![This illustration contrasts Earth's oceans during ancient glaciations (left) with deglacial conditions (right). Syracuse University researchers found that oceans lost oxygen not just during warm periods, but repeatedly during Earth's deepest ice ages, a pattern preserved in manganese deposits within ancient seafloor rock. (Courtesy: Xubin Wang, generated with AI)-- [Syracuse University]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Metal-deposits.jpg?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[Syracuse University] An international team of researchers analyzed manganese and other chemical signatures preserved in more than 27,000 ancient seafloor samples collected from six continents. Across six major glaciations spanning […]
seafloor
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports
Expedition Led By MBARI Researchers Reveals A Remarkable, And Rare, Form Of Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vents
[MBARI] An international team of researchers, led by MBARI Senior Scientist Aaron Micallef and Schmidt Ocean Institute, has discovered two remarkable fields of hydrothermal vents in the Doldrums Megatransform and […]
Posted inPress Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
University of Delaware Robotics Study The Depths Of Earth’s Ocean
From the East Pacific Rise in the Pacific Ocean to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic, researchers from the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment led the […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Microbes Use Earth’s Ancient Carbon
Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor release carbon dioxide that is many million years old. This old carbon originates from the Earth’s interior, and it escapes either directly from the […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Jupiter’s Moon Europa Has A Seafloor That May Be Quiet And Lifeless
The giant planet Jupiter has nearly 100 known moons, yet none have captured the interest and imagination of astronomers and space scientists quite like Europa, an ice-shrouded world that is […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Deep Learning For Microbial Life Detection In Deep Subseafloor Samples: Objective Cell Recognition
Microscopic detection and enumeration of microbial biomass provide essential primary information about the biosphere.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Water Planet Exploration: A Visual Coverage Estimate Of Earth’s Deep Seafloor
Despite the importance of visual observation in the ocean, we have imaged a minuscule fraction of the deep seafloor.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Insights From The First Global Appraisal Of Microbiomes In Earth’s Subsurface Environments
Which microbes thrive below us in darkness – in gold mines, in aquifers, in deep boreholes in the seafloor – and how do they compare to the microbiomes that envelop […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Subseafloor Crustal Biosphere: Ocean’s Hidden Biogeochemical Reactor
Underlying the thick sediment layer in ocean basins, the flow of seawater through the cracked and porous upper igneous crust supports a previously hidden and largely unexplored active subsurface microbial […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return
Marine Mineral Formations in the Arctic Ocean Challenge Existing Geologic Theories
A new study from USGS describes a previously unknown process of marine mineral formation in the Arctic Ocean, driven by frictional heating along tectonic faults rather than by hydrothermal activity.