In a new study, terrestrial bacteria-infecting viruses were still able to infect their E. coli hosts in near-weightless “microgravity” conditions aboard the International Space Station, but the dynamics of virus-bacteria […]
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Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Extremophile Adaptation: How A Deep Sea Worm Survives High Arsenic And Sulfide Levels
A deep sea worm that inhabits hydrothermal vents survives the high levels of toxic arsenic and sulfide in its environment by combining them in its cells to form a less […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
How Membranes May Have Brought About The Chemistry Of Life On Earth
How life arose remains a looming question in science that researchers are seeking to answer by studying the features shared among life today. Everything alive is made up of cells, […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Panspermia, Radiation, Tardigrades
A Comparative Ultrastructure Study of the Tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus In The Hydrated State, After Desiccation and During the Process of Rehydration
Tardigrades can survive hostile environments such as desiccation by adopting a state of anhydrobiosis. Numerous tardigrade species have been described thus far, and recent genome and transcriptome analyses revealed that […]
Posted inLife Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Status Report
Offworld Agriculture: Intercropping On Mars
Future colonists on Mars will need to produce fresh food locally to acquire key nutrients lost in food dehydration, the primary technique for sending food to space. In this study […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Moon, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Moonlight-driven Biological Choruses In Hawaiian Coral Reefs
Editor’s note: Our world is more or less a double planet. Our large Moon creates significant tidal forces that drive much of the way that our oceans circulate and mix. […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A Prebiotic Basis For ATP As The Universal Energy Currency
ATP is universally conserved as the principal energy currency in cells, driving metabolism through phosphorylation and condensation reactions. Such deep conservation suggests that ATP arose at an early stage of […]
Posted inGaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Staying Habitable: How An Intelligent Species Should Treat Their Planetary Ocean
Humanity’s relationship with the Ocean needs to be transformed to effectively address the multitude of governance crises facing the Ocean, including overfishing, climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Ancient Chemistry May Explain Why Earth Life Uses ATP As The Universal Energy Currency
A simple two-carbon compound may have been a crucial player in the evolution of metabolism before the advent of cells, according to a new study published October 4th in the […]
Posted inLife Support Systems, Mars, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Life Science
Growing Food On Mars: Alfalfa Can Fertilize Soil And Cyanobacteria Can Desalinate Salt Water
Growth of radish plants in alfalfa treated basaltic regolith simulant soil using fresh water (left), unfiltered (middle) or filtered (right) biodesalinated water. CREDIT Kasiviswanathan et al., 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY […]