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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July 2026Thermal Detectability of Subsurface Water Ice on Mars: A Comparative Analysis for the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) Project

Sizemore, H. G., Pathare, A. V., Dundas, C. M., Putzig, N. E., Morgan, G. A., Perry, M. R., … Courville, S. W. (2026). Thermal Detectability of Subsurface Water Ice on Mars: A Comparative Analysis for the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) Project. The Planetary Science Journal, 7(7), 175. doi:10.3847/psj/ae7b38

Evolution of a Point Plume in a Rotating Unstratified Fluid Overlain by a Stratified Layer: Scaling and Implications for Icy Satellites

Wang, S., Kang, W., Zhang, Y., & Marshall, J. (2026). Evolution of a Point Plume in a Rotating Unstratified Fluid Overlain by a Stratified Layer: Scaling and Implications for Icy Satellites. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 131(7), None. doi:10.1029/2026je009649

How Does Ice Shell Geometry Shape Ocean Dynamics on Icy Moons?

Zhang, Y., Kang, W., & Marshall, J. (2026). How Does Ice Shell Geometry Shape Ocean Dynamics on Icy Moons? Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 131(7), None. doi:10.1029/2025je009528

Surprisingly Enriched CO and CH4 in Halley-type Comet 13P/Olbers: Clues to Its Interstellar Heritage

DiSanti, M. A., Saki, M., Gibb, E. L., Bonev, B. P., Russo, N. D., Vervack, R. J. Jr., Willacy, K., Khan, Y., Faggi, S., Roth, N. X. (2026). Surprisingly Enriched CO and CH4 in Halley-type Comet 13P/Olbers: Clues to Its Interstellar Heritage. The Planetary Science Journal, 7(165), None. doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ae66fb

Viking in the History and Future of Astrobiology Programs

Grinspoon, D., McCauley Rench, R., Harris, R. (2026). Viking in the History and Future of Astrobiology Programs. Astrobiology, 26(1). doi: 10.1177/15311074261463028

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

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