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May 30, 2008
May 28, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 28 May 2008
May 27, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 27 May 2008
May 24, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 24 May 2008
May 23, 2008
NAI Director's Seminar: "Observing Extrasolar Worlds: From Gas Giant to Terrestrial Planets"
Presenter: Giovanna Tinetti, University College, London
Date/Time: June 2, 2008 11:00 AM Pacific
Abstract: In the past decade, over 280 planets orbiting other stars (extrasolar planets) have been discovered. For a growing sample of giant extrasolar planets orbiting very close to their parent star (hot-Jupiters), we can already probe their atmospheric constituents using transit techniques. With this method, we can indirectly observe the thin atmospheric ring surrounding the optically thick disc of the planet -the limb- while the planet is transiting in front of its parent star. This method was traditionally used to probe the atmospheres of planets in our Solar System and most recently, thanks to the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, was successfully applied to exoplanets.
In our seminar, we will focus in the most recent detections of water vapour and other carbon-molecules in the atmosphere of hot-Jupiters using photometry and spectroscopy. A new generation of space telescopes is expected to be launched in the next decade: the James Webb Space Telescope. The improved sensitivity of the instruments on board JWST will allow us to probe the atmospheres of transiting Earth-size planets, down to the habitable zone.
For more information and participation instructions: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/126
[Source: NAI Newsletter]
Last Chance for NAI Scholarships to the Summer School on Life in Extreme Conditions
The application deadline has been extended to Tuesday May 27 for 3 NAI scholarships to graduate students or postdocs, studying in the US, to attend the 2008 MedILS Summer School on Life in Extreme Conditions. This session, held from August 3 - 9 in Split, Croatia, will provide a venue to share current knowledge and develop new ideas and research projects around the topic of life in extreme conditions. The main focus of the school is on the evolution and maintenance of life in habitats such as eternal ice, hydrothermal vents, the bottom of the ocean, salt lakes, or other planets. Leading international lecturers will inform the participants about the latest developments and theories.
This summer school is open to PhD and Master students as well as postdoctoral fellows working in the fields of biology, ecology, astrobiology, chemistry, or physics (or any discipline combined from or related to these). Application documents should include a 1 page letter of motivation (highlighting your interest and prior knowledge in the school topic), a CV, and a letter of recommendation from your advisor to: Andrew Pohorille, pohorill@raphael.arc.nasa.gov.
For more information see: http://www.medils.hr/index.php/archives/2008/03/03/summer-schools-2008/
[Source: NAI Newsletter]
Recently Published Research from the NAI
Wandering Poles on Europa
A new study in the May 15th issue of Nature from NAI’s Carnegie Institution of Washington Team reveals that Europa’s poles may not have always been located in the same place. Using images from three NASA spacecraft, Voyager, Galileo, and New Horizons, the study mapped surface features on Europa and matched them with a pattern predicted if Europa had experienced an episode of ~80 degree true polar wander. This movement of the pole and subsequent change in rotation axis is only possible if Europa’s outer shell is decoupled from the core by a liquid layer, so the study also reinforces evidence for the presence of an ocean on Europa.
Organic Haze, Glaciations and Multiple Sulfur Isotopes in the Mid-Archean Era
Shawn D. Domagal-Goldman (NAI PSU team), J.F. Kasting (NAI PSU team), D. T. Johnson (NAI CIW team), and J. Farquhar (NAI CIW and UCLA teams) have just published an article Organic haze, glaciations and multiple sulfur isotopes in the Mid-Archean era in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. The team used sulfur isotope signatures within ancient sediments and a photochemical model of sulfur dioxide photolysis to interpret the evolution of the atmosphere over the first half of Earth’s history.
[Source; NAI Newsletter]
Astrobiology Science News 23 May 2008
May 22, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 22 May 2008
- Sun's properties not 'fine-tuned' for life, New Scientist
- Huge hidden biomass lives deep beneath the oceans, New Scientist
- Spectro-astrometric imaging of molecular gas within protoplanetary disk gaps
- Secrets of Mars' Suitability For Life May Be Down in the Dirt, SETI Institute
- ESA COROT: Exoplanet Hunt Update, ESA
Jim Kasting Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the Geochemical Society
Jim Kasting was recently elected as Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Jim is a member of the NAI's Pennsylvania State University and Virtual Planetary Laboratory @ UW teams, and a PI in the Exobiology program. The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and independent policy research centers. Jim has also been named a Fellow of the Geochemical Society. The honorary title is "bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have, over some years, made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry.
For more information: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/articles/jim-kasting-elected-fellow-of-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences-and-of-the-geochemical-society/ [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Chris Impey Receives ASP Richard H. Emmons Award
University of Arizona researcher and educator Chris Impey has received the 2008 ASP Richard H. Emmons award, which recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievement in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors. The award citation states that "Innovation is certainly a hallmark of Chris's approach to teaching astronomy. He is ever thought provoking and engaging; students benefit from his refreshing methods that use interactive techniques and a blend of online and classroom teaching." For more information: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/articles/chris-impey-receives-asp-richard-h-emmons-award/ [Source: NAI Newsletter]
May 20, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 20 May 2008
May 19, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 19 May 2008
May 16, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 16 May 2008
May 15, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 15 May 2008
May 9, 2008
Astrobiology Science News 9 May 2008
May 6, 2008
Call for payload study consortia for Cosmic Vision M-class missions
ESA has issued a 'Call for Declarations of Interest in Science Instrumentation' for the M-class Cosmic Vision mission studies Plato, Cross Scale and Marco Polo. A similar call for the M-class mission study Euclid will follow on 15 May.
Prospective Principal Investigators are invited to submit proposals outlining the composition of nationally funded consortia to carry out assessment level studies. Responses are due by 16:00 CET on 30 June 2008.
Full details at http://sci.esa.int/cvpl_call
Astrobiology Science News 6 May 2008
- Rayleigh scattering by H2 in the extrasolar planet HD209458b, astro-ph
- Near-infrared polarization images of the Orion proplyds, astro-ph
- Nonuniform viscosity in the solar nebula and large masses of Jupiter and Saturn, astro-ph
- A Precise Estimate of the Radius of the Exoplanet HD 149026b from Spitzer Photometry, astro-ph
- NASA Kepler Mission Offers Opportunity to Send Names into Space, NASA
- Astrobiology Meets the Video Game: Spore, NASA
Astrobiology Science News 5 May 2008
Astrobiology Meets the Video Game: Spore
Video games and virtual worlds are a great way to inspire kids' interest in science and technology. The President's Commission on Implementation of US Space Exploration Policy reports that "...video and simulation games are not only a multi-billion dollar industry, they are proving to be effective as learning devices for people of all ages" ... "The potential for converting hobbies and amusements to more educational pursuits is enormous."
The soon-to-be-released Astrobiology-based game Spore by Electronic Arts (EA) is described as "an epic journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology, and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space." Spore explorers can wage epic battles for survival in the primordial soup, meet, greet, and co-evolve with other creatures, be part of a tribe and build a civilization, build a space ship, and explore the final frontier.
NAI recently collaborated with the Spore team in an exhibit for Yuri's Night Bay Area 2008 at NASA Ames Research Center on April 12th. Highlighting the science of astrobiology, and giving a sneak preview and hands-on demonstrations of the game, the exhibit had a steady stream of visitors throughout the event. Who knows, perhaps some of the cosmic adventurers who played with Spore at Yuri's Night are the astrobiologists of tomorrow!
Source: NASA Astroviology Institute
May 1, 2008
GSA session T96 "Planetary Pummelling: Cataclysmic Bombardment of the Solar System as Catastrophe, Catalyst, Cauldron and Crucible"
Co-chairs: Dr. Barbara Cohen (Barbara.A.Cohen@nasa.gov) Dr. Stephen Mojzsis (mojzsis@colorado.edu)
Even as we approach the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, one of the more remarkable results to come out of lunar sample analyses is the hypothesis that a large number of impact events occurred on the Moon during a narrow window in time approximately 3.8 to 4.1 billion years ago (the lunar "cataclysm"). Subsequent work on the lunar and martian meteorite suites; remote sensing of the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and icy satellites; improved dynamical modeling; and investigation of terrestrial zircons extend the cataclysm hypothesis to the Earth, other terrestrial planets, and possibly the entire solar system. Renewed US and international interest in exploring the Moon offers new potential to constrain the Earth-Moon bombardment history. In light of these opportunities, this session invites the latest views on the evidence, timing and mechanism for cataclysmic bombardment of the solar system and its effects on the nascent Earth, including evidence in terrestrial rocks, effects on terrestrial systems (biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere), and questions that may be answered in a new age of exploration.
This session seeks to foster greater interaction between terrestrial and planetary researchers and learn more about the effects of bombardment on the Earth. The Planetary division of GSA is hosting 18 planetary sessions at this year’s GSA meeting, and Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt, an Apollo 17 astronaut, will keynote an All-Convention Luncheon on Monday, 6 Oct.
Contributed talks are alloted 15-minute speaking slots. The abstract deadline is June 3. The GSA meeting will take place October 5-9 in Houston, TX.
For more information and how to submit an abstract, please visit http://https://www.acsmeetings.org/
[Source: NAI newsletter]
Methane and Water Vapor Observed in Atmosphere of Exoplanet
Former NAI Postdoctoral Fellow Giovanna Tinetti is co-author on a groundbreaking paper in Nature detailing the observation of methane and water vapor in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 189733b. The team used the NASA Hubble Space Telescope to observe the transiting exoplanet, using the NICMOS camera to obtain a spectrophotometric time series. This result is a milestone in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe, most importantly because it demonstrates that we have the technology to identify these molecules in exoplanet atmospheres.
[Source: NAI newsletter]
NAI Student Poster Competition at AbSciCon 2008
The competition was fierce! Of 37 posters representing the full gamut of astrobiology research areas, six finalists moved into second round judging, and four awards were made. Please join NAI in thanking our judges and congratulating this year's winners:
First place, $2000, and the Frank Drake Award goes to Tsubasa Otake for his poster "Theoretical investigations of equilibrium and surface adsorption effects on mass-dependent fractionation in multiple sulfur isotope systems."
Second place, and $1250 goes to Pamela Hill for her poster "Non-redox Iron Isotope Signatures."
Third place, and $750 goes to Aaron Goldman for his poster "A Method of Protein Function Prediction for Extremophilic Organisms."
Fourth place, and $500 goes to Nathan Kaib for his poster "The Effects of Oort Cloud Comet Showers on Earth."
The awards are sponsored by the NAI, with additional support from Louis Lerman and Steve Benner through the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution.
[Source: NAI newsletter]
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