Tag Archives: life

Mars: not as dry as it seems

Posted on December 21, 2017 by rburnham

When searching for life, scientists first look for an element key to sustaining it: fresh water. Although today’s Martian surface is barren, frozen and inhabitable, a trail of evidence points to a once warmer, wetter planet, where water flowed freely. … Continue reading →

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Seeking microbial biosignatures for studying Mars rocks

Posted on October 18, 2017 by rburnham

Scientists around Tetyana Milojevic from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna are in search of unique biosignatures, which are left on synthetic extraterrestrial minerals by microbial activity. The biochemist and astrobiologist investigates these signatures at her own … Continue reading →

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Ancient sea-floor hydrothermal deposits in Eridania

Posted on October 16, 2017 by rburnham

The discovery of evidence for ancient sea-floor hydrothermal deposits on Mars identifies an area on the planet that may offer clues about the origin of life on Earth. A recent international report [published in Nature Communications by a team led … Continue reading →

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Vanadium: key element in search for Mars biosignatures?

Posted on September 23, 2017 by rburnham

The search for biology on neighbor planet Mars won’t play out like a Hollywood movie starring little green men. Rather, many scientists agree if there was life on the Red Planet, it probably will present itself as fossilized bacteria. To … Continue reading →

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ExoMars 2020: Window into rover’s search for Mars life

Posted on September 5, 2017 by rburnham

Anyone interested in the scientific exploration of Mars and the search for life on the Red Planet will want to read a special issue of the journal Astrobiology. This collection of papers includes one dedicated to the objectives of ESA’s … Continue reading →

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Zinc and germanium levels at Gale Crater boost evidence for habitable environment

Posted on August 24, 2017 by rburnham

New data gathered by the Mars Curiosity rover indicates a potential history of hydrothermal activity at Gale Crater on the red planet, broadening the variety of habitable conditions once present there, scientists report in a new study. Researchers found concentrations … Continue reading →

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Eclipse balloons to study effect of Mars-like environment on life

Posted on July 27, 2017 by rburnham

Steps forward in the search for life beyond Earth can be as simple as sending a balloon into the sky. In one of the most unique and extensive eclipse observation campaigns ever attempted, NASA is collaborating with student teams across … Continue reading →

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Can methanogens survive on Mars?

Posted on March 2, 2017 by rburnham

Researchers at the University of Arkansas recently took a step toward answering a question for the ages: Is there life on Mars? Answer: they can’t rule it out. Two recent publications suggest that life, in the form of ancient, simple … Continue reading →

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Curiosity findings from Yellowknife Bay sharpen CO2 paradox of ancient Mars climate

Posted on February 6, 2017 by rburnham

Mars scientists are wrestling with a problem. Ample evidence says ancient Mars was sometimes wet, with water flowing and pooling on the planet’s surface. Yet, the ancient sun was about one-third less warm and climate modelers struggle to produce scenarios … Continue reading →

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Look for life in ice-depression ‘funnels’?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by rburnham

A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a University of Texas at Austin-led study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a … Continue reading →

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