|
|
Hot Topic
Origins
Extreme Life
|
|
| |
|
|
Life Lessons in the UAE
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
03/23/11 |
| Researchers recently searched the dunes of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for microbial life. The team included scientists and students who explored remote, extreme environments in the deserts of the UAE as analogs for Mars and Saturn's moon, Titan. |
|
|
|
|
A Carbon Cloak to Spy on Bacteria
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
03/21/11 |
| A new microscopic 'cloak' could change the way that scientists capture images of bacteria and other cells. The new technology could help uncover new discoveries about life at the cellular level. |
|
|
|
|
Algae are Ice Engineers
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
03/05/11 |
| Sea-ice algae plays an important role supporting the food web in places like the Arctic Ocean. New research shows that this algae can engineer ice to its advantage by secreting a gel-like mucus that acts as a kind of anti-freeze. The study shows a unique way in which life has evolved to survive under extreme environmental stresses. |
|
|
|
|
The World's Oldest Water?
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
02/23/11 |
| New evidence shows that saline groundwaters in South Africa may be the oldest known water on Earth. Fractures in rocks in the Witwatersrand Basin that are filled with this water also support the deepest known microbial ecosystem on Earth. |
|
|
|
|
Musical Chairs around the Periodic Table
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
02/17/11 |
| The claim of a microbe that swaps arsenic for phosphorus may be questionable, but alternative chemistries for life is still a question worth considering, say researchers. |
|
|
|
|
|
When Hiberating Microbes Awaken
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
02/11/11 |
| New research sheds light on how microorganisms are able to 'hibernate' for long periods of time. This unique ability of microorganisms affects entire ecosystems on Earth, and could have implications for the transport of organisms between planets. |
|
|
|
|
Astrobiology Top 10: Life Built on Arsenic
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
01/02/11 |
| Astrobiology Magazine is highlighting the top 10 stories of 2010. The top story of the year was NASA's announcement of a bacterium that appears able to use arsenic instead of phosphorus in its DNA. The discovery may change the definition of life on Earth, and has stirred up much debate. (Originally published 12/02/2010 and 12/18/2010) |
|
|
|
|
Astrobiology Top 10: Tracking Viruses Back in Time
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
12/24/10 |
| Astrobiology Magazine is highlighting the top 10 astrobiology stories of 2010. At number 10 is a study that could one day help scientists determine how long viruses have existed on Earth. (Originally published on September 06, 2010). |
|
|
|
|
Asking About Arsenic
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
12/18/10 |
| On December 2, NASA held a press conference to announce the discovery of a bacterium that has a novel biochemistry. The research made headlines around the world and sparked a great deal of scientific debate. |
|
|
|
|
The Three Ages of Mars
|
| Topic: Extreme Life |
12/09/10 |
| While no place on Earth is exactly like Mars, various spots are quite similar to the red planet at different times in its past. A new study details the martian ages and the places on Earth that best resemble them. |
|
|
|
|
|
