The W.M. Keck Research Laboratory in Astrochemistry located at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is a state-of-the-art international user facility established with the support of the W.M. Keck Foundation and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. We invite collaborative proposals catalyzing multidisciplinary research in the fields of astrochemistry, planetary sciences, astrobiology, material sciences, and reaction dynamics. Inquiries and proposals shall be sent to Ralf I. Kaiser ralfk@hawaii.edu or to Brant M. Jones "brantmj@hawaii.edu":mailto:brantmj@hawaii.edu; novel research directions are supported and encouraged.

Please visit our web site http://www.chem.hawaii.edu/Bil301/KLA.html for further information.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scientists from NAI's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Team have compiled years of research to help locate areas in outer space that have extreme potential for complex organic molecule formation. The scientists searched for methanol, a key ingredient in the synthesis of organic molecules that could lead to life. Their results have implications for determining the origins of molecules that spark life in the cosmos.

The findings appear in the Nov. 20 edition of The Astrophysical Journal in a paper titled "Observational constraints on methanol production in interstellar and preplanetary ices." The work is a collaboration between researchers at Rensselaer, NASA Ames Research Center, the SETI Institute, and Ohio State University.

"Methanol formation is the major chemical pathway to complex organic molecules in interstellar space," said the lead researcher of the study and director of the NASA-funded center, Douglas Whittet of Rensselaer. If scientists can identify regions where conditions are right for rich methanol production, they will be better able to understand where and how the complex organic molecules needed to create life are formed. In other words, follow the methanol and you may be able to follow the chemistry that leads to life.

Using powerful telescopes on Earth, scientists have observed large concentrations of simple molecules such as carbon monoxide in the clouds that give birth to new stars. In order to make more complex organic molecules, hydrogen needs to enter the chemical process. The best way for this chemistry to occur is on the surfaces of tiny dust grains in space, according to Whittet. In the right conditions, carbon monoxide on the surface of interstellar dust can react at low temperatures with hydrogen to create methanol (CH3OH). Methanol then serves as an important steppingstone to formation of the much more complex organic molecules that are required to create life. Scientists have known that methanol is out there, but to date there has been limited detail on where it is most readily produced.

Continue reading "Sweet Spots for Galactic Organics" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Locations: New York Center for Astrobiology (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and NASA Ames Research Center

The New York Center for Astrobiology expects to hire two postdoctoral researchers in the areas of observational astronomy and astrochemistry. The successful applicants will join an existing research program that seeks to identify important chemical pathways that lead from simple molecules in the interstellar medium to complex organic molecules in protoplanetary disks around newly-born stars and in primitive solar-system materials. The project represents a collaboration between researchers in the New York Center for Astrobiology (NYCA), based at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in Mountain View, CA, led by Doug Whittet and Yvonne Pendleton, respectively. It is anticipated that one appointee will be based primarily at NYCA, the other primarily at ARC.

The duties of the appointees will be matched to their prior expertise and may include: acquisition and analysis of new astronomical observations at infrared and/or radio wavelengths; research with existing databases such as the Spitzer Heritage Archive; related astrophysical and/or astrochemical modeling; interpretation of results and preparation for publication in the refereed literature. Positions will be for one year initially, with anticipated renewal for a second year dependent on availability of funds.

Continue reading "Postdoctoral Positions in Astronomy/Astrochemistry" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA-funded researchers have found more evidence meteorites can carry DNA components created in space.

Scientists have detected the building blocks of DNA in meteorites since the 1960s, but were unsure whether they were created in space or resulted from contamination by terrestrial life. The latest research indicates certain nucleobases -- the building blocks of our genetic material -- reach the Earth on meteorites in greater diversity and quantity than previously thought.

The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that the chemistry inside asteroids and comets is capable of making building blocks of essential biological molecules. Previously, scientists found amino acids in samples of comet Wild 2 from NASA's Stardust mission and in various carbon-rich meteorites. Amino acids are used to make proteins, the workhorse molecules of life. Proteins are used in everything from structures such as hair to enzymes, which are the catalysts that speed up or regulate chemical reactions.

The findings were published in the August 11, 2011 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the new work, scientists analyzed samples of 12 carbon-rich meteorites, nine of which were recovered from Antarctica. The team found adenine and guanine, which are components of DNA nucleobases.

Continue reading "NASA Research Shows DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are pleased to announce the dates for the second workshop on "Titan Through Time: Formation, Evolution and Fate" in 2012, following the very successful first workshop in 2010. The second meeting will have a similar format, with a 2 1/2 science program comprised of themed sessions, and featuring a mixture of invited reviews, and contributed talks and posters.

As in 2010, we welcome scientific reports and attendance from the widest possible cross-section of the scientific community, including both those studying Titan directly, but also those whose research interests have intersections with Titan science in areas such as laboratory chemistry and spectroscopy; modeling of planetary atmospheres, surfaces and interiors; terrestrial analogs and comparative planetology; and the formation and evolution of the solar system.

Further details including the program of invited talks will be publicized in due course. A link to the website (when available) can be booked-marked here: http://www.astro.umd.edu/~nixon/ttt-2012.html

Hope to see you in 2012.

Conor Nixon, Univerity of Maryland
Ralph Lorenz, Johns Hopkins APL
Co-chairs, science program.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), part of the Universities Space Research Association, invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in the petrology of planetary materials.

The successful candidate will work with Dr. Allan Treiman in NASA-funded efforts, focusing on planetary crusts and magmas, and their volatiles constituents; target materials include lunar highlands rocks, Martian meteorites, and terrestrial analogs.  These efforts focus on planetary samples, starting with analyses by optical microscopy and electron microprobe; other instruments are available at nearby Johnson Space Center or with external collaborators.  The candidate will be encouraged to design and conduct their own research in planetary science, propose for external funding, participate in grant review panels and analysis groups, and become involved with spacecraft missions.

The successful candidate will have a recent Ph.D. in petrology or geochemistry; experience with planetary materials is helpful, but not required.  The position would be for two years, with possible extension to a third year.  Review of candidates will begin on November 15, 2011, with a hiring decision as soon as possible thereafter. Further information can be found on our website: http:// www.lpi.usra.edu

The Universities Space Research Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some asteroids may have been like "molecular factories" cranking out life's ingredients and shipping them to Earth via meteorite impacts. Now it appears that at least one asteroid may have been less like a rigid assembly line and more like a flexible diner that doesn't mind making changes to the menu.

Astrobiologists at NAI's Goddard Space Flight Center and Carnegie Institution of Washington teams studying the carbon-rich Tagish Lake meteorite have discovered that different pieces of it have greatly differing amounts of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and essential ingredients to life as we know it.

In January, 2000, a large meteoroid exploded in the atmosphere over northern British Columbia, Canada, and rained fragments across the frozen surface of Tagish Lake. Because many people witnessed the fireball, pieces were collected within days and kept preserved in their frozen state. This ensured that there was very little contamination from terrestrial life.

Continue reading "Asteroid Served Up "Custom Orders" of Life's Ingredients" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This amendment delays the proposal due date for Appendix D.2 the Astrophysics Data Analysis program and Appendix C.2 the Cosmochemistry program in order to give time to proposers who are without power because of tornadoes. The new due date for proposals for both C.2 and D.2 is Friday, May 20, 2011. Table 2 and Table 3 of the Summary of Solicitation for this NRA will be updated to reflect this change.

On or about May 6, 2011, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2011" (NNH11ZDA001N) will be posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and will appear on the RSS feed at: http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/roses-2011

Questions concerning C.2, the Cosmochemistry program, may be addressed to Jeffrey Grossman at jeffrey.n.grossman@nasa.gov or 202-358-1218.

Questions concerning D.2 the Astrophysics Data Analysis program may be addressed to Douglas Hudgins at douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov or 202-358-0988

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

6-8 December 2010
Brussels, Belgium
Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 November 2010

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Program supports cooperation among scientists and researchers across Europe. It sponsors "actions" to bring researchers together to build cooperative networks and improve scientific collaboration and awareness. Action CM-0805, "The Chemical Cosmos", provides for the study of chemical processes relevant to the physical conditions encountered in the interstellar medium, and on the surface and in the atmospheres of planetary bodies. The Action aims to provide new insights into the dynamics of the chemical reactions leading to molecular synthesis under such conditions and reveal how these are influenced by the ambient temperature and pressure. Special attention is given to the study of the novel surface chemistry prevalent on interstellar medium dust grains and planetary surfaces. The Action also aims to combine such laboratory data with complementary chemical models to allow a fuller interpretation of observational data. More information on the COST program can be found on http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/cmst/Actions/the_chemical_cosmos.
Additional details concerning Action CM-0805 can be found at: http://cost.astrochemistry.eu/ . A preliminary Workshop Program can be found at: http://www.busoc.eu/cost/programme.php.
For further information, contact Dr Christian Muller, B.USOC, Brussels, christian.muller@busoc.be, or Dr. Frank Daerden, BIRA, Brussels, frank.daerden@aeronomie.be. [Source: NAI]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A NASA Astrobiology Institute-funded study led by Chris Dupont of the J. Craig Venter Institute indicates that environmental availability of trace elements over Earth's history influenced the selection of elements used by life as biological evolution progressed. Their results show that environmental concentrations of trace metals influenced which types of metal-binding proteins evolved, and the relative timing of their evolution.

The study implies that the geochemistry of the Archean ocean (>2.5 billion years ago) influenced both the evolution of metal-binding protein architectures and the selection of elements by the ancestors of modern Archaea and Bacteria (simple single cell organisms). Specifically, low Zn, Mo, and Cu concentrations in the Archean ocean likely prevented the widespread emergence and diversification of Eukaryotic life (including plants, animals, and fungi) until the oceans became oxic, relatively late in Earth's history. The study also revealed that although modern Archaea and Bacteria still predominantly use ancient metal-binding protein structures, most Eukaryotes use both early- and late- evolving structures. The paper appears in the May 24 Early Edition of PNAS.

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many of the most well known comets, including Halley, Hale-Bopp and, most recently, McNaught, may have been born in orbit around other stars, according to a new theory by an international team of astronomers led by Harold F. Levison, co-investigator on NAI's NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Team.

The team used computer simulations to show that the Sun may have captured small icy bodies from its sibling stars while it was in its birth star cluster, thereby creating a reservoir for observed comets. Their paper appears in the June 10, 2010 issue of Science Express.

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Applications are invited for a Post-doctoral Research fellowship in Cosmochemistry. The successful applicant will join an active research program that investigates a wide variety of topics, including: 1) the chronology of the early solar system, 2) the nature and origin of the presolar dust that provided the raw material for the solar system, 3) the isotopic and chemical compositions and origins of primitive chondritic components, 4) samples returned by the Stardust Mission to comet Wild 2, and 5) solar wind samples returned by the GENESIS Mission. The main analytical tools for this research are the petrographic microscope, scanning electron microscope, electron microprobe, scanning Raman microscope, and ion microprobe. Minimum qualifications include a Ph.D. in a discipline relevant to cosmochemistry and experience in one or more of the following areas: cosmochemistry, meteoritics, isotope geo- or cosmochemistry, secondary ion mass spectrometry. Previous experience with one or more of the following is required (training will be provided for the others): petrographic microscope, scanning electron microscope, electron microprobe, Raman microscope, or ion microprobe. Experience with isotopic measurements or meteorite petrography is desired. The successful candidate will participate in one or more of the above research projects and will receive training and will be expected to become an independent user of the Cameca ims 1280 ion microprobe at the University of Hawai'i. The Fellowship will be for an initial period of 1 year with renewal for up to 2 additional years based on performance and on the availability of support.

Continue reading "Post-doctoral Researcher Position in Cosmochemistry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stardust Comet Sample Return Mission"
Join us for the next NAI Director's Seminar!

Date/Time: Monday, March 29, 2010 11:00AM Pacific
Speaker: Don Brownlee (University of Washington), PI of Stardust Mission
Title: "Comets and the Early Solar System - Results from the Stardust Comet Sample Return Mission"

The NASA Stardust mission returned hundreds of samples of dust and small rocks from comet Wild 2. Like other Jupiter Family Comets, Wild 2 is believed to have formed beyond Neptune and stored in the Kuiper Belt until its recent migration into the inner solar system. Laboratory analyses of the comet samples provide a remarkably detailed look at the nature of solar nebula materials the resided at the edge of the solar system at the time that planets formed. Isotopically anomalous pre-solar grains have been found in the comet but their abundance is surprisingly low and it is clear that the bulk of micron and larger comet grains formed in the solar system by high temperature processes. The comet contains fragments of familiar high temperature components such as CAIs and chondrules that are well studied components of primitive meteorites. Common components formed in the 1400 to 2000K range These findings show that there was efficient radial transport of 1-100um grains over distances of 10's of AU. The comet seems to be a well preserved "grab bag" of components that formed in hot regions of the solar nebula. The low survival rate of pre-solar silicate grains at the edge of the solar nebula disk also suggests a low survival rate of pre-solar organics. It is clear that cometary icy and rocky materials formed in different environments. Stardust provided no information on ices but did it collect cometary organics including glycine. Comet-like bodies were probably the dominant form of planetesimal in the solar nebula and the Wild 2 results provide a very detailed look at the materials that made such bodies at the edge of the solar nebula.

For more information and participation instructions: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/169 [Source NAI newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TO: NAI Newsletter distribution list
FROM: George Cody (NAI CIW team) and Douglas Whittet (NAI RPI team)
SUBJECT: Announcement and invitation to attend NAI "Workshop Without Walls": The Organic Continuum from the ISM to the Early Solar System

DATES: March 11-12, 2010

Workshop Website: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/2010vcworkshop

A two-day workshop using NAI remote communications tools will be held on March 11 and 12, 2010 to present topics spanning the cosmic evolution of organic complexity, from small molecule formation in interstellar clouds to organic synthesis and inventories in protoplanetary disks, the solar nebula, and primitive bodies such as comets and asteroids in our solar system.

Workshop topic areas include

* Interstellar Dust and the Organic Inventory of Protostellar Envelopes
* Organic Astrochemistry of Protoplanetary Disks
* Laboratory Studies of analog ISM and outer Solar System Materials
* Organics and Volatiles in Comets
* Organic matter in Interplanetary Dust particles.
* The Organic Inventory in Asteroids and Primitive Meteorites

This workshop is also a test of how to best use the advanced virtual communications capabilities of NAI to initiate greater cross-team awareness and dialog on a focused research area well represented across the NAI. What we learn from this will inform the greater NAI community.  

The workshop is open to all and will be accessible via internet browser- no special software or equipment is required. To receive connection details, please register on the NAI website: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/2010vcworkshop

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington team in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. The stratospheric dust includes minute grains that likely formed inside stars that lived and died long before the birth of our sun, as well as material from molecular clouds in interstellar space. This "ultra-primitive" material likely wafted into the atmosphere after the Earth passed through the trail of an Earth-crossing comet in 2003, giving scientists a rare opportunity to study cometary dust in the laboratory.

Continue reading "'Ultra-Primitive' Particles Found in Comet Dust" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Danny Glavin (speaker) and Jason Dworkin, "Southpaw Solar System: L-Amino Acid Excesses in Meteorites and the Implications for the Origin of Homochirality on Earth"

Abstract: Meteorites provide a record of the chemical processes that occurred in the early solar system before life began on Earth. The delivery of organic matter, including amino acids, by carbonaceous meteorites could have been an important source of the early Earth's prebiotic organic inventory. The earlier discovery of slight to significant excesses for several indigenous left handed

Continue reading "10/5 NAI Director's Seminar" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA scientists have discovered glycine, a fundamental building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA's Stardust spacecraft.

"Glycine is an amino acid used by living organisms to make proteins, and this is the first time an amino acid has been found in a comet," said Dr. Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Our discovery supports the theory that some of life's ingredients formed in space and were delivered to Earth long ago by meteorite and comet impacts."

Elsila is the lead author of a paper on this research accepted for publication in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science. The research will be presented during the meeting of the American Chemical Society at the Marriott Metro Center in Washington, DC, August 16.

Continue reading "NASA Researchers Make First Discovery of Life's Building Block in Comet" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 on Earth," said study co-author Danny Glavin.

The team also found a pattern to the excess. Different types of meteorites had different amounts of water, as determined by the clays and water-bearing minerals found in the meteorites. The team discovered that meteorites with more water also had greater amounts of left-handed isovaline.

[Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Members of the Astrochemistry Laboratory propose and carry out measurements, observations and modeling of key rates and/or fundamental quantities that control important chemical processes in astrophysical and planetary environments or that yield the chemical and isotopic compositions of solar system bodies. Members also perform simulations of natural processes or synthesize simplified analog samples of natural materials in order to better understand the unexpected consequences of natural events or to record the spectroscopic properties of well characterized samples for comparison with observations. Deadline: Feb 1, 2009 http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/gsrp/research/detail.cfm?oppID=672

Source: [NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to an article published in the Washington Post, scientists studying the Murchison meteorite have found that it contains clues to the origin of chirality. Amino acids in nature have two forms, referred to as right- and left-handed, that are mirror images of each other. The proteins in living organisms, however, are only made from left-handed amino acids. The reason for this chirality is not understood, but this new research suggests it may stem from meteorites that rained down on the young Earth.

Source; NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scientists from NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington Team have a new paper in Meteoritics and Planetary Science detailing their discovery of amino acids in two meteorites at concentrations ten times higher than levels previously measured in other similar meteorites. The result suggests that the early solar system was far richer in the organic building blocks of life than scientists had thought, and that fallout from space may have spiked Earth's primordial broth. [Source: NAI newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scientists from NAI's University of Arizona Team have studied the outflow of VY Canis Majoris, an oxygen-rich supergiant star. Thier results show that, against expectations, an old, oxygen-rich star can synthesize a chemically varied molecular cocktail. The study is published in Nature, and a News and Views about the paper is also available. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA is seeking representatives of the astronomical community to serve on the Primordial Polarization Program Definition Team (PPPDT). Members of the PPPDT will work in collaboration with NASA Headquarters and the astronomical community to provide input for a space-based Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization mission. The PPPDT will help provide technical input from the astronomy community on questions relating to the science mission and technology developments required for this investigation and will help disseminate information about such a mission to the community. Astronomers from the U.S. and other countries are eligible for membership.

Continue reading "NASA Primordial Polarization Program Definition Team - Representatives Needed" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New work from NAI NASA Ames Research Center Team members and their colleagues published recently in PNAS suggests that the cause for much of the extended red emission, or ERE, is due to closed-shell cationic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, or PAH, dimers. Their work sheds light on the processes involved in carbonaceous dust evolution in the interstellar medium. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cassini Radar Finds Hydrocarbon Lakes on Titan

"The Cassini spacecraft, using its radar system, has discovered very strong evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. Dark patches, which resemble terrestrial lakes, seem to be sprinkled all over the high latitudes surrounding Titan's north pole. Scientists have speculated that liquid methane or ethane might form lakes on Titan, particularly near the somewhat colder polar regions."

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers from NAI's NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Team and their colleagues publish their analysis of two meteorites in the current issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science. Their study revealed a suite of amino acids present in the meteorites that are not present in the Antarctic ice on which they were found. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Andrey Bekker of NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington Team and his colleagues have an article in press for Precambrian Research which details the carbon isotope record for the carbonate platform in the Great Lakes area.

Continue reading "Carbon Isotope Record from ~2.2 Ga Rocks in the Great Lakes Area" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University is pleased to announce the 40th Anniversary of the Nininger Award for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing research in meteoritical sciences.

Continue reading "ASU Award for Students Pursuing Research in Meteoritical Sciences" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)