Category Archives: Astrobiology
Directs biological chemistry at the surface of the Earth on Titan
The fascinating results of a laboratory experiment simulating the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, suggest that complex organic chemistry can lead to the emergence of the essential components of life, extending to below in the atmosphere of than previously thought. That implies that that strip could also serve of broth cultivation of such materials prebiotics. Previously, scientists thought that to greater closeness to the surface of Titan, simpler he turned the chemistry of the atmosphere.
However, the new experiment, conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL for its acronym in English) of NASA in Pasadena, California, demonstrates that this is not true. “The same kind of light that directs biological chemistry at the surface of the Earth, could also direct the chemistry on Titan, although the satellite receives less sunlight and is much colder. Titan is not a sleeping giant in his lower atmosphere: but at least half awake in their chemical activity.” That is how strong and suggestive statements are Gudipati Murthy, co-author of the study that included the experiment, and scientist at JPL.
The microorganisms that live in salt crusts and the acidic environment of the river
Astrobiology Center researchers have identified the microorganisms that live in salt crusts in the acidic environment of the river and ferrous Tinto in Huelva. The extreme conditions of these microcuevas could resemble those of salt deposits on Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europe, a possibility that should be considered missions operating there, as Curiosity.
High doses of radiation, lack of moisture and extreme temperature and pressure that supports the surface of Mars, making difficult the development of life. In this hostile environment, scientists seek niches ‘friendly’ that could rainy weather it and one of the candidates is the salt deposits. Now a team from the Centre for Astrobiology (CAB, INTA-CSIC) has discussed such an environment on Earth: salt crusts associated with a mineral called natrojarosite sulfur and iron. It is located in the Red River basin in Huelva, and is very similar to another detected on Mars: Their presence reveals present or past water.
The Color of Alien Earths Planet
The Earth is a pale blue dot when viewed from space. Now, astrobiologists have determined the colors most likely to be present Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. When Voyager 1 was about to leave the solar system in 1990, the American astronomer Carl Sagan suggested that revolve cameras spacecraft toward its home planet about 3000 million miles away.
In the picture obtained is called the Pale Blue Dot and showing Earth as a tiny blue-white speck on the great void of space. Later Sagan used this phrase for the title of a book about his vision for the future of humanity in space. Due to the peculiar color of the Earth, an interesting question is what color would have an alien Earth orbiting another star. Today we have a different response options by Siddharth Hedge Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy) in Germany and Lisa Kaltenegger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Three Cool Things You Didn’t Know About the Solar System
There are few other things more fascinating than the great, big universe, out there. For one thing, we know it somehow generated life on Earth, but, despite all the theories, we still can’t be quite sure how that happened. For another thing, we keep hoping there are other (intelligent) forms of life out there. This former fantasy has been entertained and enriched by Hollywood films and incredibly talented sci-fi novelists for decades now, and it continues to enthral more-or-less uneducated audiences as well as brilliant scientists alike. While we may not have solved these two baffling mysteries, what we did was come across three facts about planets in our solar system that you, too, will be interested in. So, read on and expand your universe!
Twelve generations of animal life beyond Earth
Colonize other planets is probably something that humanity will have to do sometime in the distant future, either when the Sun becomes a red giant star, or other circumstances that make the Earth uninhabitable, or as alternative policies to curb population growth of the species. But it is really the Human Being able to live all their lives exposed to conditions other than those on Earth, such as subject to a lower gravity.
A team of scientists from the University of Nottingham in the UK, believes that the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic worm that is biologically similar to humans, may help science to better understand how the human species could face a permanent, lasting generations, beyond Earth.
It rains methane on Titan
The researchers, an international team of astrophysicists led by Elizabeth Turtle, Johns Hopkins University (USA), have observed similar dry channels to river beds in these equatorial regions, possibly remains of a wetter climate in the past. Titan is one of the main goals of astrobiology to have certain conditions that could harbor life.
Life on Mars may be like a certain bacteria remaining Terrestrial Methane
A team of experts from the natural resources department at McGill University, the National Research Council of Canada, the University of Toronto and the SETI Institute has found that some methanotrophic bacteria survive in an unusual spring located on Axel Heiberg Island in the extreme Canadian North.
Terrestrial Microbes on Mars may be difficult to find Native Martian Life
The bacteria commonly found on spacecraft can survive in the harsh environment of Mars long enough to inadvertently contaminate the planet with terrestrial life. A new study supports this theory.
The search for indigenous life on Mars is one of the most important goals for the NASA Astrobiology Institute. In order to preserve the pristine environments, the loads on spacecraft aimed at Mars are subject to sterilization and avoid contamination of the Martian surface.