Nature
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ice-covered Lake Enigma In Antarctica Supports Unique Microbial Communities

by Keith Cowing

Northern Foothills of Victoria Land, Antarctica contains numerous hydrological formations, ranging from small surface streams and ponds fed by glacial or snow meltwater to permafrost lakes containing briny pockets.

Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Ceres, Comets and Asteroids, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

An Ancient And Impure Frozen Ocean On Ceres Implied By Its Ice-rich Crust

by Keith Cowing

Ceres is a key object in understanding the evolution of small bodies and is the only dwarf planet to have been orbited by a spacecraft, NASA’s Dawn mission.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Decoding Organic Compounds In Lava Tube Sulfates To Understand Potential Biomarkers In The Martian Subsurface

by Keith Cowing

Exploring molecular biomarkers in lava tube speleothems offers insights into environmental dynamics, biogeochemical processes, and subsurface life, with implications for astrobiology, particularly in Martian analog environments.

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Siderite and Vivianite as Energy Sources for the Extreme Acidophilic Bacterium Acidithiobacillus Ferrooxidans in the Context of Mars Habitability

by Keith Cowing

Past and present habitability of Mars have been intensely studied in the context of the search for signals of life. Despite the harsh conditions observed today on the planet, some […]

Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Preservation of Bacillus subtilis’ Cellular Liquid State at Deep Sub-zero Temperatures In Perchlorate Brines

by Keith Cowing

Although a low temperature limit for life has not been established, it is thought that there exists a physical limit imposed by the onset of intracellular vitrification, typically occurring at […]

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Prebiotic Membrane Structures Mimic the Morphology of Alleged Early Traces of Life on Earth

by Keith Cowing

Elucidating compositions of the first cell membranes requires experiments with molecules and chemical conditions representative of early Earth. The molecules used are described as ‘prebiotically plausible’, i.e., they could have […]

Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: A Biological Camera That Captures And Stores Images Directly Into DNA

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: As we develop the instrumentation for use on offworld Astrobiology Away Teams, compactness and efficiency will be paramount. Given the distances involved team members may well need to […]

Posted inAstrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Is The Apparent Absence Of Extraterrestrial Technological Civilizations Down To The Zoo Hypothesis Or Nothing?

by Keith Cowing

The ‘Fermi paradox’ refers to the mismatch between a widely held expectation that advanced technological life should be common in the Universe—recently given impetus by the discovery that other planetary […]

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