The traditional definition of the circumstellar habitable zone (HZ) focuses on liquid water, but neglects the crucial role of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in prebiotic chemistry.
UV radiation
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Radiation, Status Report
Flare-driven Habitability: Expanding Life’s Potential Around Low-mass Stars
The traditional definition of the circumstellar habitable zone (HZ) focuses on liquid water, but neglects the crucial role of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in prebiotic chemistry.
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Panspermia, Radiation, Status Report
Cyanobacteria Under UV Radiation: General Insights Into Stress Responses
One of the first organisms to appear on Earth was cyanobacteria, which carried out oxygenic photosynthesis.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Sub-Neptune Exoplanet Hazes Through Laboratory Experiments
Temperate sub-Neptune exoplanets could contain large inventories of water in various phases, such as water-worlds with water-rich atmospheres or even oceans.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Adapting to UV: Integrative Genomic and Structural Analysis in Bacteria from Chilean Extreme Environments
Extremophilic bacteria from extreme environments, such as the Atacama Desert, Salar de Huasco, and Antarctica, exhibit adaptations to intense UV radiation. In this study, we investigated the genomic and structural […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Revision of the Structure of Scytonemin Imine and Its Relationship to Scytonemin: Chromism and Implications for Astrobiology and Cyanobacterial Adaptability
Scytonemin, a UV-protective pigment produced by cyanobacteria, is essential for microbial survival under extreme solar radiation.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Radiation, Status Report
The EXO-UV Program: Lastest Advances of Experimental Studies to Investigate the Biological Impact of UV Radiation on Exoplanets
The EXO-UV program is an international, interdisciplinary collaboration between astrophysicists and biologists aimed at expanding the characterization of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) environments on exoplanets.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1
An Experimental Study Of The Biological Impact Of A Superflare On The TRAPPIST-1 Planets
In the present study, we conducted experiments to assess the biological effects of high fluences of UV radiation (UVR) on the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system (planets e, f, g within the […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Status Report
Investigating The Stability of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids in Hydrated Magnesium Sulfate under UV Irradiation to Assist Detection of Organics on Mars
The Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument onboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover detected so far some of the most intense fluorescence signals […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Plant Biology, Radiation, Status Report
UV Photo-degradation of the Secondary Lichen Substance Parietin: A Multi-spectroscopic Analysis in Astrobiology Perspective
The cortical anthraquinone yellow-orange pigment parietin is a secondary lichen substance providing UV-shielding properties that is produced by several lichen species. In our work, the secondary metabolite has been extracted […]