[biorxiv.org]. Fungal contamination poses a growing threat to spacecraft integrity, crew health, and planetary protection efforts.
microbiology
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Cultivation Of Halophilic Archaea In Shallow Subsurface Martian Conditions Has Implications For Extant Life On Mars
[biorxiv.org] The present-day martian surface is generally considered inhospitable to life because of low atmospheric pressure, intense surface radiation, global desiccation, and oxidizing chemistry which has been increasing since the […]
Posted inPlanetary Protection & Biosafety
Human-Related Microbes May Survive At The Moon’s South Pole
[NASA] Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the Moon’s South Pole region, NASA […]
![Effects of physicochemical stressors on the main categories of cellular macromolecules (see Table 1 for further details; figure uses images from Servier Medical Art). Multiple stressors can induce the same primary effect, therefore adaptations in response to a natural selection pressure for one stressor may render the same organism resistant to all stressors producing the same type of damage. White stars indicate chemical processes that are aggravated in the presence of oxygen due to altered system chemistry, meaning that in anoxic environments such effects are reduced or negligible. -- [FEMS Microbes]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Extremophiles-Life-resists.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Extremophiles: Life Resists Chemistry Not Conditions
[FEMS Microbes] Extremophiles are used to study both the limits of life and its potential elsewhere. Categories are commonly employed to describe extreme conditions, however, changing the focus to the […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Metagenomics Deciphers Diagenetic Processes Of Ferruginous Mineralization In The Deep Biosphere
[Nature Communications Earth & Environment] Ferruginous conditions in the Precambrian oceans gave rise to ancient iron formations that contain the oldest recognized traces of life in the form of mineral […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
The Viability of Life in Helium-Dominated Exoplanet Atmospheres
[astro-ph.EP] Helium is the second most abundant element in the Universe, yet helium-dominated atmospheres are rarely considered as environments for life.
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Microbial Dispersion Via Aerosolization As An Evolutionary Trait
[Frontiers] Airborne dispersion of microorganisms is a constant ecologically significant global process.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Orbital Biosignature Assay: Pyramid Lake in Bloom
[NASA] The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on the Landsat 9 satellite acquired this natural-color image of the bloom in October 2024. One day earlier, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe noted […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Micropeloidal Textures – Definition, Formation And Potential As Biosignatures
[Earth-Science Reviews] Microbial biosignatures result from the interactions between microbial populations, metabolic processes, organic and mineral products, and the surrounding physicochemical environment.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Could Earthquakes Sustain Yellowstone’s Underground Life?
[USGS] When you think of earthquakes, “life-sustaining” might not be the phrase that immediately jumps to mind. If you haven’t experienced the destruction of an earthquake yourself, you’ve certainly seen […]