Ceres, the largest asteroid in our Solar System, harbors a dark secret: Extremely young ice deposits in permanently shadowed craters near its poles. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because […]
Planetary Science Institute
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Eccentricity Led To A Young Underground Ocean On Mimas
Saturn’s moon Mimas could have grown a huge underground ocean as its orbital eccentricity decreased to its present value and caused its icy shell to melt and thin.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Stellar Cartography: Passing Stars Altered Orbital Changes For Earth And Other Planets
Stars that pass by our Solar System have altered the long-term orbital evolution of planets, including Earth, and by extension modified our climate.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release
Vast, Potential Ice-Rich Deposit Found In Mars’ Equatorial Region
A potential ice-rich portion of the Medusae Fossae Formation deposits may contain the largest volume of water in the equatorial region of Mars.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release
Water May Have Flowed Intermittently in Martian Valleys for Hundreds of Millions of Years
Using impact craters as a dating tool, Planetary Science Institute Research Scientist Alexander Morgan has determined maximum timescales for the formation of Martian valley networks shaped by running water.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Surface Of Enceladus Shields Buried Organics
The Saturnian moon Enceladus presents a unique opportunity in our Solar System to search for evidence of life, given its habitable ocean and plume that deposits organic-bearing ocean material onto […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mercury, Press Release
Unveiling Mercury’s Geological Mysteries: Salt Glaciers, Primordial Atmosphere, and the New Frontiers of Astrobiology
Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute have uncovered evidence of potential salt glaciers on Mercury, opening a new frontier in astrobiology by revealing a volatile environment that might echo habitability […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
Searching For Concentrated Biosignatures In An Ancient Martian Mud Lake
A landmark discovery by a collaborative team led by the Planetary Science Institute’s Alexis Rodriguez has unveiled evidence of sedimentary plains created by aquifer drainage within Martian collapse formations termed […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
(Tricorder News): SHERLOC Observes Potential Organic Signatures In Jezero Crater On Mars
Scientists are getting a closer look of potential organic signatures in Martian rocks and may have found evidence of key building blocks of life preserved within two potentially habitable paleo-depositional […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
A Novel Definition of Life and Its Implications to Cybernetic Systems
Perhaps the most fundamental puzzle in biology – “What is life?” – is addressed in a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Oleg Abramov. “This work presents evidence […]