Ice is believed to have played a crucial role in the emergence of life. One reason is that organic molecules can be excluded into the gaps between the crystal lattice […]
microscopy
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Breakthrough In Nanoscale Force Measurement Opens Doors To Unprecedented Biological Insights
Editor’s note: as we send increasingly sophisticated astrobiology probes – to more places – often at much greater distances – they will need to be able to do more and […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Gravitational Biology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Flight-Scope: Microscopy With Microfluidics In Microgravity
With the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA working to return humans to the moon and onwards to Mars, it has never been more important to study the impact of […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report
First Insights Into The Bacterial Diversity of Mount Etna Volcanic Caves
While microbial communities in limestone caves across the world are relatively understood, knowledge of the microbial composition in lava tubes is lagging behind. These caves are found in volcanic regions […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Nanosized Blocks Spontaneously Assemble In Water To Create Tiny Floating Checkerboards
Researchers have engineered nanosized cubes that spontaneously form a two-dimensional checkerboard pattern when dropped on the surface of water. The work, published in Nature Communications, presents a simple approach to […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
The Surface Of Mars Up Close
Using an onboard focusing process, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) aboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity created this product by merging two to eight images previously taken by the MAHLI, […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
The Complex Molecules Detector (CMOLD)
Organic chemistry is ubiquitous in the Solar System, and both Mars and a number of icy satellites of the outer Solar System show substantial promise for having hosted or hosting […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: AI Tool Creates Synthetic Images Of Cells For Enhanced Microscopy Analysis
Editor’s note: when we start to send Away Teams to other worlds to search for – and then quantify – life forms imagery will play a pivotal role. Given the […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Deconstructing The Structural Elements Of Extremophile Archaea Haloferax volcanii
Originally discovered in extreme environments like hydrothermal vents, archaea, a single-celled microorganism, can also be found in the digestive systems of animals, including humans where they play a key role […]
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: High-speed, Auto-polarization Modulated 3D Structured Illumination Microscopy Imaging
Editor’s note: When we send Away Teams on Astrobiology and Astrogeology expeditions to other worlds they are going to need to be rather self-contained. Indeed the bulk of their preliminary […]