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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August 2025Laboratory Investigation of CO2-driven Enhancement of Radiolytic H2O2 on Europa and Other Icy Moons

Laboratory Investigation of CO2-driven Enhancement of Radiolytic H2O2 on Europa and Other Icy Moons. The Planetary Science Journal, 6(170). doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ade3d8

Photosynthetic temperature adaptation during niche diversification of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus A/B clade

Pedersen, D.,Miller, S.R. (2017) Photosynthetic temperature adaptation during niche diversification of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus A/B clade, ISME J 11, 1053–1057. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2016.173

Distributions of gas and small and large grains in the LkHα 330 disk trace a young planetary system

Pinilla, P., et. al. (2022) Distributions of gas and small and large grains in the LkHα 330 disk trace a young planetary system. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 665(A128). doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243704

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Reed, N.W., et. al. (2022) Trace H2S Promotes Organic Aerosol Production and Organosulfur Compound Formation in Archean Analog Haze Photochemistry Experiments. Geophysical Research Letters, 49(9). doi: 10.1029/2021GL097032

Integration of horizontally acquired light-harvesting genes into an ancestral regulatory network in the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina MBIC11017

Ulrich, N.J., Miller, S.R. (2024) Integration of horizontally acquired light-harvesting genes into an ancestral regulatory network in the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina MBIC11017, mBio 15(12). doi: 10.1128/mbio.02423-24

July 2025Life Detection Knowledge Base: Taxonomy of Potential Biosignatures

Davila, A. F., Hoehler, T., Parenteau, N., Neveu, M., Shkolyar, S., Des Marais, D. J., … Quinn, R. (2025). Life Detection Knowledge Base: Taxonomy of Potential Biosignatures. Astrobiology. doi:10.1089/ast.2022.0156

Forcing Planets to Evolve: Interactions between Uranus and Neptune at Late Stages of Dynamical Evolution

Hermosillo Ruiz, A., Murray-Clay, R., Volk, K., & Pike, R. E. (2025). Forcing Planets to Evolve: Interactions between Uranus and Neptune at Late Stages of Dynamical Evolution. The Astrophysical Journal, 987(2), 125. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/add6a1

Introduction to the Life Detection Knowledge Base Project

Hoehler, T. M., Davila, A., Parenteau, N., Quinn, R., Des Marais, D., Shkolyar, S., … Pohorille, A. (2025). Introduction to the Life Detection Knowledge Base Project. Astrobiology, 25(7), 451–453. doi:10.1089/ast.2024.0107

In Memoriam: Professor Andrzej (Andrew) Pohorille (May 14, 1949, to January 6, 2024): A Legacy in Astrobiology and Computational Science

Karouia, F., Wilson, M., Schweighofer, K., Chipot, C., Hoehler, T., & Sokolowska, J. (2025). In Memoriam: Professor Andrzej (Andrew) Pohorille (May 14, 1949, to January 6, 2024): A Legacy in Astrobiology and Computational Science. Astrobiology, 25(7), 498–500. doi:10.1089/ast.2025.0001

Life Detection Knowledge Base: Assessment Criteria for Potential Biosignatures

Parenteau, N., Hoehler, T., Davila, A., Getty, S., Lau, G., Neveu, M., … Pohorille, A. (2025). Life Detection Knowledge Base: Assessment Criteria for Potential Biosignatures. Astrobiology. doi:10.1089/ast.2024.0104

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