Daniel Glavin Wins 2010 Nier Prize

Daniel Glavin, winner of the 2010 Nier Prize. Photo Credit: Chris Gunn
Daniel Glavin has been selected by the international Meteoritical Society as the recipient of the 2010 Nier Prize. The prestigious Nier Prize is awarded to young scientists performing valuable research in fields related to meteoritics and planetary science.

Dr. Glavin was presented with the prize for his work on extraterrestrial organic chemistry. By examining carbonaceous meteorites, Glavin and his team have made important contributions toward understanding why life uses only left-handed versions of amino acids. It turns out that molecules delivered to Earth in meteorites may have played a role in life’s eventual bias toward...

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Source: [NASA GSFC]

November 18, 2009 / Posted by: Aaron Gronstal

Comets May Give Life a Hand

A comet hitting Earth would seem to bring only death and destruction, but one group is studying how such an impact could promote certain necessary chemical steps in the origin of life. The researchers are focusing on how comet collisions might have influenced the molecular orientation, or handedness, of our planet’s biology.

Source: [astrobio.net]

September 24, 2009 / Written by: Michael Schirber

Space Hand-Me-Downs

Much of the biology on Earth involves molecules that are oriented in a left-handed direction. A proposed nano-satellite would carry up some of these bio-molecules to see if something in space might be responsible for this left-handed excess. The project is part of the Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development and Mission Concept Studies.

Source: [astrobio.net]

September 17, 2009 / Written by: Michael Schirber

Reflections of Chirality as a Possible Biomarker

Scientists have come up with a novel way to detect life on other planets. Rather than try to measure the composition of atmospheres, they want to look at the chirality of light coming from the planet. “If the [planet’s] surface had just a collection of random chiral molecules, half would go left, half right,” says author T.A. Germer of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. “But life’s self-assembly means they all would go one way. It’s hard to imagine a planet’s surface exhibiting handedness without the presence of self assembly, which is an essential component of...

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April 30, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

How Life Shatters Chemistry's Mirror

Handedness, or “chirality,” is when molecules come in two forms that are mirror images of each other, like right- and left-handed gloves. Even though chiral molecules are produced equally in nature, life seems to prefer one hand over the other. The reason for this is a mystery that scientists are struggling to answer.

Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

April 6, 2009 / Written by: Michael Schirber