New Evidence for an Earlier Origin of Oxygenic Photosynthesis

Outcroppings of ancient ocean sediments show deposits of the iron oxide, hematite. CREDIT: HIROSHI OHMOTO

NAI’s Archean Biosphere Drilling Project supported the acquisition of pristine drill core samples obtained from ancient rocks in Western Australia. New results from those studies, published in the current issue of Nature Geoscience, point toward an earlier start for oxygenic photosynthesis on the early Earth, which is currently thought to have evolved 2.7 billion years ago.

An international team of researchers, including members of NAI’s Penn State Team, observed the presence of hematite crystals and associated minerals preserved in a jasper formation within the marine sedimentary rocks they sampled. Their interpretation is that the...

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March 17, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

A Clue to the Molecular "Handedness" of Life on Earth

Members of NAI’s NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Team have a new paper in PNAS describing the distribution and enantiomeric composition of certain amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites. Their results show an increased amount of “left handed” isovaline in several meteorites, which helps to explain why all known life uses only left-handed versions of amino acids to build proteins.

“Finding more left-handed isovaline in a variety of meteorites supports the theory that amino acids brought to the early Earth by asteroids and comets contributed to the origin of only left-handed based protein life...

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March 17, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Origin of life research in El Centro de Astrobiologia

El Centro de Astrobiologia, located near Madrid, Spain, is the only fully autonomous center of astrobiology in the world, with its own building, full-time faculty and students. It was also the first international partner of the NAI.

by Cesar Menor Salvan menorsc@inta.es

We could define prebiotic evolution as the first step in the emergence of life; it includes all the natural physicochemical processes that occur in a given planetary environment from its formation until the emergence of the first self-replicating system on which Darwinian processes could operate. In the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), we are interested in chemical...

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Alien Safari Part 5: Alien vs. Predator

At the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference, a panel of scientists discussed different types of planets where we might find alien life. In the fifth segment of this series, the panelists address questions from the audience about the search for life on Mars and elsewhere.

Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

March 16, 2009 / Posted by: Aaron Gronstal

NAI Public Lecture (and the New York Times) Kick Off 2009 Celebration of Darwin

Yesterday, the NAI sponsored the first talk in a new lecture series hosted by NASA Ames Research Center. The series is designed to celebrate several important scientific anniversaries in 2009: Darwin’s 200th birthday, the 150th anniversary of his landmark publication On the Origin of Species, the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing, the 70th anniversary of NASA Ames Research Center, and the 25th anniversary of the SETI Institute.

Last night’s talk featured James Strick, an historian of science from Franklin...

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March 13, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Program Solicitation in Antarctic Research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting proposals for research supported by the United States Government in Antarctica. The goals of the program include expanding our fundamental knowledge of the region and using Antarctica as a platform from which to support research. Support is available for fieldwork and Antarctic-related analytical work at home organizations. Full proposals are due on June 8, 2009. Futher program information is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09536/nsf09536.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

Antarctica has long been a research site of interest for astrobiologists. The continent supports a range of unique organisms that can survive...

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March 12, 2009 / Posted by: Aaron Gronstal

Summer Workshops for Teachers in Astrobiology

Every summer, NAI teams and others host hands-on, in-the-field, in-the-lab workshops for educators. The workshops feature cutting edge astrobiology research delivered by astrobiology scientists and education professionals, as well as inquiry- and standards-based activities ready for your classroom. Click here for a current list of offerings for Summer 2009.

March 9, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice