Researchers demonstrate for the first time the potential of existing technology to directly detect and characterize life on Mars and other planets The study, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, used […]
tricorder
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: New Tool For Looking For Life Beyond Earth
NASA has developed an innovative new spectroscopy instrument to aid the search for extraterrestrial life. The new instrument is designed to detect compounds and minerals associated with biological activity more […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
A Real Tricorder
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed technology that enables a smartphone to perform lab-grade medical diagnostic tests that typically require large, expensive instruments. Costing only $550, […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Real-Time DNA Sequencing in the Antarctic Dry Valleys Using the Oxford Nanopore Sequencer
The ability to sequence DNA outside of the laboratory setting has enabled novel research questions to be addressed in the field in diverse areas, ranging from environmental microbiology to viral […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
A New Test for Life on Other Planets
A simple chemistry method could vastly enhance how scientists search for signs of life on other planets. The test uses a liquid-based technique known as capillary electrophoresis to separate a […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
THEO Concept Mission: Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean
Saturn’s moon Enceladus offers a unique opportunity in the search for life and habitable environments beyond Earth, a key theme of the National Research Council’s 2013-2022 Decadal Survey. A plume […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Sequencing DNA in Space
NASA is not often known for making the best use of existing COTS (commercial off the shelf technology) aboard the ISS. Then again, sometimes they are. This is an example […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Chemical Laptop Could Search for Signs of Extraterrestrial Life
If you were looking for the signatures of life on another world, you would want to take something small and portable with you. That’s the philosophy behind the “Chemical Laptop” […]
Posted inMissions & Hardware, Press Release
Colorful Life-Form Catalog Will Help Discern If We're Alone
While looking for life on planets beyond our own solar system, a group of international scientists has created a colorful catalog containing reflection signatures of Earth life forms that might […]
Posted inPress Release
Making Science Fiction a Science Reality: Finalist Teams Selected for $10 Million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE
XPRIZE, the global leader in incentivized prize competitions, today announced the 10 finalist teams competing for the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 3.5-year global competition sponsored by the Qualcomm Foundation […]