A pair of researchers presented a wild new theory in a new paper. Source: https://www.livescience.com/microbes-colonize-space-riding-comets.html
Tag: microbes
Could salt-loving microbes explain Mars’ methane?
New laboratory studies – simulating conditions on the planet Mars and using salt-loving microbes – suggest that similar organisms could be producing Mars’ mysterious methane. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/salt-loving-microbes-methane-on-mars…
Goldilocks stars best for alien life?
A new research study suggests that K-type dwarf stars (smaller and cooler than our sun) are the best place to search for alien life. These stars are not too hot, not too cool, and not too violent for life to evolve. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/goldilocks-stars-g-k-dwarfs-best-for-alien-life…
Ancient never-before-seen viruses discovered locked up in Tibetan glacier
A new technique for studying ancient microbes in glaciers has led to the discovery of previously unknown viruses. Source: https://www.livescience.com/unknown-viruses-discovered-tibetan-glacier.html
Your microbiome reveals more about your health than your genes do
The microbes that live inside you say more than your genes do about your likelihood of developing health conditions ranging from asthma to cancer and schizophrenia Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2230151-your-microbiome-reveals-more-about-your-health-than-your-genes-do/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Goldilocks stars are best places to look for life
To date astronomers have discovered over 4,000 planets orbiting other stars. Statistically, there should be over 100 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy. They come in a wide range of sizes and characteristics, largely unimagined before exoplanets were first discovered in the mid-1990s. The biggest motivation for perusing these worlds is to find “Genesis II,” a planet where life has…
Finnish Scientists Produce a Protein Made ‘From Thin Air’
New submitter SysEngineer shares a report from HuffPost: A new protein made from air, water and renewable electricity could revolutionize our food system within the next decade. Developed by the Finnish company Solar Foods in a lab just outside Helsinki, the protein — called Solein — is made using living microbes that are then grown in a fermenter in a process…
Quest To Use CRISPR Against Disease Gains Ground
The prospect of using the popular genome-editing tool CRISPR to treat a host of diseases in people is moving closer to reality. From a report: Medical applications of CRISPR-Cas9 had a banner year in 2019. The first results trickled in from trials testing the tool in people, and more trials launched. In the coming years, researchers are looking ahead to more…
Twenty years of discoveries changing story of human evolution
Archaeological discoveries are happening faster than ever before, helping refine the human story. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/archaeological-discoveries-changing-story-of-human-evolution…
DNA From ‘Chewing Gum’ Provides Clues To Life 5,700 Years Ago
New submitter RG-man writes: DNA obtained from birch pitch used as a type of ancient chewing gum has revealed significant insights into the life of a young girl who lived 5,700 years ago. CNN reports: “…[Lola] chewed on birch pitch, a material that functioned a bit like an ancient chewing gum. A study of that birch pitch has uncovered the girl’s…