When scientists complete an experiment aboard the International Space Station, the ramifications of that work have just begun. NASA carries on a legacy of decades of biological research data, fueling new discoveries long after studies wrap up in space. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-international-space-station-archives-fuel.html…
Tag: Astrobiology
What’s the coldest Earth has ever been?
Our planet’s history includes episodes of cold so extreme that glaciers reached sea level in equatorial regions. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/whats-coldest-earth-has-ever-been…
Dark streaks on Mars may be caused by salts and melting ice
Researchers at the SETI Institute say that unusual dark streaks on sun-facing slopes on Mars, debated about for years, may be small landslides caused by a combination of salts and melting ice just below the surface. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-dark-streaks-melting-ice-recurring-slope-lineae…
Life as we do not know it: Astrobiology and the Mars 2020 mission
Life as we know it has never been found anywhere in our solar system or universe, other than on Earth. But that does not necessarily mean it is not out there. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-life-astrobiology-mars-mission.html…
Landing on the origin of life
Imagine you’re way out in the middle of the Pilbara. There’s no one around you, but you may be surprised to learn you’re close to the origin of life. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-life.html…
Has life existed beyond Earth?
When the NASA Mars rover Perseverance touches down on the surface of Mars on February 18, it will arrive in Jezero Crater, which preserves evidence of a time when rivers flowed on Mars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-life-earth.html…
Martian landslides caused by underground salts and melting ice?
A team of researchers led by SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist Janice Bishop, a member of the SETI Institute NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) team, has come up with a theory about what is causing landslides on the surface of Mars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-martian-landslides-underground-salts-ice.html…
Device mimics life’s first steps in outer space
A device developed by scientists at the CY Cergy Paris University and Paris Observatory promises insight into how the building blocks of life form in outer space. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-device-mimics-life-outer-space.html…
Using Earth’s history to inform the search for life on exoplanets
UC Riverside is leading one of the NASA Astrobiology Program’s eight new research teams tackling questions about the evolution and origins of life on Earth and the possibility of life beyond our solar system. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-earth-history-life-exoplanets.html…
Is Mars still volcanically active?
A new study of geologically young lava flows in Elysium Planitia suggests that Mars might still have residual volcanic activity below its surface. The finding could also correlate with seismic activity detected by the InSight lander in the same region and may have implications for possible martian life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-cerberus-fossae-young-lava-flows-volcanic-activity…