NASA Astrobiology

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A volcanically active planet is shown in closeup at the left side of the image with glowing eruptions and lines of lava on the surface. To the right and in the distance is a faint blue glowing ball representing the more massive planet in the system.

Sixteen frames from Voyager 1's flyby of Jupiter in 1979 were merged to create this image. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is visible in the center. Jupiter's moon Europa can be seen in the foreground at the bottom left of the image.

The frame is a horizontal rainbow of color on a grid. Shadows of molecules can be seen through the light as well as the jagged peaks and troughs of spectral lines.

Fizzy Super Earths and Lava Worlds“Fizzy Super-Earths: Impacts of Magma Composition on the Bulk Density and Structure of Lava Worlds.” in The Astrophysical Journal.01/03

Identifying Hydrothermal Activity on Icy Ocean Worlds“Ethene-ethanol ratios as potential indicators of hydrothermal activity at Enceladus, Europa, and other icy ocean worlds.” In Icarus.02/03

NASA Raman Spectroscopic Database"The NASA Raman spectroscopic database: Ramdb version 1.00.” In Icarus.03/03

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September 2026Evaluating the roles of alkalinity, evaporation, and basin hydrology in phosphorite deposition

Tu, C., Meixnerova, J., Smith, B., Stüeken, E. E., Buick, R., Tino, C. J., & Kipp, M. A. (2026). Evaluating the roles of alkalinity, evaporation, and basin hydrology in phosphorite deposition. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 690, 120180. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2026.120180

June 2026A polymerase ribozyme increases copying fidelity through pyrophosphate-mediated RNA repair

Kent, A. D., Yang, L. L., Cole, K. H., Lee, I. A., & Lupták, A. (2026). A polymerase ribozyme increases copying fidelity through pyrophosphate-mediated RNA repair. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123(24), None. doi:10.1073/pnas.2606892123

Coupled Photochemical–Climate Modeling of Plausible Tenuous Outgassed Atmospheres on the TRAPPIST-1 Planets

Gialluca, M. T., Meadows, V. S., Lincowski, A. P., Thomas, T. B., Hinton, P. C., Brain, D., & Crisp, D. (2026). Coupled Photochemical–Climate Modeling of Plausible Tenuous Outgassed Atmospheres on the TRAPPIST-1 Planets. The Planetary Science Journal, 7(6), 150. doi:10.3847/psj/ae6cef

Mars as an Exoplanet: Lessons from a Planet at the Edge of Habitability

Kane, S. R., Byrne, P. K., D’Angiolillo, S., Hill, M. L., Miles, E. L., Brain, D. A., … Voigt, J. R. C. (2026). Mars as an Exoplanet: Lessons from a Planet at the Edge of Habitability. The Planetary Science Journal, 7(6), 145. doi:10.3847/psj/ae6f00

Predicting Nitrogen Isotope Fractionation in Nitrate Deposition on Early Mars

Shawcross, J., Adams, D. J., Wong, M. L., Smith, K. J., & Yung, Y. L. (2026). Predicting Nitrogen Isotope Fractionation in Nitrate Deposition on Early Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 131(6), None. doi:10.1029/2025je009146

Mini-MARLI: a small lidar for measuring of atmospheric wind and aerosol profiles from Mars orbit

Abshire, J. B., Cremons, D. R., Sun, X., Numata, K., Guzewich, S. D., & Smith, M. D. (2026). Mini-MARLI: a small lidar for measuring of atmospheric wind and aerosol profiles from Mars orbit. Laser Radar Technology and Applications XXXI, None, 2. doi:10.1117/12.3095295

Polarity effects on the growth of Si-doped AlGaN epilayers on AlN

Alwan, H., Njuguna, T., Shima, D., Balakrishnan, G., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., & Jiang, H. X. (2026). Polarity effects on the growth of Si-doped AlGaN epilayers on AlN. Applied Physics Letters, 128(24), None. doi:10.1063/5.0331854

Predictive Rankings of the Probability of Hosting a Temperate Terrestrial World for the HWO ExEP Mission Star List

Dietrich, J., Ruppert, K., Ware, A., & Young, P. A. (2026). Predictive Rankings of the Probability of Hosting a Temperate Terrestrial World for the HWO ExEP Mission Star List. The Astronomical Journal, 172(1), 35. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae76d3

Various inorganic phosphorus species in prebiotic Earth and extraterrestrial settings

Gull, M., & Cruz, H. A. (2026). Various inorganic phosphorus species in prebiotic Earth and extraterrestrial settings. Discover Chemistry, 3(1), None. doi:10.1007/s44371-026-00835-x

Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM): The Lower Size Limit for Atmosphere Retention in the Habitable Zone

Hill, M. L., Kane, S. R., Foley, B. J., & Schaefer, L. K. (2026). Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM): The Lower Size Limit for Atmosphere Retention in the Habitable Zone. The Planetary Science Journal, 7(6), 140. doi:10.3847/psj/ae6804

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