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 […]
Nanotechnology
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Microbes in Extreme Environments: Life at the Limits and Its Biotechnological Applications
Microorganisms are found in nearly every environment on Earth, including some of the most extreme habitats where life was once thought to be impossible. These “extremophiles” thrive in conditions of […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Life Support Systems, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
DARPA: Building Space Elevators, Space Nets, and other Large Bio-Mechanical Space Structures
Given recent advances in metabolic engineering for rapid growth, extremophiles with novel properties, biological self-assembly properties of tunable materials, and emergent mechanical design principles of biological systems, DARPA is interested […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Proxima Centauri, Tardigrades
Extremophile/Astrobiology Spinoff: A Tardigrade Protein May Help Cancer Patients Tolerate Radiation Therapy
About 60 percent of all cancer patients in the United States receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. However, this radiation can have severe side effects that often end […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report
Genome Modeling And Design Across All Domains Of Life With Evo 2
All of life encodes information with DNA. While tools for sequencing, synthesis, and editing of genomic code have transformed biological research, intelligently composing new biological systems would also require a […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Recoding A Genome For Programmable Synthetic Proteins
Synthetic biologists from Yale were able to re-write the genetic code of an organism — a novel genomically recoded organism (GRO) with one stop codon — using a cellular platform […]
Posted inBiophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report
Machinery Behind Bacterial Nanowires Discovered
Almost all living things breathe oxygen to eliminate the excess electrons produced when nutrients are converted into energy. However, most microbes that mitigate pollution and climate change don’t have access […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Extremophiles and Extremophilic Behaviour – New Insights and Perspectives
Extremophiles, throughout evolutionary time, have evolved a plethora of unique strategies to overcome hardships associated with the environments they are found in.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: A Nanopore Diagnostic Tool Breakthrough Had Multiple Applications
Editor’s note: Nanopore technology has been used multiple times on the International Space Station to try and help elucidate changes in genomic function during exposure to conditions of spaceflight. This […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report
Raiding Nature’s Genetic Toolbox For UV-C Resistance By Functional Metagenomics
As we assess the habitability of other worlds, we are limited by being able to only study terrestrial life adapted to terrestrial conditions.