While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar […]
organic chemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan
Dragonfly Rotorcraft Astrobiology Mission To Titan Confirmed
NASA has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn’s organic-rich moon Titan. The decision allows the mission to progress to completion of final design, followed by the construction and testing […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
CN And CCH Derivatives Of Ethylene And Ethane: Confirmation Of The Detection Of CH3CH2CCH In TMC-1
We present a study of CH3CH2CCH, CH3CH2CN, CH2CHCCH, and CH2CHCN in TMC-1 using the QUIJOTE1 line survey. We confirm the presence of CH3CH2CCH in TMC-1, which was previously reported as […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Miranda, Neptune, Oberon, Status Report, Titania, Triton, Umbriel, Uranus
JWST Spectrophotometry of the Small Satellites of Uranus and Neptune
We use 1.4-4.6 micron multi-band photometry of the small inner Uranian and Neptunian satellites obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared imager NIRCam to characterize their surface compositions.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Field Test Of WATSON Biosignature Tricorder In Greenland
During 2019 field tests near Greenland’s Summit Station, a high-elevation remote observing station, the WATSON (Wireline Analysis Tool for the Subsurface Observation of Northern ice sheets) instrument is put through […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Interstellar, Status Report
A Computational Investigation Into Hydrocarbon Growth On Extraterrestrial Mineral Surfaces Toward Understanding the Carbon Discrepancy in Space
The distribution and chemical form of carbon in the universe are of great interest to astrobiology; however, the measured abundance of carbon in interstellar environments is significantly less than that […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Radial and Vertical Constraints On The Icy Origin Of H2CO In The HD 163296 Protoplanetary Disk
H2CO is a small organic molecule widely detected in protoplanetary disks. As a precursor to grain-surface formation of CH3OH, H2CO is considered an important precursor of O-bearing organic molecules that […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Venus
Necessary Conditions For Earthly Life Floating In The Venusian Atmosphere
Millimeter-waveband spectra of Venus from both the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) provide conclusive evidence (signal-to-noise ratio of about 15σ) of a phosphine […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Heat Flows Are The Secret To Order In Prebiotic Molecular Kitchen
Life is complicated. What is true for our everyday existence also holds for the many complex processes that take place inside cells. Proteins constantly have to be synthesized, cell walls […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Interstellar, Status Report
Comprehensive Laboratory Constraints On Thermal Desorption Of Interstellar Ice Analogues
To explain grain growth and destruction in warm media, ice mantle formation and sublimation in cold media, and gas line emission spectroscopy, astrochemical models must mimic the gas–solid abundance ratio. […]