Pyrite Archives - Astrobiology

PIXL micro-XRF observation from the third “Apollo Temple” scan (a,b), alongside a SHERLOC WATSON color image for context (c). An RGB composite shows the areas with relative enrichment of FeOT, SO3, and SiO2 where brownish tones highlight Fe-sulfide (a). Zones of Ni enrichment are seen in yellow (b) and marked with white arrows (a,b,c). Dashed black box shows the approximate area of the PIXL scan (c). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Strong Nickel Enrichment Co-located With Redox-organic Interactions In Neretva Vallis, Mars

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

In 2024, NASA’s Perseverance rover explored Neretva Vallis, an ancient river channel that once transported water into Jezero crater.

This composite shows a section of the interstellar medium scientists X-rayed for sulfur using the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission). X-ray binary GX 340+0 is the inside the red circle drawn in the center. The composite contains a blend of imagery in X-rays (represented in deep blue), infrared, and light. -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

Astrochemistry: XRISM Satellite Measures Sulfur – An Essential Life Component

by Keith CowingJuly 23, 2025July 23, 2025

An international team of scientists have provided an unprecedented tally of elemental sulfur spread between the stars using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) spacecraft.

The adsorption energies of l-amino acids (l-AAs) and d-amino acids (d-AAs) on the surface of pyrite were labeled as Eads l-AAs and Eads d-AAs, respectively. The valence band and conduction band of natural pyrite were labeled as VB and CB, respectively. -- Nature Communications

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Prebiotic Formation Of Enantiomeric Excess D-amino Acids On Natural Pyrite

by Keith CowingDecember 6, 2024

D-amino acids, found in excess in a minority of organisms and crucial for marine invertebrates, contrast with the more common L-amino acids in most life forms.

Pyrite sulfur δ34S values as a function of the natural logarithm of pore water sulfate concentration (r2 = 0.52). Colors correspond to TOC concentration. The solid black line is the line of best fit, with the equation y = −8.4ln([SO4]) − 3.4. The two dashed black lines are parallel to the line of best fit and run 20 ‰ above it and 16 ‰ below it. -- Johns Hopkins University

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

An Unlikely Hero In The Evolution Of Life On Earth: Worms

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2024June 5, 2024

One of Earth’s most consequential bursts of biodiversity—a 30-million-year period of explosive evolutionary changes spawning innumerable new species—may have the most modest of creatures to thank for the vital stage […]

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, known as black smokers, emit volcanically heated fluids rich in dissolved metals and sulfur. These environments are oases of microbial activity on the ocean floor. -- Marum Universitat of Bremen

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Iron-sulfur Minerals Bear Witness To The Earliest Life On Earth

by Keith CowingMay 31, 2024May 31, 2024

A team of researchers at the Universities of Tübingen and Göttingen has found that certain minerals with characteristic shapes could indicate the activity of bacteria in hydrothermal vents – or […]