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Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Exploration: Alvin Crew Witnesses Seafloor Eruption On The East Pacific Rise

by Keith Cowing

Scientists diving in the human-occupied vehicle Alvin recently witnessed a rare but predicted seafloor eruption along the mid-ocean ridge axis at 9°50’N on the East Pacific Rise.

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Raiding Nature’s Genetic Toolbox For UV-C Resistance By Functional Metagenomics

by Keith Cowing

As we assess the habitability of other worlds, we are limited by being able to only study terrestrial life adapted to terrestrial conditions.

Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Improving Spectroscopic Detection Limits with Multi-Pixel Signal-to-Noise Ratio Calculations: Application to the SHERLOC Instrument aboard the Perseverance Rover

by Keith Cowing

Background The Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument on NASA’s Perseverance rover is a deep ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence instrument used for organic […]

Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Testing Away Team Tools For The Moon And Beyond

by Keith Cowing

Bathed in realistic lighting, this was the first rehearsal to try out the ergonomics of scientific tools to study the mineralogical and chemical composition of regolith – the dust, soil […]

Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Space Station Imaging System to Enhance Space Biology and Life Detection Beyond Earth

by Keith Cowing

Onboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, dubbed ELVIS, is not about resurrecting rock-n-roll legends but pioneering scientific discovery. Using innovative holographic technology to deliver […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Tricorder Tech: Extant Life Detection Using Label-Free Video Microscopy In Analog Aquatic Environments

by Keith Cowing

The ability of microbial active motion, morphology, and optical properties to serve as biosignatures was investigated by in situ video microscopy in a wide range of extreme field sites where […]

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Status Report

Evaluating Serpentinization as a Source of Phosphite to Microbial Communities in Hydrothermal Vents

by Keith Cowing

Previous studies have documented the presence of phosphite, a reduced and highly soluble form of phosphorus, in serpentinites, which has led to the hypothesis that serpentinizing hydrothermal vents could have […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Radiation, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Antibody Resistance to Space Conditions after Exposure Outside the International Space Station

by Keith Cowing

Antibody-based analytical instruments are under development to detect signatures of life on planetary bodies. Antibodies are molecular recognition reagents able to detect their target at sub-nanomolar concentrations, with high affinity […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

ESA Tricorder Away Team Training In A Lava Tube

by Keith Cowing

ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan uses the microscope associated to the Electronic FieldBook, to investigate some deposits on the Corona lava tube walls.

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