The search for extrasolar photosynthetic life is one of the most important goals for modern astrobiology. Recent discoveries of cold brown dwarfs, as well as planets orbiting M-, G-, K-, […]
Photosynthesis
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Conferences and Meetings, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Plant Biology, Press Release
NASA Exoplanets System Science Extraterrestrial Photosynthesis Workshop
May 15-17, 2026Heidel House, Green Lake, Wisconsin, USAPreceding AbSciCon 2026 Applications for the NExSS Extraterrestrial Photosynthesis Workshop are now open. Deadline to apply is January 11, 2026.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Organic Geochemical Evidence For Life In Archean Rocks Identified By Pyrolysis–GC–MS and Supervised Machine Learning
Significance Teasing out biochemical information from ancient organic-rich sediments, notably the timing of the emergence of photosynthesis relative to the inferred oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere, remains a challenging opportunity. To […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mars, Press Release
How A Pyrite-oxidizing Microbe Helps Preserve Atmospheric Oxygen In Sulfate
Because oxygen-bearing sulfate minerals trap and preserve signals from Earth’s atmosphere, scientists closely study how they form. Sulfates are stable over billions of years, so their oxygen isotopes are seen […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Hot Springs In Japan Give Insight Into Ancient Microbial Life On Earth
Earth was not always the blue-green world we know today: the early Earth’s oxygen levels were about a million times lower than we now experience. There were no forests and […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Studying Thermophiles In Yellowstone National Park
Ask any Yellowstone park ranger about hazards in the park, and you will soon learn that hydrothermal features (not bears) have caused more harm than any other natural threat. Park […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release
Partnership Between Algae And Bacteria Reveals Secrets Of Evolution
The microscopic alliance between algae and bacteria offers rare, step-by-step snapshots of how bacteria lose genes and adapt to increasing host dependence. This is shown by a new study led […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Conferences and Meetings, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Status Report
NASA/NExSS Extraterrestrial Photosynthesis Workshop
A NASA Exoplanets System Science (NExSS) WorkshopMay 15-17, 2026Heidel House, Green Lake, Wisconsin, USAPreceding AbSciCon 2026
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture
Researchers Identify Protein That Evolved To Enable Photosynthesis In Land Plants
Evolutionary plant biologists at the University of Toronto (U of T) have identified a protein that evolved approximately 500 million years ago, enabling plants to convert light into energy through […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Detecting Alien Living Worlds And Photosynthetic Life Using Imaging Polarimetry With The HWO Coronagraph
Our Earth, being the only living planet that we know, provides us with clues that photosynthetic life-forms may be dominant on other exoplanets for billions of years.