biosignatures categorized by scale, showing that different instruments and different types of analyses are required to analyze the entire range of potential biosignatures. Reprinted with permission from [4] under a Creative Commons License.

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Applying Novel Techniques From Physical And Biological Sciences To Life Detection

by Keith CowingAugust 30, 2023August 30, 2023

One of the primary goals of the space exploration community is to unambiguously detect past or present life outside of Earth. As such, a number of so-called life detection technologies, […]

Tricorder From Star Trek Discovery -- Paramount/CBS

Tricorder Tech: Confidence of Life Detection: The Problem of Unconceived Alternatives

by Keith CowingAugust 2, 2023June 27, 2026

Potential biosignatures that offer the promise of extraterrestrial life (past or present) are to be expected in the coming years and decades, whether from within our own solar system, from […]

Miniaturized Lab-on-a-chip

Astrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Miniaturized Lab-on-a-chip For Real-time Chemical Analysis Of Liquids

by Keith CowingSeptember 4, 2022February 6, 2023

In analytical chemistry, it is often necessary to accurately monitor the concentration change of certain substances in liquids on a time scale of seconds. Especially in the pharmaceutical industry, such […]

Statistical complexity as a function of Shannon entropy averaged across all wavelength bands for the original and synthetic Earth data.

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Assessing Planetary Complexity and Potential Agnostic Biosignatures Using Epsilon Machines

by Keith CowingFebruary 8, 2022January 30, 2024

We present a new approach to exoplanet characterisation using techniques from complexity science, with potential applications to biosignature detection.

The microfluidic chip with an integrated solid-state nanopore. (a) The Z-shaped microfluidic channel is shown in blue. Three fluidic reservoirs are used for buffer and analyte introduction into the microfluidic channel, with the nanopore integrated beneath the central reservoir (number 2). During the experiment, analyte solution is introduced into the central reservoir and voltage is applied across the microfluidic channel and nanopore. (b) SEM cross-section of the microfluidic channel with the integrated micropore and nanopore in the top layers of the chip. (c) Photograph of the assembled device. -- NASA NTRS

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Life Detection Technology – Development of Solid-State Nanopore

by Keith CowingFebruary 27, 2020June 30, 2024

Biomarkers collected from past and present life on Earth are a central guide in the development of flight-ready technologies designed to search for life on other planets and moons. Data […]

The microfluidic chip with an integrated solid-state nanopore. (a) The Z-shaped microfluidic channel is shown in blue. Three fluidic reservoirs are used for buffer and analyte introduction into the microfluidic channel, with the nanopore integrated beneath the central reservoir (number 2). During the experiment, analyte solution is introduced into the central reservoir and voltage is applied across the microfluidic channel and nanopore. (b) SEM cross-section of the microfluidic channel with the integrated micropore and nanopore in the top layers of the chip. (c) Photograph of the assembled device. -- NASA NTRS

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Development Of Solid-State Nanopore Technology For Life Detection

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2017June 30, 2024

Introduction: Biomarkers for life on Earth are an important starting point to guide the search for life elsewhere. However, the search for life beyond Earth should incorporate technologies capable of […]

Tricorder (biosignature detector) -- Paramount

Biosignatures & Paleobiology

What Is Life – and How Do We Search for It in Other Worlds?

by Keith CowingSeptember 14, 2004June 27, 2026

I need a “tricorder”—the convenient, hand-held device featured on Star Trek that can detect life forms even from orbit. Unfortunately, we don’t have a clue how a tricorder might work, since life […]