This website is currently being migrated. For the most up-to-date astrobiology news, resources, and community announcements, please visit our new home at science.nasa.gov/astrobiology

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
NextPrevious
Go Explore
June 2018After the boring billion and before the freezing millions: evolutionary patterns and innovations in the Tonian Period

Xiao, S., & Tang, Q. (2018). After the boring billion and before the freezing millions: evolutionary patterns and innovations in the Tonian Period. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, None, ETLS20170165. doi:10.1042/etls20170165

Extensive marine anoxia during the terminal Ediacaran Period

Zhang, F., Xiao, S., Kendall, B., Romaniello, S. J., Cui, H., Meyer, M., … Anbar, A. D. (2018). Extensive marine anoxia during the terminal Ediacaran Period. Science Advances, 4(6), eaan8983. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aan8983

Biosignature False Positives

Harman, C. E., & Domagal-Goldman, S. (2018). Biosignature False Positives. Handbook of Exoplanets, None, 1–22. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-30648-3_71-1

Exoplanet Biosignatures: Understanding Oxygen as a Biosignature in the Context of Its Environment

Meadows, V. S., Reinhard, C. T., Arney, G. N., Parenteau, M. N., Schwieterman, E. W., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., … Lee Grenfell, J. (2018). Exoplanet Biosignatures: Understanding Oxygen as a Biosignature in the Context of Its Environment. Astrobiology, 18(6), 630–662. doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1727

Exoplanet Biosignatures: A Review of Remotely Detectable Signs of Life

Schwieterman, E. W., Kiang, N. Y., Parenteau, M. N., Harman, C. E., DasSarma, S., Fisher, T. M., … Lyons, T. W. (2018). Exoplanet Biosignatures: A Review of Remotely Detectable Signs of Life. Astrobiology, 18(6), 663–708. doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1729

Recurrent symbiont recruitment from fungal parasites in cicadas

Matsuura, Y., Moriyama, M., Łukasik, P., Vanderpool, D., Tanahashi, M., Meng, X-Y., … Fukatsu, T. (2018). Recurrent symbiont recruitment from fungal parasites in cicadas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(26), None. doi:10.1073/pnas.1803245115

Exoplanet Biosignatures: Future Directions

Walker, S. I., Bains, W., Cronin, L., DasSarma, S., Danielache, S., Domagal-Goldman, S., … Smith, H. B. (2018). Exoplanet Biosignatures: Future Directions. Astrobiology, 18(6), 779–824. doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1738

May 2018Electron Acceptor Availability Alters Carbon and Energy Metabolism in a Thermoacidophile

Amenabar, M. J., Colman, D. R., Poudel, S., Roden, E. E., & Boyd, E. S. (2018). Electron Acceptor Availability Alters Carbon and Energy Metabolism in a Thermoacidophile. Environmental Microbiology. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14270

Working on the Edge

Carroll, M., & Lopes, R. (2018). Working on the Edge. Antarctica: Earth's Own Ice World, None, 89–103. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-74624-1_5

Evaluation of paleomarine redox conditions using Mo-isotope data in low-[Mo] sediments: A case study from the Lower Triassic of South China

Chen, J., Zhao, L., Algeo, T. J., Zhou, L., Zhang, L., & Qiu, H. (2018). Evaluation of paleomarine redox conditions using Mo-isotope data in low-[Mo] sediments: A case study from the Lower Triassic of South China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.05.004