Guest edited by Dr. Scott M. Perl (LA-NHM) and Dr. Mary Beth Wilhelm (NASA Ames) To mark the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Viking landings, the journal Astrobiology has published a […]
NASA Ames
SpaceCHI 2026
Space exploration is at the dawn of a new era. Major reductions in launch costs and the rise of the private space industry are rapidly democratizing access to space. Once […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), People Of Astrobiology
Don DeVincenzi
Editor’s note: according to this notice: “Don DeVincenzi passed away peacefully on February 14, 2025 surrounded by his family.” Where do I start? Don was a fixture at NASA Ames […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
What NASA’s Next Mars Helicopter May Look Like
NASA’s Mars Chopper concept, shown in a design software rendering, is a more capable proposed follow-on to the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which arrived at the Red Planet in the […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrobiology (general), Missions & Hardware, Status Report
NASA AI-Astrobiology Initiative Questionnaire
The AI-Astrobiology initiative being run by Ryan Felton and Caleb Scharf at NASA Ames would like to hear from you regarding artificial intelligence and machine-learning.
Posted inBiophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
NASA Researchers Develop ‘Founding Document’ on Synthetic Cell Development
Cells are the fundamental units of life, forming the variety of all living things on Earth as individual cells and multi-cellular organisms. To better understand how cells perform the essential […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Why Is Methane Seeping on Mars? NASA Scientists Have New Ideas
A recent paper may help explain why a portable chemistry lab on NASA’s Curiosity rover has continually sniffed out traces of the gas near the surface of Gale Crater.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report
In Memoriam: Andrzej Pohorille
Dr. Andrzej (Andrew) Pohorille, a foundational contributor to astrobiology at NASA, passed away on January 6, 2024. Pohorille was a pioneering mind in the area of modeling the origins of […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: NASA Scientist Unveils New Chemical Detection Technology
NASA scientists are creating technology that can detect hazardous chemical compounds in the air with a smart phone.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
The Zöe Rover: Robotic Astrobiology Expedition Yields Significant Science Findings
A group of scientists announced today that they identified habitats and microbial life using a rover in Chile’s arid Atacama desert, one of the harshest environments on Earth, and that […]