New owners say market is their 'dream come true' Jun 18, 2008
Together they produced and catered events for the White House, the American Cancer Society and the three international Astrobiology Conferences, whose attendees are key individuals responsible for the exploratory Mars missions. The couple moved to Spain for three years to experience the European style of events, learning about the culinary techniques and flavorful menus of the Mediterranean region. (The Daily Reflector)
Mini subs to probe odd structures in BC lake Jun 17, 2008
It was formed by a glacier more than 10,000 years ago, and has for the last decade been the site of several studies into astrobiology. . (EurekAlert!)
Scientists confirm that parts of earliest genetic material may have come from the stars Jun 14, 2008
Zita Martins (1,2), Oliver Botta (3,4,5), Marilyn L. Fogel (6), Mark A. Sephton (2), Daniel P. Glavin (3), Jonathan S. Watson (7), Jason P. Dworkin (3), Alan W. Schwartz (8), Pascale Ehrenfreund (1,3) (1) Astrobiology Laboratory, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands (2) Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ, UK (3) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 699, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA (4) Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology... (EurekAlert!)
NASA Seeks Proposals for Lunar Science Research Jun 7, 2008
"Our goals are to strengthen the community of lunar scientists and encourage students to enter this field." The NASA Lunar Science Institute is modeled after the NASA Astrobiology Institute, with teams across the nation working together to help lead the agency's lunar research activities. Selected teams also will include programs in education and public outreach to strengthen public understanding of science. (PR Newswire)
Hairy blobs found in acidic hell Jun 5, 2008
The team also found previously undescribed microorganisms in the lake water, which they say may be the cells that end up as fossilised hairs (Astrobiology, DOI: 10. 1089/ast. (EurekAlert!)
Video Of Alleged Alien Shown To Reporters... May 31, 2008
"Unless we see it on another planet, it would be very hard to convince ourselves it is extraterrestrial and came from somewhere else," said Bruce Jakosky, director of the Center for Astrobiology at CU.. Peckman claimed there is a government conspiracy to hide evidence of aliens. (The Drudge Report)
Earlier start to life on Earth May 30, 2008
The scientists, from the University of NSW's new Centre for Astrobiology, reached their conclusion after studying rock-like structures called stromatolites growing in tidal pools in Shark Bay in Western Australia ... Brett Neilan, a molecular microbiologist and deputy director of the Centre for Astrobiology, which was officially opened yesterday by the Australian astronaut Andy Thomas, said it had long been assumed that the ancient stromatolites had been built by just "two, three or four... (Sydney Morning Herald)
Scientists puzzled by how seafloor life survives May 29, 2008
The research was funded by the NSF, NASA Astrobiology Institute and Western Washington University. 2008 LiveScience. (MSNBC -- Environment)
'Barren' Seafloor Teeming With Microbial Life May 29, 2008
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation's Ridge 2000 program, the NASA Astrobiology Institute and Western Washington University. Journal reference. (Science Daily)
Find shows life on Earth started earlier May 28, 2008
Colonies of bacteria in tidal pools at Shark Bay grow rock-like structures, known as stromatolites, that are comparable with ancient stromatolite fossils found in the nearby Pilbara region of WA, researchers from the University of NSW's Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) say. "Powerful new chemistry and genomic tools have revealed that the Shark Bay stromatolites have remarkable biodiversity, with evidence so far of more than 100 species of bacteria," ACA deputy director Professor Brett... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Girl Scouts Summer Residential Program at NASA ARC May 28, 2008
Participants choose to attend the Aeronautics Institute, Robotics Institute or Astrobiology Institute. They then explore their chosen topic with other high school girls and get a taste of how things are done the NASA way. (NASA Watch)
Space Studies Board Colloquium "Space Science: 50 Years and Counting" May 28, 2008
These areas are astrophysics and space physics, microgravity life and physical sciences, planetary exploration and astrobiology, and Earth sciences. The day will conclude with a special lecture about exploring space with humans and robots. (NASA Watch)
Physicist, author Lawrence Krauss to leave Case May 24, 2008
" In addition to his work as a theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Krauss is known as a prolific writer and lecturer. He has been active in state and national debates about the teaching of evolution. Krauss will join Paul Davies, who came to ASU two years ago from the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at Macquarie University in Sydney, at a college that is "obviously in an expansionary mode," Davies said. Davies brought Krauss to ASU for a speech last year and from there, serious talks began... (Cleveland.com)
Strange Earth Life Gives Hope for Same on Mars May 24, 2008
Scientists working on the MARTE (Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment) project have been drilling into the ground around the Rio Tinto in Spain ... It may be possible that the inner habitats of planets were not only the first refuge of life, but may also have become the last for planets such as Mars," the researchers report. Once our technology for studying planets around other stars improves, we could search for signs of life like this around distant worlds. They may not be as... (Fox News)
Hot-Springs In Marss Past, A Premise For Life In The Future? May 24, 2008
By comparison with Earth, such deposits, usually associated with hot springs and other forms of volcanic activities, contain fossil remains of microbes, Jack Farmer, professor of astrobiology in ASUs School of Earth and Space Exploration, and co-author of the study, explained. However, it remains hard to tell whether that could be the case on Mars, considering that the Spirit rover doesnt carry the adequate instruments to probe that. (eFluxMedia)
Yellowstone-like Hot Spring Deposits On Mars May 23, 2008
"On Earth, hydrothermal deposits teem with life and the associated silica deposits typically contain fossil remains of microbes," says Jack Farmer, professor of astrobiology in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Farmer is one of the paper's co-authors. (Science Daily)
Bumpy Road to Mars, Part 1 May 16, 2008
Both came to the lab as a part of SETI Institute's Astrobiology Research Experience for Undergraduates program (funded by the NSF and NASA). Last summer, Kelly worked in Quinn's lab studying the electrochemical properties of Martian analog soils using the lab bench version of Quinn's Phoenix Lander wet chemistry instrument. (Space.com)
Are the rovers cut out to detect alien life? May 9, 2008
The research is detailed in a February issue of the journal Astrobiology. 2007 Space. (MSNBC -- Technology)
The Monitor ep. 12--Autism and Video Games May 2, 2008
This would be remarkable if it weren't simply the latest salvo in the oldest debate in astrobiology, namely, just , and. Mark Chu-Carroll at the blog Good Math, Bad Math the logic behind just about any definitive claim about the amount of life in the universe. (Scientific American)
What Red Planet fossils might look like May 2, 2008
By examining incipient fossils along Rio Tinto's shores and comparing them with much older fossils left on terraces now high above the river, David Fernndez-Remolar of the Astrobiology Center in Torrejn de Ardoz, Spain and Andrew Knoll of Harvard University hope to better understand how similar minerals may have preserved a record of life on Mars. Washed upPools at the edge of the river evaporate in the heat of the Spanish summer and leave behind mineral deposits. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Comparative planetology: Exploring other worlds by exploring Earth Apr 23, 2008
One of the recent growth areas in Canadian planetary science have been the fields of comparative planetology and astrobiology, driven to a large extent by the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Canadian Analogue Research Network (CARN) program ... We seek contributions from those working in the fields of geobiology and astrobiology, comparative planetary geology, cosmochemistry (meteorites). (NASA Watch)
Extraterrestrial Intelligence: What Are The Odds? Apr 19, 2008
His model, published in the journal Astrobiology, suggests an upper limit for the probability of each step occurring is 10 per cent or less, so the chances of intelligent life emerging is low less than 0. 01 per cent over four billion years. (Science Daily)
ET contact odds 'extremely low' Apr 18, 2008
Professor Andrew Watson has published his findings in the academic journal Astrobiology. "Complex life may be a rare phenomenon, observers rarer still," he wrote. (BBC News -- Science)
Ancient Plant Matter Found in Waste Dump's Salt Walls Apr 16, 2008
He and colleagues present their findings in the April issue of the journal Astrobiology. Not Fossilized. (National Geographic)
SimCity Box to Include Spore Creature Creator Apr 16, 2008
The creature creator will let you start designing a species for Spore, which is a sprawling game that could best be described as almost astrobiology in a box. Spore is the much anticipated game from Will Wright, the creator of SimCity and The Sims. (IGN PC Games)
Ancient cellulose found in New Mexico Apr 15, 2008
The research by Griffith and four co-authors was published in the April issue of the journal Astrobiology. Griffith said he thinks looking for cellulose in salt deposits is a good way to go searching for life on other planets because cellulose is tough. (MSNBC -- Environment)
NASA Ames' director talks Yuri's Night, Google, and more Apr 14, 2008
Please talk a little about NASA's repositioning of astrobiology ... There were some cuts in our astrobiology program, but we're seeing those have been largely restored, and we have a very optimistic program. (CNET News.com)
Salty, Old and, Perhaps, a Sign of Early Life Apr 14, 2008
Scientists in a field called astrobiology are especially interested in these old cellulose molecules. Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe. (Science News for Kids)
Study dampens hopes of finding E.T. Apr 11, 2008
In a recent paper published in the journal Astrobiology, Professor Andrew Watson of the University of East Anglia describes an improved mathematical model for the as the result of a small number of discrete steps. Evolutionary step models have been used before, but Watson (a Fellow of England's Royal Society who studied under James Lovelock, inventor of the "Gaia hypothesis") sees a limiting factor: The habitability of Earth (and presumably, other living worlds) as the sun brightens. (MSNBC -- Technology)
NASA Ames Lunar Science Institute Dedication Ceremony Apr 8, 2008
The NASA Lunar Science Institute is modeled after the successful NASA Astrobiology Institute, also managed by Ames, and features teams of scientists across the country collaborating in lunar science and future lunar exploration. WHAT: Media briefing and dedication ceremony for the new NASA Lunar Science Institute. (NASA Watch)
Microscopic Peach Fuzz May Be Evidence of Martians Apr 4, 2008
Griffith and his colleagues detail their salty cellulose discovery in the April issue of the journal Astrobiology. Built to last. (Fox News)
Water: special report Apr 3, 2008
Yet another theory of liquid water structure raises questions about interdisciplinarity, drug design, astrobiology, molecular biology, geochemistry and more. 19 March 2008. (Nature News Service)
Scientists might look for sweet life on Mars Apr 1, 2008
Griffith and his colleagues detail their salty cellulose discovery in the April issue of the journal Astrobiology. Built to lastUntil the team's discovery, protein recovered from a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil owned the oldest-known biological material. (MSNBC -- Technology)
For the paper trail of life on Mars or other planets, find cellulose Mar 31, 2008
The cover story for the April issue of the journal Astrobiology, the new research also pushes back the earliest direct evidence of biological material on Earth by about 200 million years. Cellulose is the tough, resilient substance best-known as the major structural component of plant matter. (EurekAlert!)
Low oxygen and molybdenum in ancient oceans delayed evolution of ... Mar 28, 2008
The Astrobiology Web ... The research was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Earth Sciences and the NASA Astrobiology Institute ... Astrobiology Web Copyright. (Astrobiology News (press release))
Reason For Almost Two Billion Year Delay In Animal Evolution On Earth Discovered Mar 27, 2008
The research was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Earth Sciences and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. More about molybdenum as a proxy for ocean chemistry. (Science Daily)
Mars is 'covered in table salt' Mar 21, 2008
----------------- ----------------- RELATED BBC SITES. Last Updated: Thursday, 20 March 2008, 19:00 GMT. (BBC News -- Science)
More of this story Mar 20, 2008
Lynn J. Rothchild, co-investigator of the Ames Research Center for NASA Astrobiology Institute in Calif. will present "Life Beyond Planet Earth" beginning at 7:30 p.m., at the March 20 Adventure Series at Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, Conn. (Westerly Sun, RI)
Life's Building Blocks From Space? Meteorites A Rich Source For Primordial Soup Mar 15, 2008
Funding for Fogel and Alexander provided in part by NASA's Origins of Solar Systems program and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Adapted from materials provided by. (Science Daily)
Canadian Terrestrial Analogue Research: Key to Future Space Missions Mar 5, 2008
- Science instruments and enabling technologies, including Robotics - Exploration Medicine - Astrobiology, Geology, and Geophysics - Analogue missions and crew training - Planning tools, Communications and Infrastructure - Remote Sensing. IMPORTANT DATES. (NASA Watch)
Biologists surprised to find parochial bacterial viruses Mar 5, 2008
The work drew interest and seed funding from NASA's astrobiology program, which hoped the work might provide important clues about the way early life might develop on other planets. Siefert said biogeography -- the study of species biodiversity and distribution across time and space -- has only recently been possible for viruses, mainly due to advancements in software and other computer tools. (EurekAlert!)
After Successfully Delivering Columbus, Atlantis Is Back On Earth Feb 21, 2008
Columbus was designed to support some 500 experiments per year for ten years, in cell and plant biology, astrobiology, human physiology, fluid and material sciences, fundamental physics, astronomy, remote sensing and technology. For the European science community and industrial R&D, a new era of research has just begun. (Science Daily)
UH scientists observe flipping star Feb 20, 2008
"Now, for the first time, we are probing the magnetic cycles of stars other than the sun," said Evgenya Shkolnik, of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at the University of Hawaii-Manoa Institute for Astronomy. It is the first time such a change in magnetic field has been seen in a star other than the sun, the researchers said, reporting their work in the British journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Robot plumbs Wisconsin lake on way to Antarctica, jovian moon Feb 12, 2008
3 million project funded by NASA's Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets Program. The probe is an underwater vehicle designed to swim untethered under ice, creating three-dimensional maps of underwater environments. (EurekAlert!)
$750 million in budget to fund NASA Ames Feb 6, 2008
Worden announced Monday that planetary scientist David Morrison, now a leader at the Ames Astrobiology Institute, will become its first interim director. The Astrobiology Institute, with a $35 million budget for the coming year, distributes research funds to scientists at Ames and at universities and research institutes all over the United States who seek to understand the extreme environments in which life can thrive and the possibilities for life on other planets ... The new lunar institute... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Arizona State University Feb 5, 2008
A one-day Educator Institute, "From Astrobiology to Zoology: Igniting Students' Interest in Science Careers," will be held at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility. Designed for fifth through eighth grade teachers, the institute will include hands-on workshops followed by time for teachers to customize lessons and activities for their classrooms. (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)
Four stars found in amazingly tight bunch Jan 11, 2008
Evgenya Shkolnik of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy and NASA Astrobiology Institute and colleagues spotted the foursome while surveying hundreds of nearby low-mass stars with the Keck I telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, both on the summit of Mauna Kea. At the time of the observations, two of the stars were at 300,000 mph (483,000 kilometers per hour), taking under five days to complete an orbit. (MSNBC -- Technology)
New risk to Earth from supernova explosions Jan 9, 2008
New thresholdIn a paper about to be published in the journal Astrobiology, Thomas explains that even short exposures to blue light can increase insomnia, reduce resistance to infection and is being studied as a possible risk of cancer. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- Technology)
What Would Happen If Asteroid Hits Mars Jan 5, 2008
"An impact that we could witness/follow-up with MRO would be truly spectacular, and could tell us much about the hidden subsurface that could help direct a search for life or life-related molecules," said John Rummel, NASA's senior scientist for astrobiology at the agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters. Related. (Fox News)
MEPAG Meeting Jan 5, 2008
MSL Cache SAG (jointly sponsored with the NASA Astrobiology Institute). Analysis of the expected scientific value of the MSL cache, as input into planning the necessary capability of MSR.. (NASA Watch)
Search for ET is cranked up Jan 4, 2008
"Is there anything more significant than finding out whether we are alone in the universe? I dont' think so," said Professor Walter who led the Australian Centre for Astrobiology until it was disbanded last year by Macquarie University. Scientists with the privately funded SETI Institute in Mountain View, California also backed the call for help. (The Australian)
What Would ET See? Dec 25, 2007
Astrobiology Magazine - earth science - evolution distribution Origin of life universe - life beyond :: Astrobiology is study of earth science evolution distribution Origin of life in universe terrestrial. . (Astrobiology Magazine)
Martian Meteorite Harbors Life's Building Blocks Dec 19, 2007
"This process may be making a lot of the stuff of life, without any help from things that are alive," says John Rummel, senior scientist for astrobiology for NASA's Planetary Science Division, who was not involved in the study. And that, he adds, means there could still be life there waiting to be discovered. (Scientific American)
Jupiter's Moon Europa: Explore The Icy Ocean? Dec 14, 2007
The project is funded by NASA's Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets program. "We're testing the vehicle in Wisconsin in February 2008," Doran says, "and then we'll be deploying it in Antarctica later in the year." The robotic explorer will be able to create three-dimensional maps of the subsurface Antarctic lake. (Science Daily)
Gimpy rover has turned up a surprise on Mars Dec 12, 2007
" What Spirit found in the white tracks dug up by its dragging wheel, said Squyres simply in what may one day prove to be the understatement of the year, "has implications for habitability. " Not living microbes now of course, but alive possibly hundreds of millions or even billions of years ago - "and I'm not even going to speculate about when," he said. But his implication is clear: This may turn out to be the best evidence yet that living organisms could once have existed on Mars and left... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
UV rays delayed creation of life Dec 11, 2007
"There is definitely a connection between star formation in the early universe and astrobiology," Volker Bromm, one of the authors, told New Scientist magazine. The team has submitted the paper to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
European mission reports from Venus Dec 1, 2007
The 220 million Venus Express, cobbled together quickly using hand-me-down Mars Express designs, has whetted scientists appetites for more missions; especially when the Venus community sees more expensive missions going to Mars almost every year, says David Grinspoon, a Venus Express scientist and astrobiology curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado. The gap between what is known about Mars and Venus is now huge, Grinspoon says. (Nature News Service)
e.t., phone home... Nov 29, 2007
CAS member Bernadette Pang talked to an eager audience on "Astrobiology: The Study of Life, the Universe (if not quite Everything)." Defining astrobiology as "the study of life as it arose on Earth [and] as how it may arise elsewhere in the universe," Pang also explained what life is as we understand it: something that consumes food, grows, adapts to its environment, responds to stimuli and reproduces. The Cornell biology and psychology student detailed how an organism might go about getting the... (Ithaca Times, NY)
UH scientists seek planets to study Nov 24, 2007
"Detecting another 'Earth' around the 'sun' is still beyond our grasp," Eric Gaidos, associate professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and the NASA Astrobiology Institute, said in an e-mail ... Co-authors were Nader Haghighipour, planetary researcher at the UH Institute for Astronomy and Astrobiology Institute, and Sean Raymond, NASA postdoctoral fellow, University of Colorado at Boulder ... Haghighipour, who did computer simulations, explained by e-mail: "Our Earth has a density... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Rethinking Jupiter Nov 14, 2007
Like so many topics in astrobiology, it isn't as straightforward as it first seems. Jonti Horner and a team from the UK's Open University have been addressing the question of whether Jupiter is our friend or foe. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Newswatch, Police/Fire Nov 13, 2007
Norbert Schorghofer of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Hawaii, will describe changes on Mars from extensive ice deposits 3 million to 5 million years ago. For more information, call 956-3132 or see. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Campus notes Nov 2, 2007
Penn State's Astrobiology Research Center will host the speech, "Microbial Biosignatures, Part One: Mars Weathering as a Biosignature.". The Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library will show two videos, Mysterious Poison: The History of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and How Scientists Look at the Sun at 3:35 p.m. today in 211 Davey Laboratory. (Daily Collegian, PA)
NASA to Establish Lunar Science Institute Nov 1, 2007
Ames currently manages a similar distributed NASA Astrobiology Institute ... The lunar science institute is modeled after the highly successful NASA Astrobiology Institute, based at Ames ... Established in 1997, the NASA Astrobiology Institute promotes, conducts and leads integrated multidisciplinary astrobiology research in addition to training a new generation of astrobiology researchers. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Astrobiology Magazine Oct 23, 2007
Many of the missions are focused on astrobiology topics, including the habitability of Europa, the potential for liquid water on Enceladus and the search for habitable planets ... Reminder Real-time Astrobiology and views of today's , , and. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
First on-spot water evidence found on Mars Oct 18, 2007
John Rummel, a senior scientist with NASA's astrobiology department, said Mars exploration is primarily focused on "where water is today and how what we see can tell us about the availability of water on Mars in the distant past.". "Only by solving that puzzle can we also focus our search for life, past or present, and understand how the habitability of Mars continues to evolve.". (Toronto Star)
