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 2026Limit 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

March 2026Super P-mediated in-situ growth of FeTe2 in carbon nanofibers for flexible, binder-free sodium-ion battery anodes

Liu, Z., Li, X., He, Z., Li, Y., Kharbouch, Z., Wei, Z., … Fei, L. (2026). Super P-mediated in-situ growth of FeTe2 in carbon nanofibers for flexible, binder-free sodium-ion battery anodes. Journal of Energy Storage, 149, 120409. doi:10.1016/j.est.2026.120409

Calcium isotopes support rapid condensation of CAIs in the early solar nebula

Parendo, C. A., Jacobsen, S. B., & Petaev, M. I. (2026). Calcium isotopes support rapid condensation of CAIs in the early solar nebula. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 678, 119825. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119825

January 2026Two temperate Earth- and Neptune-sized planets orbiting fully convective M dwarfs

Scott, M. G., Dransfield, G., Timmermans, M., Triaud, A. H. M. J., Rackham, B. V., Barkaoui, K., … Zúñiga-Fernández, S. (2026). Two temperate Earth- and Neptune-sized planets orbiting fully convective M dwarfs. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. doi:10.1093/mnras/stag070

Exo-Geoscience Perspectives Beyond Habitability

Spohn, T., Roberge, A., Way, M. J., Duarte, J. C., Miozzi, F., Baumeister, P., … Lineweaver, C. H. (2026). Exo-Geoscience Perspectives Beyond Habitability. Space Science Reviews, 222(1), None. doi:10.1007/s11214-026-01265-y

Lowering the Mo limit for nitrogen fixation by Mo-nitrogenase

Stevenson, Z., Schultz, D. L., Chamberlain, M., Rico, K., Anbar, A., Dekas, A. E., & Swanner, E. D. (2026). Lowering the Mo limit for nitrogen fixation by Mo-nitrogenase. Communications Earth & Environment. doi:10.1038/s43247-026-03193-9

A critical role of heterotrophic bacteria in early diagenesis of carbonates through exopolymer degradation and calcium release

Visscher, P. T., Boussagol, P., Bourillot, R., Dupraz, C., Braissant, O., Decho, A. W., … Vennin, E. (2026). A critical role of heterotrophic bacteria in early diagenesis of carbonates through exopolymer degradation and calcium release. The Depositional Record, 12(1), None. doi:10.1002/dep2.70057

Thallium isotopic evidence for the Tonian rise and Cryogenian fall of Neoproterozoic oxygen levels

Webb, L. C., Macdonald, F. A., Halverson, G. P., Ostrander, C. M., Nielsen, S. G., & Sperling, E. A. (2026). Thallium isotopic evidence for the Tonian rise and Cryogenian fall of Neoproterozoic oxygen levels. Geology. doi:10.1130/g53625.1

Experimental Ge/Si partitioning during organic-mediated silica precipitation

Slagter, S., Asael, D., Planavsky, N. J., Perez-Fodich, A., & Tarhan, L. G. (2026). Experimental Ge/Si partitioning during organic-mediated silica precipitation. Chemical Geology, 699, 123156. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2025.123156

The CAI Database: 26Al–26Mg Isotope Systematics

Dunham, E.T., Liu, M.C., Burman , A., et. al. (2026) The CAI Database: 26Al–26Mg Isotope Systematics. The Astrophysical Journal, 282(11). doi: 10.3847/1538-4365/ae1835

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