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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January 2026Experimental 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

December 2025Evaluating an embryo origin for detached TNOs within full Kuiper belt formation models

Kaib, N. A., Trujillo, C. A., & Sheppard, S. S. (2025). Evaluating an embryo origin for detached TNOs within full Kuiper belt formation models. Icarus, 442, 116733. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116733

Strontium-84 Enrichments in Presolar Grains Provide First Evidence of p-process Nucleosynthesis in Core-collapse Supernovae

Pal, I. et. al. (2025) Strontium-84 Enrichments in Presolar Grains Provide First Evidence of p-process Nucleosynthesis in Core-collapse Supernovae. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 994(L21). doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ae182f

November 2025Altitude Profile and Isotopic Composition for N2 From Pioneer Venus Mass Spectra

Mogul, R., Limaye, S.S., & Way, M.J. (2025) Altitude Profile and Isotopic Composition for N2 From Pioneer Venus Mass Spectra. Geophysical Research Letters, 52(23). doi:10.1029/2025GL118909

Differentiation, the Exception, Not the Rule: Evidence for Full Miscibility in Sub-Neptune Interiors

Young, E. D., Werlen, A., Marcum, S. P., Stixrude, L., & Dullemond, C. P. (2025). Differentiation, the Exception, Not the Rule: Evidence for Full Miscibility in Sub-Neptune Interiors. The Planetary Science Journal, 6(11), 251. doi:10.3847/psj/ae1012

Toward Process-Driven Research in Astrobiology: Stepping Away from the Binary Biogenicity Versus Abiogenicity Approach

Borges, S. R., Schaible, G. A., Sagasti, A. J., Teece, B. L., Barlow, E. V., Soares, G. G., & Gangidine, A. (2025). Toward Process-Driven Research in Astrobiology: Stepping Away from the Binary Biogenicity Versus Abiogenicity Approach. Astrobiology. doi:10.1177/15311074251399191

Vilesida, a new order of demosponges revealed by molecular phylogeny and abundant 24-isopropylcholesterols (24-ipc sterols)

Díaz, J. A., De La Torriente, A., Zumberge, J. A., Ríos, P., Serrano, A., Cristobo, J., … Cárdenas, P. (2025). Vilesida, a new order of demosponges revealed by molecular phylogeny and abundant 24-isopropylcholesterols (24-ipc sterols). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 205(3), None. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf163

Dust Recycling and Icy Volatile Enhancement (DRIVE): A Novel Method of Volatile Enrichment in Cold Giant Planets

Van Clepper, E. R., Alarcón, F., Bergin, E., & Ciesla, F. J. (2025). Dust Recycling and Icy Volatile Enhancement (DRIVE): A Novel Method of Volatile Enrichment in Cold Giant Planets. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 994(2), L44. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ae1d81

Modeling the Solar System. I. Characterization Limits from Analytic Timing Variations

Lindor, B. M., & Agol, E. (2025). Modeling the Solar System. I. Characterization Limits from Analytic Timing Variations. The Planetary Science Journal, 6(11), 267. doi:10.3847/psj/ae102b

Influence of Oxic/Anoxic Conditions on the Mobility of Pb, Cu, and Fe from Acid Mine Drainage-Affected Sediments

RivadáVia, R., Jemison, N., Moreira, G., Faria, L. U. S., Friedman, M., Ali, A-M., … Cerrato, J. M. (2025). Influence of Oxic/Anoxic Conditions on the Mobility of Pb, Cu, and Fe from Acid Mine Drainage-Affected Sediments. ACS ES&T Water. doi:10.1021/acsestwater.5c00662

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