Venus is not generally at the forefront when considering extraterrestrial life. Yet, based on the physical similarities and proximity to Earth and with the little knowledge of its evolutionary history, […]
Life
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report
Resilience of Metabolically Active Biofilms of a Desert Cyanobacterium Capable of Far-Red Photosynthesis Under Mars-like Conditions
The response of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 010 was tested in Mars simulations to investigate the possibility of photosynthesis in near-surface protected niches.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
In The search For Life On Exoplanets Finding Nothing Is Something Too
A team led by researchers at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics studied what insights can be gained from a ‘no life detected’ scenario in future exoplanet surveys.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
What If We Find Nothing? Bayesian Analysis Of The Statistical Information Of Null Results In Future Exoplanet Habitability And Biosignature Surveys
Future telescopes will survey temperate, terrestrial exoplanets to estimate the frequency of habitable (ηHab) or inhabited (ηLife) planets.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Radiation, Status Report
Bioverse: Potentially Observable Exoplanet Biosignature Patterns Under the UV Threshold Hypothesis for the Origin of Life
A wide variety of scenarios for the origin of life have been proposed, with many influencing the prevalence and distribution of biosignatures across exoplanet populations. This relationship suggests these scenarios […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Where To Find The Next Earth
A team from the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS has developed a machine learning model that predicts potential planetary systems with Earth-like […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Evidence of the Amino Acids Tyrosine and Phenylalanine in the Interstellar Material of IC348 in Perseus
We employed data from the Spitzer Space Telescope to investigate the presence of the aromatic amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine in the interstellar gas of the young star cluster IC […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
On the Origin of Information Dynamics in Early Life
We hypothesize that predictable variations in environmental conditions caused by night/day cycles created opportunities and hazards that initiated information dynamics central to life’s origin.
Posted inCommercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Resilience of Chlorella vulgaris to Simulated Atmospheric Gas Compositions of Mars, Jupiter, and Titan
This study investigates the resilience of the unicellular green microalga Chlorella vulgaris to extreme atmospheric conditions simulating those of Mars, Jupiter, and Titan.
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Probing The Limits of Habitability: A Catalog Of Rocky Exoplanets In The Habitable Zone
Several ground- and space-based searches have increased the number of known exoplanets to nearly 6000. While most are highly unlike our planet, the first rocky worlds in the Habitable Zone […]