An international team including Southwest Research Institute, Leiden University and NASA used observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to achieve the darkest ever view of a dense interstellar […]
SWRI
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Press Release
SwRI Examines The Origins Of The Building Blocks Of Life
A new study led by Southwest Research Institute Research Scientist Dr. Danna Qasim posits that interstellar cloud conditions may have played a significant role on the presence of key building […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
SwRI Delivers MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration (MASPEX) For Europa Clipper
A groundbreaking new mass spectrometer designed and built by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been delivered for integration onto NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Evidence For Habitability In Enceladus’ Ocean
The search for extraterrestrial life just got more interesting as a team of scientists including Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Christopher Glein has discovered new evidence for a key building block […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Press Release
Sulfur Residue Mapped On Europa
A Southwest Research Institute-led team used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe Jupiter’s moon, Europa, at ultraviolet wavelengths, filling in a “gap” in the various wavelengths used to observe this […]
Posted inImpact events
SwRI-led Team Produces A New Earth Bombardment Model
A team led by Southwest Research Institute has updated its asteroid bombardment model of the Earth with the latest geologic evidence of ancient, large collisions. These models have been used […]
Posted inImpact events
Zeroing In On the Source Of The Impactor That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs
The impactor believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and other life forms on Earth some 66 million years ago likely came from the outer half of the main asteroid […]
Posted inMars, Press Release
Mars' Climate Modelled To Understand Its Habitability
A Southwest Research Institute scientist modeled the atmosphere of Mars to help determine that salty pockets of water present on the Red Planet are likely not habitable by life as […]
Posted inEnceladus, Press Release
New Models Reveal The Inner Complexity Of Enceladus
A Southwest Research Institute team developed a new geochemical model that reveals that carbon dioxide (CO2) from within Enceladus, an ocean-harboring moon of Saturn, may be controlled by chemical reactions […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Water-bearing Minerals Discovered On Asteroid Bennu
A Southwest Research Institute-led team discovered evidence of abundant water-bearing minerals on the surface of the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu. Using early spectral data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft orbiting the […]