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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September 2025Primary production by the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodopila globiformis in an acidic, moderately sulfidic warm spring

Fecteau, K.M., et. al. (2025) Primary production by the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodopila globiformis in an acidic, moderately sulfidic warm spring. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. doi: 10.1128/aem.01217-25

Mid-day photomixotrophy by Roseiflexus spp. and implications for the 13C content of hot spring cyanobacterial mats

Moran, J.J, et. al. (2025) Mid-day photomixotrophy by Roseiflexus spp. and implications for the 13C content of hot spring cyanobacterial mats. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 0(0). doi: 10.1128/aem.00909-25

August 2025Stellar Models Also Limit Exoplanet Atmosphere Studies in Emission

Fauchez, T. J., Ducrot, E., Rackham, B. V., Stevenson, K. B., Mayorga, L. C., & Wit, J. d. (2025). Stellar Models Also Limit Exoplanet Atmosphere Studies in Emission. The Astrophysical Journal, 989(2), 170. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adf068

Detecting Land with Reflected-light Spectroscopy to Rule Out Waterworld O2 Biosignature False Positives

Ulses, A.C., etl al. (2025) Detecting Land with Reflected-light Spectroscopy to Rule Out Waterworld O2 Biosignature False Positives. The Astrophysical Journal, 990(48). doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/adec69

Developing a Mass Spectrometry-Based Research and Teaching Program at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution

Forsythe, J. G. (2025). Developing a Mass Spectrometry-Based Research and Teaching Program at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. doi:10.1021/jasms.5c00180

A Large Outburst, Coma Asymmetries, and the Color of Comet 243P/NEAT

Kelley, M. S. P., Protopapa, S., Bodewits, D., Heinze, A. N., Moulane, Y., Ye 叶, Q. 泉., … Bin 彬 Yang, 杨. (2025). A Large Outburst, Coma Asymmetries, and the Color of Comet 243P/NEAT. The Planetary Science Journal, 6(8), 185. doi:10.3847/psj/ade5ac

Detection of New Auroral Emissions at Io and Implications for Its Interaction with the Plasma Torus

Milby, Z., De Kleer, K., & Schmidt, C. (2025). Detection of New Auroral Emissions at Io and Implications for Its Interaction with the Plasma Torus. The Planetary Science Journal, 6(8), 181. doi:10.3847/psj/ade0b1

On the emergence of metabolism: the evolution of proteins that powered life

Nanda, V., Siess, J., Jagilinki, B. P., Hazen, R. M., Kamerlin, S. C. L., Koder, R., … Falkowski, P. (2025). On the emergence of metabolism: the evolution of proteins that powered life. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 380(1931), None. doi:10.1098/rstb.2024.0090

A Compositionally Biased Oligourethane Sensor Array To Differentiate Solids by Their Surface Chemistry: An Analogy to the Sense of Touch

Fargher, H. A., Lim, J., Shuluk, J. R., Wight, C. D., Asche, S., Devireddy, P., … Anslyn, E. V. (2025). A Compositionally Biased Oligourethane Sensor Array To Differentiate Solids by Their Surface Chemistry: An Analogy to the Sense of Touch. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 147(34), 31300–31309. doi:10.1021/jacs.5c10754

Oman was on the northern margin of a wide late Tonian Mozambique Ocean

Swanson-Hysell, N. L., Zhang, Y., Macdonald, F. A., Koran, I., Tasistro-Hart, A. R., & Jay, A. F. (2025). Oman was on the northern margin of a wide late Tonian Mozambique Ocean. Geology, 53(11), 909–913. doi:10.1130/g53450.1

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