Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to research integrated by a recent Rutgers University […]
meteorite
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Direct View of the Chemical Properties of Water from Another Planetary System: Water D/H in 3I/ATLAS
All detected water reservoirs in the solar system exhibit a deuterium enrichment that links back to the physical environment at the time of stellar birth.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Chemical Imaging With A Spaceflight LDMS Instrument For Planetary Exploration
One of the analytical advantages of Laser desorption/ablation mass spectrometry (LDMS) is its potential for spatially-resolved composition analysis of solid samples, supporting 2D chemical mapping and/or 3D depth profiling as […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Space Stations
Microbes Harvest Metals From Meteorites Aboard The International Space Station
If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return
This Student Made Cosmic Dust In Her Lab. What She Found Could Help Us Understand How Life Started On Earth
A Sydney PhD student has recreated a tiny piece of the Universe inside a bottle in her laboratory, producing cosmic dust from scratch. The results shed new light on how […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Sample Return
Abiotic Sugar Enantiomers In The CI Carbonaceous Chondrite Orgueil
The uneven detection of prebiotic organic compounds in meteorites—where amino acids and nucleobases are commonly identified but sugars remain rare and poorly characterized—limits our understanding of extraterrestrial organic chemistry.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Impact events, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Status Report
High-Pressure Torsion-Induced Transformation of Adenosine Monophosphate: Insights into Prebiotic Chemistry of RNA by Astronomical Impacts
The origin of life is yet a compelling scientific mystery that has sometimes been attributed to high-pressure impacts by small solar system bodies such as comets, meteoroids, asteroids, and transitional […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Status Report
Potential Metabolic Viability On Asteroid Chemistry
While it has been long supposed that asteroids played a role in the delivery of important prebiotic compounds to early Earth, the exact nature of the interactions between asteroidal material […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Moon, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Our Moon’s 4-Billion-Year Impact Record Suggests Meteorites Didn’t Supply Earth’s Water
A long-standing idea in planetary science is that water-rich meteorites arriving late in Earth’s history could have delivered a major share of Earth’s water. A new study by Universities Space […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Direct Detection Of Hydrogen Reveals A New Macroscopic Crustal Water Reservoir On Early Mars
The next great leap in Martian exploration will be the return of samples to Earth. To ensure the maximum scientific return from studying these samples, the development and utilisation of […]