Editor’s note (Keith Cowing): Barry Blumberg was one cool dude. I was in on one of the first conversations at NASA Ames when his name came up to attend an […]
NASA AStrobiology Institute
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Earth's Oldest Bilaterian
Astrobiologists supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program have provided new insight into the transition between simple, microscopic life and complex animal life. Based on geological evidence, this transition […]
Posted inMars, Press Release
New Calibration of Humidity Data from Mars Phoenix Lander
Researchers have provided new calibrations for the humidity sensor on NASA’s Phoenix lander on Mars (the Phoenix Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) relative humidity sensor). Both the Phoenix lander […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
Using Metagenomics To Better Understand Hydrothermal Communities
Researchers supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program have used genome-resolved metagenotics and metatranscriptomics to better understand microbial communities in the subseafloor near hydrothermal vents. These techniques provide details […]
Posted inTitan
The Habitability of Titan and its Ocean
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is a hotbed of organic molecules, harboring a soup of complex hydrocarbons similar to that thought to have existed over four billion years ago on the […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology, Press Release
Interpreting Lipid Biomarkers in Microbial Mats
A new study examines lipid biomarkers in modern microbial mat ecosystems in order to gain insight into the ancient biomarker record. Researchers measured lipid biomarkers in insoluble macromolecular organic matter […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release
The Plausibility of Diamidophosphate (DAP) on the Early Earth
A recent study explores the potential for diamidophosphate (DAP) to form naturally on the early Earth. DAP has been shown to aid in the phosphorylation of molecules that are thought […]
Posted inEuropa, Press Release
How Salts on the Surface Could Aid in Modeling Europa's Ocean
Even though there are planned missions to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, they are unlikely to sample the depths of its potentially habitable ocean So a new paper, published in the […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release
How Manganese Played a Pivotal Role in Photosynthesis and Oxidation Protection
New research has identified manganese as an unsung hero in the evolution of life on Earth, as it enabled a form of pre-oxygen photosynthesis and helped protect against cellular oxidation. […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Press Release
Resurrecting Ancestral Proteins to Understand Ancient Bioeochemistry
A new study provides deeper insight into the chemical and isotopic signatures in Earth’s geological record by resurrecting ancient enzymes to better understand the processes by which they were formed. […]