A team of researchers has developed a durable microelectrode that can be used to make real time measurements of nitric oxide (NO) during field studies. Studying NO at the surface of cells and tissues is important, because NO is a signaling molecule involved in many cell activities, including stress response and cell development. However, concentrations of NO on the outside of cells are incredibly low and difficult to measure, particularly in the field, using standard techniques.

Astrobiologists study life in some of the most remote locations on Earth. Life that survive in these environments does so under very specific conditions, which can be difficult to re-create in the lab. Therefore, it is invaluable to gather as much data as possible about such organisms in their native habitat.

The study, “Microprofiling real time nitric oxide flux for field studies using a stratified nanohybrid carbon–metal electrode ,” was published in the journal Analytical Methods. The work was supported by NASA Astrobiology through the Exobiology & Evolutionary Biology Program.