[astro-ph.GA] Astrochemistry is a well-established multidisciplinary field devoted to study molecules in space. While most astrochemists are oriented to observe molecules in the gas phase and reproduce their abundances by […]
spectoscopy
![A schematic showing the key abitoic (black dashed boxes) and biotic (white dashed box) processes occurring in the model (reproduced from Nicholson et al. 2022). -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/A-generalised-microbial.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
A Generalised Microbial Cell Model For Methane Biosignature Predictions
[astro-ph.EP] The majority of potentially habitable planets detected to date are likely quite different to Earth, for example, being larger in radius and mass, differing rotation rates and with host […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Away Teams & Field Reports, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Sample Return
Astrochemistry: Surrounded by Stardust: Iron-60 Discovery In Antarctic Ice Reveals: Local Interstellar Cloud Leaves Its Mark
Our Solar System is currently passing through the Local Interstellar Cloud, a region of highly diluted gas and dust between the stars.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Searching For Life-As-We-Don’t-Know-It: Mission-relevant Application of Assembly Theory For Exoplanet Life Detection
This white paper introduces a framework for applying Assembly Theory (AT) to planetary atmospheres as a biosignature framework suitable for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Role of Intrinsic Temperature and Vertical Mixing in Characterizing Sub-Neptune Atmospheres
Sub-Neptune planets are often modeled with a dense rocky or metal-rich interior beneath a thick hydrogen/helium (H/He) atmosphere; though their bulk densities could also be explained by a water-rich interior […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A JWST Transmission Spectrum Of The Temperate Sub-Neptune TOI-732 c
In recent years, JWST has facilitated detections of carbon-bearing molecules in the atmospheres of temperate sub-Neptunes orbiting M dwarfs, ushering in a new era in the characterization of this intriguing […]
![The left panel shows a zoom of the GA and ethanol emission maps toward B0, B1 and B2 respectively, integrated over the velocity range [−10, 5] km s−1](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Glycolaldehyde-And-Ethanol-Toward.png?resize=1200%2C707&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Glycolaldehyde And Ethanol Toward The L1157 Outflow: Resolved Images And Constraints On Glycolaldehyde Formation
Two main formation routes have been proposed for interstellar complex organic molecules (iCOMs): on dust grain surfaces and in the gas phase. Observing such molecules in protostellar outflow shock regions […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
XRISM Insights For Interstellar Sulfur
The X-ray Imaging Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) provides the best spectral resolution with which to study Sulfur (S) K-shell photoabsorption features from the interstellar medium (ISM).
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
KOBE 1: The First Planetary System From the KOBE survey. Two Planets Likely Residing in the sub-Neptune Mass Regime Around a Late K-dwarf
K-dwarf stars are promising targets in the exploration of potentially habitable planets. Their properties, falling between G and M dwarfs, provide an optimal trade-off between the prospect of habitability and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Scientists Compile Library For Evaluating Exoplanet Water
By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth’s hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of […]