By analyzing iron isotopes against the uranium content in the jasper rock from the ancient ocean of the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa, scientists have found a defined vertical […]
NAI
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release
Studying Metabolism in Mixed Cultures
Studying Carbon-13 (13C) metabolism in a microbial community can be a time-consuming and tricky prospect. This is because scientists often have to separate a single species out of the mix […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Press Release
Organics Sniffed Out on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
While the Rosetta spacecraft orbits the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet, the Philae lander, deployed from Rosetta on November 2014, has gathered data on the surface of the comet that indicate the potential […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Astrobiology Colloquium: Self-Organizing Chemical Systems: From Materials Science to Astrobiology
Self-organizing processes in chemical reaction/precipitation systems can lead to a variety of complex structures, including chemical gardens and inorganic membranes. They key aspects of these systems are the steep concentration […]
Posted inNASA Astrobiology Program, Press Release
NASA Seeks New NASA Astrobiology Institute Director
NASA seeks a new Director for the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). The ideal candidate will be an internationally recognized scientist with proven experience in leading or managing large interdisciplinary research […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, NASA Astrobiology Program, Press Release
The Search for the Fingerprints of Life on Mars Begins
NASA’s Astrobiology Institute (NAI) announced that the SETI Institute has been selected as a new member of the NAI for a 5-year research program, “Changing Planetary Environments and the Fingerprints […]
Posted inNASA Astrobiology Program
Carl Pilcher Returns to NAI as Interim Director
The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) welcomes back Dr. Carl B. Pilcher as NAI Interim Director. Carl returned to the Institute August 11, 2014, serving on a half-time basis for approximately […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general)
Ignoring "Cosmos": Incompetence at NASA's Astrobiology Institute
After more than two months on national televison NASA’s Astrobiology Insitute has yet to utter a single word about “Cosmos”. This is baffling. It is also simply unacceptable. NASA’s Astrobiology […]
Posted inNASA Astrobiology Program
Michael Meyer Declines NAI Interim Director Position
Due to unexpected personal conflicts, Dr. Michael Meyer has declined the position of NAI’s Interim Director. Dr. Meyer explains, “Unfortunately, the requirements levied to resolve a conflict-of-interest were unacceptable.” “I […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Atmospheric Pressure on Exoplanets
NAI-funded astrobiologists at the University of Washington have developed a new method of gauging the atmospheric pressure of exoplanets, or worlds beyond the solar system, by looking for a certain […]