In a Fierce Desert, Microbe ‘Crusts’ Show How Life Tamed the Land
At first glance, the grit crust could seem like a routine example of what researchers call a biological soil crust, or “biocrust”—a community of coexisting...
Tag : astrobiology
Why the Search for Life in Space Starts With Ancient Earth
Next, they’ll use the spectrograph to try to find key molecules like oxygen or methane. How much they find of each determines what they’ll look...
Life Helps Make Almost Half of All Minerals on Earth
“Each one of those kinds of pyrite is telling us something different about our planet, its origin, about life, and how it’s changed through time,”...
Why the Search for Life on Mars Is Happening in Canada’s Arctic
Only the hardiest organisms can thrive in one of the coldest springs on earth. That’s why in the summers of 2017 and 2019, Lyle Whyte...
Here’s why scientists have chosen Uranus for study in the next decade
Recently, a panel of experts from the US National Academies has set its priorities for planetary science and astrobiology in its report. In this report,...