Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Earth’s Northernmost Seafloor Hydrothermal System Shows Even More Variety In Vent Styles Than Expected

by Keith Cowing

A new study about Earth’s northernmost seafloor hydrothermal system shows even more variety in vent styles than previously thought. This has important implications for understanding the origin of these vents […]

Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean World Update: Deep-sea Discovery Shines Light On Life In The Twilight Zone

by Keith Cowing

The ocean’s twilight zone is deep, dark, and — according to new research — iron deficient. No sunlight reaches this region 200 to 1,000 meters below the sea surface, where […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Away Team Update: Exploring Hydrothermal Vents In The Gulf Of California

by Keith Cowing

When Samantha Joye and her fellow researchers once again set sail into the Gulf of California, they weren’t sure what to expect.

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Simulations Show How Low Gravity On Ocean Worlds Might Help To Sustain Warm Water Circulation For Millions Of Years

by Keith Cowing

A new study led by team members at UC Santa Cruz have used a complex computer model to investigate how the influence of low gravity, as found on ocean worlds […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Hydrothermal Vents On The Seafloors Of Ocean Worlds Could Support Life

by Keith Cowing

We’ve all seen the surreal footage in nature documentaries showing hydrothermal vents on the frigid ocean floor—bellowing black plumes of super-hot water—and the life forms that cling to them. Now, […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

NASA Makes Dual Investment in Ocean Worlds Research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

by Keith Cowing

(From 2019) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will invest in a major new research program headquartered at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) that pulls together some of […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Technologies Revise Our Understanding Of Oxygen Minimum Zones

by Keith Cowing

A new technology detects trace amounts of oxygen in an environment where previously these life-supporting molecules were below the limit of detection.

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Deep-sea Worm Discovered At Methane Seep Off Of Costa Rica

by Keith Cowing

Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other researchers have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm living near a methane seep some […]

Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Transform Faults Study Reveal Previously Unknown Part Of Earth’s Geological Carbon Cycle

by Keith Cowing

Editor’s note: The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago was visited by the HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin aboard in 1832 and again by the HMS Challenger – the namesake […]

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