Articles tagged with Astrobiology
The OSIRIS-REx mission has found that asteroid Bennu's boulders are cracked, not porous as initially thought. This discovery transforms our understanding of how to interpret an asteroid's thermal properties from Earth-based observations.
A Johns Hopkins University study finds that tiny life forms can survive extreme pressure comparable to an ejection from Mars after an asteroid hit, and may potentially move between planets. The discovery raises implications for planetary protection and space missions.
A microbe survived extreme pressures generated by a simulated Mars impact, suggesting it could withstand launch across space after major impacts. The hardy extremophile prioritized cellular repair and maintained structure in its cell envelope, enabling 60% survival of microbes.
Researchers at UW-Madison have resurrected a 3.2-billion-year-old nitrogenase enzyme to improve our understanding of the origins of life on Earth and potentially recognize signs of life elsewhere.
Astronomers may need to look beyond the traditional habitable zone for liquid water and potentially life-friendly conditions. A new study suggests that tidally locked worlds, even those orbiting closer to cool M- and K-dwarf stars than previously thought, could sustain liquid water on their night side.
A new study suggests that physical properties guided life before genes did. Phospholipids with more unsaturated bonds were more likely to merge and grow under freeze-thaw cycles.
Researchers at Aarhus University have demonstrated that protein building blocks essential for life as we know it form readily in space. Peptides, which bond amino acids together, were found to react with each other to form proteins on dust particles.
The SETI Institute is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Tarter Award, recognizing individuals who significantly advance humanity's search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence. The award comes with a $100,000 prize and honors innovative projects across science, technology, education, art, philosophy, law, and ethics.
Researchers reanalyze Cassini mission data to find that Titan's interior is more icy and slushy than previously thought, with implications for the search for life on Titan. The new findings suggest a slushy layer instead of an ocean, which could facilitate the growth of simple organisms.
The Subaru Telescope's OASIS program has discovered a massive planet and a brown dwarf orbiting distant stars. These discoveries enable the upcoming Roman Space Telescope to test critical technologies for imaging Earth-like planets.
A new study reveals fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks over 3.3 billion years old, with molecular traces showing oxygen-producing photosynthesis emerged nearly a billion years earlier than thought. The approach uses machine learning to recognize subtle molecular fingerprints left behind by living organisms.
Life in Space bridges astrophysics and biology to explore conditions for life on Earth and beyond. The book offers a comprehensive view of astrobiology, tracing how astronomical and biological forces intersect to create and sustain life.
Researchers found yeast cells can withstand shock waves and toxic perchlorate salts, simulating Martian conditions. The yeast's ability to produce ribonucleoprotein condensates helps protect against stress, making it a model for astrobiology research and potential life support systems in space.
A massive exoplanet dubbed 'super-Earth' has been discovered orbiting a nearby dwarf star, offering new hope in the hunt for other worlds that could harbor life. The exoplanet, GJ 251 c, is approximately four times as massive as Earth and likely to be rocky.
Astronomers detected complex organic molecules in ices outside the Milky Way for the first time, finding five different carbon-based compounds, including methanol and acetic acid. This discovery sheds light on how chemical ingredients for life spread throughout the cosmos.
Researchers propose a new model for Earth's oxygenation, finding that high nickel and urea concentrations kept cyanobacterial blooms rare. As these compounds became available at lower levels, they drove the expansion of cyanobacteria, leading to long-term oxygen release and the Great Oxidation Event.
A recent study from Japan explores ancient microbial life on Earth by analyzing iron-rich hot springs that mimic the chemistry of early oceans. Microaerophilic iron-oxidising bacteria were found to be dominant, using ferrous iron as an energy source before photosynthesis became dominant.
Dr. Glein will discuss Enceladus' deep ocean beneath its icy surface, which contains organic molecules and nutrients needed for life. The Saturn moon's ocean erupts into space, forming a towering plume with constant activity, making it a promising place for life.
A new review in Microbial Biotechnology highlights microbes as allies in various industries, from food fermentation to biofuels. Films such as French Kiss and The Martian showcase microbes as positive forces, challenging the traditional villain stereotype.
Two studies reveal that natural processes can bring organic-rich materials to the Mars rover, increasing its diversity of samples. Rockfalls in Oxia Planum may have originated from elsewhere on Mars and were deposited through a series of floods over 3.5 billion years ago.
Planets with 10% carbon dioxide could maintain a biosphere for 4.2 billion years, while those with 1% carbon dioxide last only 3.1 billion years. These conditions make the existence of technological alien life unlikely, with estimated lifetimes ranging from 280,000 to millions of years.
A new study suggests that ancient Martian rocks contain minerals and organic matter indicative of a habitable environment and potential biological processes. The discovery was made in the Jezero Crater's Bright Angel formation, which is considered a prime target in the search for signs of past life.
Astronomers discovered a greedy white dwarf star consuming its closest celestial companion at an unprecedented rate. The study found that the super-dense white dwarf is burning brightly due to the mass transfer between the two stars, potentially leading to a massive explosion visible from Earth.
New research questions the origin of organic molecules in Enceladus's plumes, suggesting they could be formed by radiation on Saturn's surface rather than originating from the sub-surface ocean. This challenges astrobiologists' assumptions about the moon's habitability.
Astrobiologists have developed a new model to characterize water-rich sub-Neptunes, which are planets with sizes and masses between those of Earth and Neptune. This model accounts for the complex behavior of supercritical water and its implications for planetary formation and potential habitability.
Complex organic molecules, precursors to life's building blocks, have been found in a planet-forming disc around the outbursting protostar V883 Orionis. This discovery supports the idea that life's seeds are assembled in space and are widespread.
Scientists at SwRI conducted lab experiments to explain the mysterious distribution of hydrogen peroxide on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. The research found that trace amounts of CO2 in water ice can enhance hydrogen peroxide production, shedding light on the moon's habitability and chemical cycles.
NASA microbiologist James Holden is searching for signs of microbial life in Earth's deep-sea volcanoes, which he believes could be similar to those on Jupiter's moon Europa. The hydrothermal vents, where these microbes thrive, provide a unique environment that may support alien life.
A study found that lichen from the Mojave Desert can survive and replicate under extreme solar radiation, previously considered lethal. The discovery suggests that photosynthetic life may be possible on planets exposed to intense UV-C rays, offering new hope for the search of extraterrestrial life.
A new study reveals a connection between solar flares and short-term weather patterns on exoplanets. The research found that sudden outbursts of radiation from stars can cause measurable changes in a planet's climate within days.
New data from the James Webb Space Telescope suggests that Europa's icy surface is constantly changing due to interactions with charged particles. Laboratory experiments also found evidence of crystalline ice beneath the amorphous ice layer, indicating a possible liquid ocean beneath the surface.
A recent study suggests that Saturn's moon Titan could support simple, microscopic life forms due to its abundant organic content. However, the amount of biomass that can exist in this environment is likely to be extremely limited, possibly only a few pounds.
A new study by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo hints that calcium ions played a crucial role in shaping life's earliest molecular structures. The team discovered that calcium dramatically alters how tartaric acid molecules link together, favoring homochiral polymers and potentially influencing the emergence of life.
Researchers have detected unprecedentedly large organic molecules on Mars, containing up to 12 consecutive carbon atoms. These findings provide valuable insights into the planet's potential for life and pave the way for future interplanetary science missions.
Researchers identify methyl halides as a potential sign of microbial life on Hycean planets with thick hydrogen atmospheres. The gas could accumulate in exoplanet atmospheres and be detectable from light-years away, offering an optimal strategy for the search for extraterrestrial life.
The ARRAKIS project team aims to understand how microbial life thrives in extreme environments by studying the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in Alaska. Researchers will use Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify and quantify organic compounds and measure ATP and total DNA.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a new optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy method to detect microbial cells in ancient rocks, analogous to those found on Mars. The study strengthens Mars sample return protocols by providing a reliable way to assess the presence or absence of life in samples.
The SETI Institute has awarded its first Frank Drake Postdoctoral Fellowship to Dr. Anastasia Yanchilina, who will focus on distinguishing biosignatures from false positives across space and time. Her research aims to refine biosignature detection techniques using lab experiments and studying Earth's extreme environments.
A recent study found that polyester microdroplets can form in salt-rich environments, at low alpha-hydroxy acid concentrations, and in small reaction volumes. This expands on previous research and suggests that polyester protocells were likely more common on early Earth than previously thought.
Scientists have retrieved handpicked samples from Mars, including rock cores and fragmented rocks, for the first time in history. The samples will help learn more about Mars' past life, climate, and geology, as well as provide insights into Earth's surface.
The OSIRIS-REx mission returned a large sample from asteroid Bennu, which Japanese collaborators detected includes all five nucleobases required for life. The analysis revealed high concentrations of ammonia and nitrogen-rich organic matter.
The study analyzed material from asteroid Bennu, finding evidence of building blocks of life, water, and energy. The team also discovered evaporites, which have been found on Earth in dried-out salt lakes, providing insights into the asteroid's formation.
The SETI Institute's 2024 Forward Award recipients, Gabriella Rizzo and Pritvik Sinhadc, conducted innovative research on extremophiles in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and gravitational wave signals. Their work has the potential to reveal new life forms and technosignatures, pushing humanity's understanding of the universe and our place...
A global study on microbiomes in subsurface environments reveals astonishingly high microbial diversity, rivaling that at the surface. The study, led by Emil Ruff, also compares marine and terrestrial microbiomes, finding great differences in composition but similar levels of diversity.
Scientists have discovered birth sites of gigantic elliptical galaxies, suggesting large gas flows and galaxy collisions created these ancient systems. The research, published in Nature, may finally unravel the enigma of how these giant galaxies formed.
A NASA-funded discovery reveals that RNA can produce both left- and right-handed proteins, challenging the notion that life initially favored one over the other. This finding deepens the mystery of life's handedness and suggests that homochirality may have emerged through later evolutionary pressures.
A University of Washington-led study suggests that rocky planets orbiting M-dwarf stars can maintain stable atmospheres over time, enhancing the chances of supporting life. The James Webb Space Telescope has observed hotter planets without significant atmospheres, but temperate planets in the 'Goldilocks zone' may have stable atmospheres.
Scientists at Penn State and SETI Institute used the Allen Telescope Array to scan the TRAPPIST-1 star system for radio signals similar to those used by rovers on Mars. Although no extraterrestrial technology was found, the project introduced a new method for future searches.
A NASA experiment suggests that amino acids can survive just under the surface ice of Europa and Enceladus despite harsh radiation. This finding bolsters the case for future life-detection measurements by Europa and Enceladus lander missions.
Astronomers have discovered a planet called Gliese 12 b, which is an 'evil twin' of Earth with conditions similar to Venus. The planet orbits its star in just 12.8 days and receives 1.6 times more radiation than Earth.
A new study challenges the initial detection of a biosignature gas on K2-18b, suggesting that the data may be inconclusive. However, researchers believe it's possible for life to produce detectable levels of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the planet's atmosphere.
Researchers find that instruments on future missions can detect cellular material in one out of hundreds of thousands of ice grains, including a common bacterium as a model organism. This breakthrough increases confidence in detecting lifeforms similar to those on Earth.
A team of researchers analyzed sunlight reflected by Titan's atmosphere, identifying over 100 signatures of the methane molecule. The findings also suggest possible evidence of the tricarbon molecule, a discovery that could shed light on the origin of life on Earth.
Researchers at Cornell University have devised a novel way to determine ocean temperatures of distant worlds based on the thickness of their ice shells. This technique can be used to enhance NASA's mission findings about Europa and Enceladus, two Jovian and Saturnian moons that could potentially support life.
A NASA study suggests that 17 exoplanets could have subsurface oceans beneath their icy surfaces, potentially harboring life. The team estimated geyser activity on these planets, predicting that some may exhibit cryovolcanic eruptions, which could be detected using powerful telescopes.
Researchers find complex microbial communities forming giant mounds of rock in a harsh desert environment, resembling ancient stromatolites. The discovery provides an unprecedented look at the earliest stages of life on Earth and may hold clues about life on Mars.
A recent study by researchers from the University of California San Diego has provided evidence that amino acids, the building blocks of life, can survive impact speeds of up to 4.2 km/s in Saturn's icy moon Enceladus' ice plumes. This finding has significant implications for the search for life beyond Earth.
A new study reveals a nonenzymatic chemical network that could have produced pentoses on early Earth, providing clues about primitive biochemistry. The proposed pathway relies on chemical transformations reminiscent of the pentose phosphate pathway, bringing us closer to understanding the emergence of life.
New studies show that giant gas planets in nearby star systems can prevent life on smaller, rocky planet neighbors by kicking them out of orbit and wreaking havoc on their climates. Researchers found that four giant planets in the HD 141399 system are likely to destroy the chances for life on Earth-like planets.
A team of scientists and philosophers identifies a new law of nature that governs the evolution of complex systems, including plants, animals, stars, and minerals. The law states that complex systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity, regardless of whether they are living or nonliving.