University of Houston Archives - Astrobiology

Biofilms, shown here, are structured communities of microorganisms that could be important to space exploration.

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Press Release, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Space Stations

Rethinking The Microbial Future of Space Travel

by Keith CowingMarch 1, 2026March 1, 2026

University of Houston microbiologist Madhan Tirumalai is part of NASA’s Analysis Working Groups (AWG) and co-author of a review paper published Jan. 22 in npj Biofilms Microbiomes. The group’s microbes […]

Earth and Mars -- NASA

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Solving Meteorological Mysteries On Mars

by Keith CowingDecember 20, 2024December 20, 2024

A groundbreaking achievement by scientists at the University of Houston is changing our understanding of climate and weather on Mars and providing critical insights into Earth’s atmospheric processes as well.

Press Release, Titan

Studying Titan May Offer Insights About Earth

by Keith CowingDecember 3, 2019

Scientists studying the weather and climate of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, have reported a significant seasonal variation in its energy budget – that is the amount of solar energy absorbed […]

Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release

Hardy Organisms Threaten Interplanetary Contamination

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2018

In professor George Fox’s lab at the University of Houston, scientists are studying Earth germs that could be contaminating other planets. Despite extreme decontamination efforts, bacterial spores from Earth still […]