Astrobiology Web

So, what exactly is Astrobiology? Keith Cowing, a biologist with experience in different Astrobiology projects at NASA, has launched a website that serves as a guide to the fascinating field of Astrobiology. This website has received support from the National Space Society and has been recognized for its quality and usefulness by several professional organizations.

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The Solar Wind Can Apparently Make Water On The Lunar Surface

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

Scientists have hypothesized since the 1960s that the Sun is a source of ingredients that form water on the Moon. When a stream of charged particles known as the solar wind smashes into the lunar surface, the idea goes, it triggers a chemical reaction that could make water molecules. Now, in the most realistic lab simulation of this process yet, NASA-led researchers have confirmed this prediction.
Ocean World Genomic Assays: Searching For Terrestrial Cephalopod DNA

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

New DNA probes allow for efficient surveying of the hidden lives of squids and octopuses in the deep sea. This development by Kobe University provides an effective tool for marine ecological research and conservation efforts. Squids and octopuses eat and are eaten, and in between that they move around a lot. “Cephalopods play an important role in marine ecosystems, contributing to the distribution of energy and nutrients in the food web,” explains Kobe University marine ecologist WU Qianqian.
MINDS: The Very Low-mass Star And Brown Dwarf Sample - Hidden Water In Carbon-dominated Protoplanetary Disks

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

Infrared observations of the inner disks around very low-mass stars (VLMS, <0.3M⊙) have revealed a carbon-rich gas composition in the terrestrial planet-forming regions. Contrary to the typically water-rich T Tauri disk spectra, only two disks around VLMS have been observed to be water-rich among more than ten VLMS disks observed so far with JWST/MIRI.
Perihelion History And Atmospheric Survival As Primary Drivers Of The Earth's Meteorite Record

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

Models predict that more than half of all impacting meteoroids should be carbonaceous, reflecting the abundance of carbon-rich asteroids in the main belt and near-Earth space. Yet carbonaceous chondrites represent only about 4% of meteorites recovered worldwide.
RedDots: Planetary Masses In The GJ1061 System From Planet-planet Interaction

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

GJ1061 is a very nearby M star hosting three low-mass temperate planets detected from radial velocity variations. The close to 4:2:1 period commensurability of the planets, the available long-term monitoring of the system and new very high-precision radial velocity measurements from ESPRESSO enable the determination of masses from the planet-planet interaction.
New Giant Virus Jyvaskylavirus Isolated In Finland

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

For the first time in Finland, researchers at the Nanoscience Center in University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have isolated a giant virus, which was named Jyvaskylavirus. The discovery shows that giant viruses are more common in northern regions than researchers have thought. It also illustrates that there are still many structures whose origins and functions have not been properly studied. Viruses are everywhere.
Astrochemistry: A Little Bit Of Space On Earth

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

There is a large diversity in the chemical composition of astronomical objects such as planets, comets, circumstellar envelopes, or galactic gas clouds. One great challenge in astrochemistry is to understand in detail how this diversity arises from the cosmic backdrop of the cycling of matter between star birth and destruction, with molecules forming, reacting and coalescing in cold clouds of dust and ice in between these events.
MINDS. Anatomy Of A Water-rich, Inclined, Brown Dwarf Disk: Lack Of Abundant Hydrocarbons

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

2MASS J04381486+2611399 (or J0438) is one of the few young brown dwarfs (BD) with a highly inclined (i∼70∘) disk. Here we report results from JWST-MIRI MRS, HST-ACS and ALMA Band 7 observations. Despite its late spectral type (M7.25), the spectrum of J0438 resembles those of inner disks around earlier-type stars (K1-M5, T Tauri stars), with a volatile reservoir lacking hydrocarbons (except for acetylene, C2H2) and dominated by water. Other identified species are H2, CO2, HCN, [Ar+], and [Ne+].
Tricorder Tech: Space Station Imaging System to Enhance Space Biology and Life Detection Beyond Earth

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

Onboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, dubbed ELVIS, is not about resurrecting rock-n-roll legends but pioneering scientific discovery. Using innovative holographic technology to deliver detailed 3D views of cells and microbes, the system allows scientists to study the adaptability and resilience of life under extreme conditions.
Cultivating Long-Term Planning, Collaboration, and Mission Continuity in Astrobiology Through Support of Early Career Researchers

1 week ago | astrobiology.com | Keith Cowing

A white paper submitted to the 2025 NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (DARES) on the importance of early-career training, support, and retention. The paper identifies two goals for NASA Astrobiology regarding early career researchers (ECRs): (1) Knowledge Retention and Workforce Stability, and (2) Foster Collaboration & Strengthen Community.