In the next 10–20 years, several observatories will aim to detect the signatures of oxygenic photosynthesis on exoplanets, though targets must be carefully selected. Most known potentially habitable exo-planets orbit […]
Telescope missions are currently being designed which will make direct imaging of habitable exoplanets possible in the near future, and studies are needed to quantify the detectability of biosignature features […]
Photosynthesis can take place in nature even at extremely low light levels. This is the result of an international study that investigated the development of Arctic microalgae at the end […]
The striking recent putative detection of “dark oxygen” (dark O2) sources on the abyssal ocean floor in the Pacific at ∼4 km depth raises the intriguing scenario that complex (i.e., […]
The dominant organisms in modern oxic ecosystems rely on respiratory quinones with high redox potential (HPQs) for electron transport in aerobic respiration and photosynthesis.
![Annual mean climate across 2003-2018 derived from ERA5 for (a) surface air temperature Ts [K], (b) biotemperature Tbio [K], (c) precipitation P [mm day−1 ⊕ ], (d) evaporation E [mm day−1 ⊕ ]-- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/A-Novel-Metric-For-Assessing.png?resize=1200%2C715&ssl=1)
Planetary surface habitability has so far been, in the main, considered in its entirety. The increasing popularity of 3D modelling studies of (exo)planetary climate has highlighted the need for a […]
Recently, cyanobacteria have gained attention in space exploration to support long-term crewed missions via Bioregenerative Life Support Systems. In this frame, cyanobacteria would provide biomass and profitable biomolecules through oxygenic […]
When it comes to the ocean’s response to global warming, we’re not in entirely uncharted waters. A UC Riverside study shows that episodes of extreme heat in Earth’s past caused […]
Stars with about 45 to 80% the mass of the Sun, so-called K dwarf stars, have previously been proposed as optimal host stars in the search for habitable extrasolar worlds.
Editor’s note: as we begin to explore ocean worlds – which may be inhabited – we’ll need to understand how currents and other activities within these seas – seas that […]
