A pre-proposer’s townhall for applicants interested in submitting a proposal to to discuss the E.9 Space Biology: Research Studies and E.12 Physical Sciences Research Studies program elements recently released under Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2024 will be held virtually on Jan. 22, 2025, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Meeting information will […] The post Town Hall: NASA Seeks Proposals for Space Biology and Physical Sciences Research appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

Scientists have discovered a thriving microbial ecosystem beneath 14 metres of ice covering Antarctica’s Lake Enigma, a previously thought-to-be entirely frozen lake. Using radar surveys and drilling, they identified a vast body of liquid water harboring unique microbes, including previously unobserved ultrasmall bacteria. This discovery challenges prior assumptions about the lake’s environment, which has an […] The post Microbial Diversity Discovered In Lake Enigma, Antarctica appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

New observational data from the James Webb Space Telescope and simulation models have confirmed a new type of planet unlike anything found in the Solar System. This provides another piece of the puzzle to understand how planets and planetary systems form. To date, more than 5,000 exoplanets have been confirmed around stars other than the […] The post Super-Earth vs. Sub-Neptune? The Winner is Super-Venus appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

Our interpretation of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheric spectra will always be limited by the accuracy of the data we use as input in our forward and retrieval models. Ultraviolet molecular absorption cross sections are one category of these essential model inputs; however, they are often poorly characterized at the longest wavelengths relevant to photo-dissociation. Photolysis reactions […] The post The Impact of Extended CO2 Cross Sections on Temperate Anoxic Planet Atmospheres appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

The discovery of two new planets beyond our solar system by a team of astronomers from The University of Warwick and the University of Geneva (UNIGE), is challenging scientific understanding of how planetary systems form. The existence of these two exoplanets – an inner super-Earth and an outer icy giant planet – within the WASP-132 […] The post Discovery of Two Planets Sheds New Light On The Formation Of Planetary Systems appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

Context. During the primary Kepler mission, between 2009 and 2013, about 150,000 pre-selected targets were observed with a 29.42 minute-long cadence. However, a survey of background stars that fall within the field of view (FOV) of the downloaded apertures of the primary targets has revealed a number of interesting objects. In previous papers we have […] The post Background Exoplanet Candidates In The Original Kepler Field appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

We present a computational investigation into the fragmentation pathways of ethanolamine (C2H7NO, EtA), propanol (C3H8O, PrO), butanenitrile (C4H7N, BuN), and glycolamide (C2H5NO2, GlA)—saturated organic molecules detected in the interstellar medium (ISM), particularly in the molecular cloud complex Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) and its molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027. Using electron-impact ionization data and Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations, […] The post What Drives The Formation Of Unsaturated Molecules In The Interstellar Medium? appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

Permafrost is important from an exobiology and climate change perspective. It serves as an analog for extraplanetary exploration, and it threatens to emit globally significant amounts of greenhouse gases as it thaws due to climate change. Viable microbes survive in Earth’s permafrost, slowly metabolizing and transforming organic matter through geologic time. Ancient permafrost microbial communities […] The post Earth to Mars: A Protocol for Characterizing Permafrost in the Context of Climate Change as an Analog for Extraplanetary Exploration appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

Once upon a time, the core of a massive star collapsed, creating a shockwave that blasted outward, ripping the star apart as it went. When the shockwave reached the star’s surface, it punched through, generating a brief, intense pulse of X-rays and ultraviolet light that traveled outward into the surrounding space. About 350 years later, […] The post Stellar Cartography: Intricate Layers of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, is an infrared observatory of novel design: deployable, with active optics, fully open to space for radiative cooling and orbiting the Lagrange point no. 2. This article explains the rationale leading to this specific design and describes the various other architectures that were considered along the way: […] The post Genesis Of The James Webb Space Telescope Architecture: The Designers’ Story appeared first on Astrobiology ..read more