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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May 2026Can Neutron-Capture Products Constrain the Origin of Life on Earth?

Bermingham, K. R., & Meyer, B. S. (2026). Can Neutron-Capture Products Constrain the Origin of Life on Earth? Galaxies, 14(3), 44. doi:10.3390/galaxies14030044

Exploring the conditions for forming planetesimals via the streaming instability and planetary systems via pebble accretion

Johansen, A., & Lyra, W. (2026). Exploring the conditions for forming planetesimals via the streaming instability and planetary systems via pebble accretion. Astronomy & Astrophysics. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202558798

Seasonal insolation variability on early Venus: implications for energy budget

Kane, S. R. (2026). Seasonal insolation variability on early Venus: implications for energy budget. Astrophysics and Space Science, 371(5), None. doi:10.1007/s10509-026-04586-0

Biological use of molybdenum and tungsten stems back to 3.4 billion years ago

Klos, A. S., Sobol, M. S., Boden, J. S., Stüeken, E. E., Anderson, R. E., Konhauser, K. O., & Kaçar, B. (2026). Biological use of molybdenum and tungsten stems back to 3.4 billion years ago. Nature Communications, 17(1), None. doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72133-0

Could Lake Joyce have acted as a long-lived proglacial refugium in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys?

Mackey, T., Leidman, S., Hawes, I., Sumner, D., & Lawrence, J. (2026). Could Lake Joyce have acted as a long-lived proglacial refugium in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys? Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 58(1), None. doi:10.1080/15230430.2026.2655922

Experiential Learning in Space Instrument Development Within a University Lab Environment

McNally, P. J., Van Noord, J., & Saca, F. (2026). Experiential Learning in Space Instrument Development Within a University Lab Environment. ASCEND 2026. doi:10.2514/6.2026-3117

NASA’s Pandora SmallSat Mission: Simulating the Impact of Stellar Photospheric Heterogeneity and Its Correction

Rackham, B. V., Iyer, A. R., Apai, D., McGill, P., Rotman, Y., Colón, K. D., … Youngblood, A. (2026). NASA’s Pandora SmallSat Mission: Simulating the Impact of Stellar Photospheric Heterogeneity and Its Correction. The Astronomical Journal, 171(6), 338. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae5f63

False negatives in the search for extraterrestrial life

Ten Kate, I. L., Baqué, M., Debaille, V., Grenfell, J. L., Khawaja, N., Klenner, F., … Javaux, E. J. (2026). False negatives in the search for extraterrestrial life. Nature Astronomy, 10(5), 624–629. doi:10.1038/s41550-026-02863-0

Simultaneous analysis of long-chain alkenones and chlorophyll derivatives offers new insights into the ecology of Isochrysis algae in the Holocene Black Sea

Alo, O. O., Fu, J., Zhao, W., Zhang, Y. G., Huang, Y., & Liu, X-L. (2026). Simultaneous analysis of long-chain alkenones and chlorophyll derivatives offers new insights into the ecology of Isochrysis algae in the Holocene Black Sea. Marine Chemistry, 276, 104634. doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2026.104634

Limit cycles and the climate history of Mars

Haqq-Misra, J. (2026). Limit cycles and the climate history of Mars. Icarus, 449, 116945. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2026.116945

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