Chemicals on mineral surfaces may have jumpstarted life
Were metabolic pathways established before life emerged? New experiments observe life-like patterns self-propagating on #mineral surfaces.…
Category: Big Questions
A new kind of battery that removes carbon dioxide from the air
Nature has been able to filter out CO2 from our air for millions of years. So how might a battery prove to be our own artificial tree?…
A different kind of child star
Maybe you didn't have a stellar childhood, but stars definitely did. (Get it?) Learn about a major research project that investigated one…
Algae in space teaches us how life responds to harsh environments
Extremophiles can literally survive in many conditions, even in the extreme radiation of space. Read this article to learn how extremophiles…
Could a deadly gas be a sign of life?
How do scientists look for life in the universe? Usually they look for gasses that would support life, and assume anything toxic to us would…
Black holes and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
As we settle into October, many start turning their attention towards the fall and Halloween. Scientists turn their attention to the…
Looking for life by looking for metabolism
How can amino acids, lipids, and other metabolites help scientists with life detection in space? #Astrobiologists look at how our cells…
Dried plums may protect astronaut’s bones from radiation damage
Dried plums outperformed some medications in a bone health study (in mice) at NASA Ames.
NASA is sending yeast into deep space
NASA will generate invaluable data on yeast’s response to deep space radiation by launching the BioSentinel satellite in 2021. Here’s…
There may be other ways to build DNA and RNA
One of the most fundamental building blocks of life on earth is DNA. This molecule consists of four base pairs and a negatively charged…