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Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: DIYNAFLUOR: An Affordable DIY Plug-and-Play Nucleic Acid Fluorometer for eDNA Quantification in Resource Limited Settings

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of other worlds and understanding the processes whereby other biospheres arise and evolve, thought needs to be given to developing sensor […]

Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Origin & Evolution of Life, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Nanopore Sequencing: A Way To Explore Life’s Origins

by Keith Cowing

In future years, it seems likely that someone will claim they have discovered a process that allows a mixture of simple molecules to assemble into structures and systems with the […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

The Microbial Inhabitants of the Corona Lava Tube: Astrobiological Insights from a Mars Analog Environment

by Keith Cowing

Lava tubes are recognized as strategic targets in the search for life on Mars. The Corona Lava Tube System in Lanzarote serves as a terrestrial analog for martian subsurface environments […]

Posted inAstronauts and Explorers, Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, People Of Astrobiology, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Offworld Genomics Research: DNA Decryption Experiment On ISS

by Keith Cowing

NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim shows off research hardware from the Noblis / Voyager DNA Decryption experiment taking place inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module.

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Unlocking the Full Potential of Nanopore Sequencing: Tips, Tricks, and Advanced Data Analysis Techniques

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: If we aspire to mount expeditions to new worlds and then embrace the task of characterizing and quantifying whatever life forms we find, the ability to map and […]

Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Understanding The Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Nitrous Oxide Reduction By Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vent Bacteria

by Keith Cowing

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the third most potent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane. It can also be oxidized by physical processes to form ozone-depleting substances. Atmospheric concentrations of […]

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Multi-pass, Single-molecule Nanopore Reading of Long Protein Strands

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: Oxford Nanopore technology has been used multiple times on the International Space Station (see Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics) to try and help elucidate changes in genomic function during exposure […]

Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Offworld Life Science Hardware: Real-Time Culture-Independent Microbial Profiling Onboard the International Space Station Using Nanopore Sequencing

by Keith Cowing

For the past two decades, microbial monitoring of the International Space Station (ISS) has relied on culture-dependent methods that require return to Earth for analysis.

Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: The Limits, Capabilities, and Potential for Life Detection with MinION Sequencing in a Paleochannel Mars Analog

by Keith Cowing

No instrument capable of direct life detection has been included on a mission payload to Mars since NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. This prevents us from discovering whether life […]

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