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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June 2026Polarity effects on the growth of Si-doped AlGaN epilayers on AlN

Alwan, H., Njuguna, T., Shima, D., Balakrishnan, G., Li, J., Lin, J. Y., & Jiang, H. X. (2026). Polarity effects on the growth of Si-doped AlGaN epilayers on AlN. Applied Physics Letters, 128(24), None. doi:10.1063/5.0331854

Predictive Rankings of the Probability of Hosting a Temperate Terrestrial World for the HWO ExEP Mission Star List

Dietrich, J., Ruppert, K., Ware, A., & Young, P. A. (2026). Predictive Rankings of the Probability of Hosting a Temperate Terrestrial World for the HWO ExEP Mission Star List. The Astronomical Journal, 172(1), 35. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae76d3

Various inorganic phosphorus species in prebiotic Earth and extraterrestrial settings

Gull, M., & Cruz, H. A. (2026). Various inorganic phosphorus species in prebiotic Earth and extraterrestrial settings. Discover Chemistry, 3(1), None. doi:10.1007/s44371-026-00835-x

Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM): The Lower Size Limit for Atmosphere Retention in the Habitable Zone

Hill, M. L., Kane, S. R., Foley, B. J., & Schaefer, L. K. (2026). Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM): The Lower Size Limit for Atmosphere Retention in the Habitable Zone. The Planetary Science Journal, 7(6), 140. doi:10.3847/psj/ae6804

A native sulfur deposit in Gale crater, Mars

VanBommel, S. J., Berger, J. A., King, P. L., Dietrich, W. E., Gellert, R., Thompson, L. M., … House, C. H. (2026). A native sulfur deposit in Gale crater, Mars. Science. doi:10.1126/science.adu5501

The Ascent of Miniproteins

Yoo, Y., & Nanda, V. (2026). The Ascent of Miniproteins. Biochemistry, 65(13), 1989–1997. doi:10.1021/acs.biochem.6c00311

Evolutionary assembly of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis revealed by expanded ciliate diversity

Muñoz-Gómez, S. A., Sørensen, M. E. S., Shazib, S. U. A., Shin, M. K., Bauer, T., Kreutz, M., & Hess, S. (2026). Evolutionary assembly of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis revealed by expanded ciliate diversity. The ISME Journal. doi:10.1093/ismejo/wrag142

Microbial Ecology of the Heterogeneous Terrestrial Deep Biosphere Over 4 years in the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory (DeMMO)

Osburn, M. R., Casar, C. P., Stevenson, B. S., Selensky, M., Kruger, B., Momper, L. M., … Amend, J. P. (2026). Microbial Ecology of the Heterogeneous Terrestrial Deep Biosphere Over 4 years in the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory (DeMMO). Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 131(6), None. doi:10.1029/2025jg009515

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

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