[The University of Osaka] The truth is out there – but identifying signs of life in space involves an intense search for biosignatures within our solar system and beyond. However, […]
microscopy
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech
Looking Inside Living Antarctic Cells For The First Time
[British Antarctic Survey] Cambridge engineers have built the first microscope to see inside living cells in sub-zero conditions, revealing secrets of Antarctic fish survival.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Hot Spring Organism Breaks Record For Heat Tolerance Of Complex Life
[Cell Press] A tiny, single-celled organism can thrive at temperatures that would kill all other known complex life.
Posted inTricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: New Handheld Device Maps Chemical Composition Using Infrared Light
[Optica] Researchers have developed a compact, handheld mid-infrared imaging spectrometer that can produce high-resolution chemical maps of a sample without using any stains or labels. With more development, the handheld […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Compositional Heterogeneity Structures Microbial Microhabitats across Distinct Mineral Substrates
[biorxiv.org] Microbial communities living on and in rocks operate at the microscale, where interactions with minerals fundamentally shape community structure and function. Yet the relationship between micron scale mineralogical configurations […]
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 inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Charge-Selective Adsorption Of Organic Molecules In Microfluidic Mg(OH)2 Precipitate Membranes
The porous mineral structures of alkaline hydrothermal vent chimneys have been proposed as natural concentrators of dissolved organic molecules, potentially addressing the longstanding dilution problem in deep-sea origin-of-life hypotheses.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Fatigue-crack Formation In Samples From Asteroid Bennu And Petrologic Controls On Boulder Properties And Evolution
Thermal fatigue has been observed to be an important driver of boulder evolution on asteroid Bennu through the development of morphological features such as exfoliation flakes and linear fractures in […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Tricks of Nature From the Ancient Earth and Early Mars: Chemical Gardens Generate Biomorphs With High Preservation Potential
Observations of morphology are commonly used to evaluate the biogenicity of terrestrial microfossils and could constitute a crucial line of evidence for extraterrestrial life‐detection missions in the future.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Analysing The Sample Preparation Process In Meteorites And Its Impact On The Pretreatment Of Returned Samples To Earth
The study of meteorites is important for planetary sciences because, among other things, it can provide information about the geochemical composition of their celestial body of origin. Often, subsample preparation […]