The McMurdo Dry Valleys, located in the Antarctic Victoria Land, are considered to be the most similar earthly equivalent to Mars. They make up one of the driest and most […]
radiation
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Radiation
Effects at Earth's Surface Following Astrophysical Ionizing Radiation Events
Astrophysical ionizing radiation events have been recognized as a potential threat to life on Earth, primarily through depletion of stratospheric ozone and subsequent increase in surface-level solar ultraviolet radiation. Simulations […]
Posted inMissions & Hardware, Radiation
New Class of Biological Detectors for WIMPs
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) may constitute a large fraction of the matter in the Universe. There are excess events in the data of DAMA/LIBRA, CoGeNT, CRESST-II, and recently CDMS-Si, […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Radiation
How Do Tardigrades Survive Environmental Extremes?
If you have been watching the new series “Cosmos” recently then you have see Tardigrades or “water bears” featured. These creatures are remarkably resistant to a wide range of conditions […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Radiation
Understanding How Life Resists Radiation Damage
Capitalizing on the ability of an organism to evolve in response to punishment from a hostile environment, scientists have coaxed the model bacterium Escherichia coli to dramatically resist ionizing radiation […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Radiation
The Possible Effect of Cosmic Rays on Terrestrial Climate
The problem of the contribution of cosmic rays to climate change is a continuing one and one of importance. In principle, at least, the recent results from the CLOUD project […]