Astrobiology News
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Astrobiology News
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| Scientists have discovered that the Earth s magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was only half as strong as it is today. This could have had profound implications for the evolution of the biosphere, w | ||||
| The Battle Between the Earth and Sun | ||||
| Geologists have found new evidence to support the snowball Earth thoery, where sea ice extended all the way to the equator. Such an icy environment may have had a profound effect on the evolution of | ||||
| Animals in a Snowball | ||||
| Fires are a normal and healthy part of the natural cycle - yet the severity of duration of fire seasons seem to be on the rise. This could be due to a drier, warmer climate in some parts of the world | ||||
| Fuel to the Fire | ||||
| According to a comprehensive review of all the available evidence, the extinction of the dinosaurs and half the species on Earth was caused by an asteroid colliding with our planet. A panel of 41 inte | ||||
| It Had To Be an Asteroid | ||||
| New data indicates that at least one of the meandering channels on the surface of Mars was formed by flowing lava rather than liquid water. The study could help astrobiologists determine the likelihoo | ||||
| Mars River Channels Made by Lava? | ||||
| The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have had dramatic global consequences. Scientists believe that the quake was strong enough to change the Earth s rotation and may have shortened the | ||||
| Time Quake | ||||
| Although they re not nominated for an Academy Award, plants play a central role in the blockbuster movie "Avatar." A botanist provided the science behind how these unusual organisms may have evolved. | ||||
| Avatar s New Twist on Plants | ||||
| Asteroid impacts may not only account for extinctions in the oceans and on land 65 million years ago. According to new research, the resulting dust, darkness and toxic metal contamination following im | ||||
| Toxic Shock | ||||
| Scientists are testing a miniature laboratory that could be used to study the composition of rocks and atmospheres on moons, asteroids and planets in the solar system. A recent field test of the instr | ||||
| Into the Mouth of a Volcano | ||||
| Microbe mats in Yellowstone s hot springs may be living analogs of the primordial microbe communities that constructed the oldest rock fossils on Earth. | ||||
| First Fossil-Makers in Hot Water | ||||
| A team of astrophysicists has determined that a massive planet outside our solar system is being distorted and destroyed by its host star. The finding provides further information about how planets ca | ||||
| Planetary Death March | ||||
| Scientists have created an extremely small RNA molecule that can catalyze a key reaction needed to synthesize proteins, the building blocks of life. The team believes that their findings could shed li | ||||
| A Small Step in the RNA World | ||||
| Scientists and students interested in astrobiology will want to make an odyssey to two conferences this year: AbSciCon and AbGradCon. | ||||
| 2010: An Astrobiology Odyssey | ||||
| High-impact lab experiments simulate whether the building blocks of life could have survived the rough arrival on Earth via meteorite impact. | ||||
| Shooting Meteorites in a Barrel | ||||
| Newly released images from NASA s Cassini spacecraft reveal a forest of new jets spraying from prominent fractures on Saturn s moon Enceladus. Relatively warm temperatures were also observed along fra | ||||
| A Plethora of Plumes | ||||
| Scientists have discovered a ocean-dwelling microbe that survives with a remarkably reduced set of genes. Dubbed a metabolic minimalist , the unique cyanobacteria plays an important role in the globa | ||||
| Life Stripped Down | ||||
| Astrobiology Magazine s climate blog, The Hot Zone, discusses the interconnection of Earth s natural systems and how vulnerable this makes us to the forces of nature. From violent earthquakes to thinn | ||||
| Fury of the Earth | ||||
| Researchers have developed a detailed and dynamic 3-D model of Earth s ocean chemistry 635-551 million years ago. The study could significantly advance our understanding of how early animal life evolv | ||||
| Complex Ocean, Complex Life | ||||
| NASA s Stardust spacecraft was the first to collect samples from a comet and return them to Earth. Now, the spacecraft is preparing for another cometary visit. The craft is now scheduled to perform a | ||||
| Stardust Burns For Comet | ||||
| Scientists have proposed an answer to a long-standing question concerning the formation of the Earth s interior and the gases that lie trapped deep beneath our planet s surface. The research will help | ||||
| Why Earth Held Its Breath | ||||
| A new technique is being developed to detect water in the protoplanetary disks of other solar systems. If successful, it would help in our understanding of how habitable planets form. | ||||
| A Drop in the Bucket | ||||
| ESA s Mars Express has begun a series of flybys of Phobos, the largest moon of Mars. New data from Phobos will help scientists understand how the moon was formed. | ||||
| Phobos Flyby | ||||
| NASA s Voyager 1 spacecraft sailed beyond the outermost planet in our solar system 22 years ago. As a parting gift, the craft turned its camera back toward the Sun and captured a family portrait of th | ||||
| Voyager s Group Portrait | ||||
| The possibility that life was shared between Earth and Mars could be tested with a DNA analyzer. One research team has built a prototype and plans field tests on a South American volcano. | ||||
| Detecting Our Martian Cousins | ||||
| Other than Saturn s moon Enceladus, there are just a few active moons in the solar system - including Neptune s Triton and Jupiter s Io. Some scientists believe that Saturn holds more. | ||||
| Saturn s Active Moons | ||||
| NASA s Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, has now parked for the winter on Mars. However, the rover s position has its solar panels pointed away from the Sun. If the rover can not get enough sunlight, it | ||||
| Spirit s Solar Panels Stuck Towards Southern Sky | ||||
| Exposed rock layers near the center of a crater on Mars reveal a record of major environmental change on the red planet. This record of Mars history could help astrobiologists understand whether or n | ||||
| Crater Layers Like Pages in a Martian History Book | ||||
| In the search for life beyond Earth, we should not expect to find life forms we re familiar with. Determining whether something completely alien is alive could be a challenge, so a universal definit | ||||
| Bringing the Definition of Life to Closure | ||||
| Lichens can live in some of Earth s most extreme environments, and now one has survived 18 months in Earth orbit while exposed to the space environment. The lichens were flown outside the European Col | ||||
| How to Live Long and Prosper in Space | ||||
| Studying molecules in the atmospheres of exoplanets used to be a task reserved for powerful, space-based telescopes. Now, astronomers have used a small, ground-based telescope to identify atmospheric | ||||
| Seeing ExoPlanet Atmospheres From the Ground | ||||