Early Martian life may have used sulfur as an energy source
Using an environment on Earth that simulates early Mars conditions, researchers found an abundance of bacteria that get their energy from…
Category: Astrobiology & Space Science
How biology writes its signature
In recent decades the search for extraterrestrial life has seen major advancements in technology and methodology. The search for…
How would we establish a society on Mars?
Humans are not built for Mars. Or rather, Mars isn't built for us, yet. Understanding the sacrifices such a massive undertaking needs is…
Ancient Microbes reveal Earth’s response to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs
Scientists study organic material from the Chicxulub crater to identify the microbes that lived within it, to understand what happened to…
A new way to look for signs of ancient life on Earth and Mars
The Mars 2020 mission involves sending a rover, named Perseverance, to Mars to look for evidence of past life on that planet. Perseverance…
How does life handle the harshness of space?
Experiments on the International Space Station found that lichens, a combination of algae and fungi, survived in space-like, flight, and…
Strange microbes found living in caves of sulfuric acid
Researchers studying a sulfuric acid cave in Italy are among the first to describe organisms found living in gypsum, an acidic mineral…
A new understanding of weather on Saturn
The Cassini spacecraft revealed the atmosphere of Saturn has large regions that don’t cycle to the poles and that the atmosphere is filled…
What can microbes teach us about life in extreme environments?
Microbes on Earth have adapted to survive in some pretty extreme locations. The extreme dryness of deserts, high salinity in salt deposits,…
Fungi influence the recovery of pollutants in the environment
Researchers found a hidden selenium cycle tied to manganese oxide minerals made by common soil fungi.