Date: 1 - 13 July, 2012
Location: Utrecht and Texel, Netherlands
Application Deadline: 25 May, 2012

The second Darwin Summer School on Biogeosciences will give PhD and advanced MSc students an update on the state-of-the-art research within the field of Biogeosciences. The focus will be ocean acidification, the carbon cycle, microbial ecology, biomarkers, terrestrial carbon cycling and climate reconstructions, in the past, present and future. This Summer School is all about interdisciplinary research. Students are expected to work on the interface of biology, earth sciences, chemistry and physics. More information and application: www.darwincenter.nl/dss

Posted by Keith Cowing at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Geological background of the samples analyzed in this study. Panel A shows the geological map at Marble Bar and the location of the ABDP-1 drill core. Panel B shows the simplified stratigraphic column of the lower part of the Pilbara Supergroup, with ages constrained by zircon U-Pb geochronology.

Astrobiologists from NAI's team at the University of Wisconsin, Madison have recently published a study of drill cores obtained through the NAI-funded Archean Biosphere Drilling Project which sampled the 3.4 billion year old Apex Basalt from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia. Their innovative approach directly dates oxidation products of the ancient rock, and they show that oxidation occurred in the Phanerozoic during deep weathering. Their results indicate that oxidation of the Apex Basalt did not occur in the Archean, and therefore cannot be used to infer an oxygenated atmosphere at that time. Their paper appears in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For more than a decade, scientists have dismissed claims that examining carbon-rich rocks could yield clues to the atmospheric and oceanic conditions on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. Now, however, researchers including members of NAI's MIT Team are challenging that belief, and suggesting that data gleaned from the rocks sheds light on how changes in the atmosphere and oceans helped set the stage for the emergence of animal life.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, described in the March 14 issue of Nature, a group of researchers led by David Johnston, Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, analyzed hundreds of samples of carbon-rich rock collected from sites in Canada, Mongolia, and Namibia. Their findings show that carbon isotope records from the mid-Neoproterozoic era -- between 717 million and 635 million years ago -- can be "read" as a faithful snapshot of the surface carbon cycle.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Date: 22 - 28 July, 2012
Location: Krakow, Poland

http://www.eko.uj.edu.pl/symbiosis/
Hosted by one of the oldest and prominent universities in Europe, Jagiellonian University, the meeting will welcome hundreds of researchers, educators, and students from around the world, all of whom are immersed in some aspect of symbiosis. Held every three years and organized by the International Symbiosis Society, the Congress is one of the most unique gatherings of life science research specialists in the world.

As symbiotic systems encompass and even dominate many phyla and most domains and kingdoms, it is a venue wherein an expert in coral-dinoflagellates will exchange ideas, results, methods, and perspectives with a mycorrhizae or lichen specialist. Those in the vast field of insect symbioses interact with those in the legume-nitrogen fixing realm. In this sense, the term "symbiosis," applies very well to the Congress experience, as extended exchanges, long-term relationships, and new lineages of thought emerge from this diverse human community.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers from NAI's Arizona State University Team and NASA's Exobiology Program have developed a novel geochemical tool that compares the partitioning of uranium isotopes from seawater into carbonates. A decrease of uranium in seawater is indicative of a lack of oxygen (anoxia) in the ocean.

For the first time ever, this approach has revealed the quantitative levels of dissolved oxygen in ancient oceans at the time of Earth's largest mass extinction, known as the end-Permian mass extinction, 252 million years ago. Many leading scientific theories on the cause of this catastrophe are based on the assumption of a long-term existence of ocean anoxia before the extinction event itself.

The study began by obtaining a core sample of carbonate rock collected in Dawen in Southern China. This location is known to physically correlate with the Permian-Triassic boundary. The investigators focused upon the strata around the so-called "Extinction Horizon," or, the "moment" of the mass extinction. This study has quantified the amount of oxygen across the extinction event in the ancient global oceans. Most critically, it revealed that ocean anoxia existed for a much shorter period of time (~10,000 years) before the extinction event than was previously estimated (>100,000 years). This new insight greatly constrains possible explanations for the cause of the mass extinction event. The team's paper is published in a recent issue of PNAS.

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When Dr. Eric Boyd of the NAI's Montana State University Team goes searching for evidence of what extra-terrestrial life might look like, he heads to Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. On Saturday the 24th of September Dr. Boyd was joined by the Webelos of Packs 524 and 552 of Livingston, Montana, with the goal of finding out what life might look like on another planet.

Dr. Boyd began the expedition by explaining some basic background on what Yellowstone is, how the Yellowstone area was formed, and some basic safety instructions on walking through a geothermal area as well as instructions on using the laser guns and pH strips he had brought for the Webolos. It was time to go 'Alien Hunting'.

The Scouts started their hunt at Echinus Geyser by first testing the temperature of the spring with their lasers. They were surprised to find that the temperature was between 156 and 166 degrees Fahrenheit; everybody agreed that it was way too hot for most life to survive. However the Scouts noted that the deep reds, oranges and faint greens associated with the spring seemed to indicate that life is present. At the outflow of the geyser the Scouts tested a sample of the spring water, sampled by Dr. Boyd, and found that it had a pH of between 3 and 4, a very acidic and extreme environment when compared to the boys drinking water which was pH 7.

The boys took their results to Dr. Boyd, who indicated that they were correct in believing that the spring was acidic, but that we should consider how life is thriving in such high temperature and acid conditions. Then Dr. Boyd shared with the boys why NASA scientists study geysers such at this: the iron-rich habitat at Echinus can be considered to be an Earth analog for what might be present on Mars since it is known that the red planet is rich in iron and has had hot springs in its distant past.
"The Boys learned how to look at a spring and based on visual observations, predict the pH and temperature of the spring as well as how the organisms were making a living. Such imaginative thinking is truly the cornerstone of NASA's astrobiology exploration program - in essence identifying patterns and using this to predict an outcome. Through iteration, such as what the Scouts experienced today in the Norris Geyser Basin, we refine our predictions and culminate in understanding" said Boyd. "The collective ideas that this group of youngsters generated about how life survives in extreme environments and the enthusiasm that the students had for NASA-supported science was impressive. I look forward to seeing how this group of young men progress through their Scout Program and their academic education."

The boys left the park with fond memories of red iron-eating bugs, black caldrons filled with mud, and pools of life that had found a way to survive in extreme environments. "What a wonderful opportunity Yellowstone National Park provides each of us to learn about the natural world that surrounds each and every one of us." said Boyd.

Source: NAI Newsletter

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

Join us for the next NAI Director's Seminar! Please RSVP if your site will be joining.

Date/Time: Monday, November 28, 2011 11:00AM Pacific

Presenter: John Peters (Montana State University)

Abstract: Iron-sulfur proteins are ubiquitous and catalyze a number of reactions important to metabolic energy transformations and carbon and nitrogen fixation. The similarities between iron-sulfur motifs within proteins and minerals are too strong to be coincidental and as such relating the properties of iron-sulfur minerals and iron-sulfur clusters in proteins is a powerful approach for understanding the transition form the nonliving to the living Earth and the emergence of biology. Our most recent work has revealed that complex cofactors in biology are synthesized in complicated metabolic pathways that have evolved stepwise. Individual steps in the biosynthetic pathways strongly are analogous to mechanisms responsible for tuning prebiotic mineral reactivity including "ligand accelerated catalysis" and "organic nesting". Insights into the origin and evolution of iron-sulfur enzymes and links to the RNA World will be presented.

For more information and participation instructions: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/198

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Join us for the third in a series of NASA Astrobiology Postdoctoral Program (NPP) seminars!

Date/Time: Monday, October 17th, 11am Pacific Time

Title: "Integrating Geochemistry and (Meta)genomics in the Geothermal Springs in Yellowstone National Park: Mapping the Functional Limits of Life in Early Earth Analog Environments"

Speaker: Eric Boyd, Montana State University

Abstract: The genetic record of extant microorganisms documents the interactions between life and the environment throughout Earth history.  This evolutionary link forms the basis of an emerging area of astrobiology research that is directed at quantifying the relationships between the distribution, diversity, and metabolic composition of microbial life and the characteristics of the environment that it inhabits.  The strong physical and chemical gradients and the relatively simple microbial diversity associated with geothermal environments makes them model environments for the development and application of techniques capable of quantifying the extent of such relationships. 

Our recent results have documented non-random patterns in the spatial distribution of individual genes [e.g., ribosomal (16S rDNA), nitrogenase (nifH), hydrogenase (hydA), chlorophyll biosynthesis (bchL)] in the geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Wyoming, USA.  These results suggested that the microbial populations that harbor these genes have evolved specific physiological traits that enable them to inhabit a particular ecological niche (i.e., multiplicity of chemical and physical parameters that characterize a microenvironment).  To further examine this phenomenon and to uncover the traits facilitating niche conservatism in these communities, we investigated the composition of ~30 community metagenomes in YNP using a suite of ecological modeling tools. 

The results suggest that the metabolic composition of microbial mat communities can be accurately predicted based on the physicochemistry of the environment.  Of particular significance is the strict temperature-dependent demarcation noted between the metabolic composition of chemotrophic communities (supported by chemical energy) and phototrophic communities (supported by light energy) as well as the pH-dependent demarcation in the metabolic composition of chemotrophic communities.  Additional results from recent modeling and in situ activity-based studies will be presented that reveal the environmental constraints that define the distribution of metabolic processes in these early Earth analog environments.  Collectively, these results provide clues as to the parameters that drove the evolution of metabolic processes on Earth and also serve as a foundation for predicting the habitability of early Earth environments and newly discovered extraterrestrial planetary bodies.

For more information and connection information: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/195

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Institute for Astronomy (IfA) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship with interests in the origin of Earth's water to work with the University of Hawai'i's NASA Astrobiology Institute lead team (see http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/). The UH lead team maintains an innovative and multi-disciplinary research environment linking astronomical, biological, microbiological, chemical, and geological sciences to investigate the origin, history, distribution and role of water as it relates to life in the universe. The program centers around interactions with an interdisciplinary group of postdoctoral fellows. We have a particular need for an individual interested in the origin of Earth's water, and, by analogy, terrestrial planetary volatiles. The work involves geological field work to sample primitive, deep-mantle-plume materials, preparation of samples of melt inclusions in olivines from Hawaiian and Icelandic basalts for isotopic measurements using the petrographic microscope, scanning electron microscope, and electron microprobe, and measurements of D/H ratios and hydrogen abundances in the melt inclusions using the UH Cameca ims 1280 ion microprobe. The Fellowship is for one year and may be renewable up to a total of 3 years assuming satisfactory progress and continued availability of funds. The fellow will receive a stipend of approximately $5,000 per month, a small relocation allowance and basic research costs.

Continue reading "Origin of Earth's Water - Astrobiology Postdoctoral Fellow - Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i Manoa" »

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

Fossils are essential to our understanding of the history and origins of complex life. New work from NAI's MIT and Penn State teams describes exquisitely preserved microfossils from mid-Neoproterozoic (811-717 million years old) rocks of the Fifteenmile Group, Yukon. These fossils are interpreted as biomineralized plates that covered the surface of a single-celled alga.

Their findings suggest that the minerals used by the ancient marine organisms have changed through time, perhaps linked to changing ocean chemistry. While the relationship of these fossils to modern organisms is difficult to determine, the researchers argue that it's likely that these unique fossils are the plates of an organism most closely related to green algae. Their paper appears online in Geology.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The record of Earth's sulfur cycle preserved in sedimentary rocks is commonly used to track the evolution of microbial sulfur metabolisms and levels of atmospheric oxygen throughout geologic history. Sulfur isotope evidence suggests the Earth's atmospheric oxygen appeared about 2.4 billion years ago, but its level remained rather low until about 650 million years ago.

New studies by NASA Astrobiology Institute scientists have questioned the extent to which the record of the sulfur cycle reflects the oxygenation. The team has demonstrated that a laboratory culture of a marine sulfate-reducing bacterium can produce sulfur isotope signatures beyond the threshold previously used to define the boundaries for different sulfur metabolisms. This finding suggests that oxygenation is not the only mechanism that can explain similar signatures in modern and ancient sediments. The team's paper was published in the July 1 issue of Science.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In recent years, scientists have found evidence that a 'near complete' biological nitrogen cycle existed in the oceans during the late Archean to early Proterozoic (from 2.5 to 2 billion years ago). Modern bacteria use an enzyme called nitrogenase to cycle nitrogen from one form to another. This enzyme is dependent on the presence of metallic elements like iron (Fe), vanadium (V) and, most often, molybdenum (Mo). However, ancient oceans didn't contain much molybdenum. Could Fe-nitrogenase or V-nitrogenase have played a larger role in the archaean oceans than they do today?

To answer this question, a team of researchers at NAI's Montana State University and Arizona State University teams studied the phylogenetic relationships between the proteins that allow nitrogenase to interact with each of the three elements. Their results suggest that the protein (known as Nif protein) actually developed in methanogenic microorganisms, and was then incorporated into bacteria by lateral gene transfer around 1.5-2.2 billion years ago.

Ultimately, if Mo-nitrogenase originated under anoxic conditions in the Archaean, it would have likely happened in an environment where both methanogens and bacteria coexisted, and where molybdenum was present for at least part of the time.

The emergence of enzymes like Mo-nitrogenase was a significant step in the evolution of life, and had powerful repercussions for planet Earth and its biosphere as a whole. This research can help answer important questions about the environmental conditions that were present on the early Earth, and the interactions that occurred between life and the ancient planet.

The results were published in the May edition of the journal Geobiology

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Department of Geology at Kansas State University invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position in Environmental Geobiology, at the rank of Assistant Professor. Compensation is based on the nine-month academic year, although two months summer salary may be negotiated for up to two years. A competitive startup package is available. The position will start no later than August 2012 and may begin earlier if mutually agreeable.

Review of applications will begin on September 15, 2011 and continue until the position is filled.

For more informaiton: http://www.k-state.edu/geology/department/geobioposition.html

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fossils are essential to our understanding of the history and origins of complex life. New work from NAI's MIT and Penn State teams describes exquisitely preserved microfossils from mid-Neoproterozoic (811-717 million years old) rocks of the Fifteenmile Group, Yukon. These fossils are interpreted as biomineralized plates that covered the surface of a single-celled alga.

Their findings suggest that the minerals used by the ancient marine organisms have changed through time, perhaps linked to changing ocean chemistry. While the relationship of these fossils to modern organisms is difficult to determine, the researchers argue that it's likely that these unique fossils are the plates of an organism most closely related to green algae. Their paper appears online in Geology.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ancient rocks are shedding new light on the timeline for life's emergence on Earth. The rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt in Quebec, Canada, are believed to be some of the oldest on Earth. They contain carbon-based minerals that had been interpreted as evidence of the Earth's early biosphere, however, new research tells a different story. By applying cutting-edge technology to the rock samples, a team of scientists have revealed that the carbon minerals found in the rocks may be much younger than the rocks themselves.

"The characteristics of the poorly crystalline graphite within the samples are not consistent with the metamorphic history of the rock," said co-author Dominic Papineau in a news release from Boston College. "The carbon in the graphite is not as old as the rock. That can only ring a bell and require us to ask if we need to reconsider earlier studies."

The results were reported in the May 15, 2011 edition of the journal Nature Geoscience. Funding organizations for this work included the NASA Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology Program (Exo/Evo), the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), the W.M. Keck Foundation, the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Carnegie of Canada, the Naval Research Laboratory, the NRC Research Associateship Program, Boston College, and the Fond Quebecois pour la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT).

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In recent years, scientists have found evidence that a 'near complete' biological nitrogen cycle existed in the oceans during the late Archean to early Proterozoic (from 2.5 to 2 billion years ago). Modern bacteria use an enzyme called nitrogenase to cycle nitrogen from one form to another. This enzyme is dependent on the presence of metallic elements like iron (Fe), vanadium (V) and, most often, molybdenum (Mo). However, ancient oceans didn't contain much molybdenum. Could Fe-nitrogenase or V-nitrogenase have played a larger role in the archaean oceans than they do today? To answer this question, a team of researchers at NAI's Montana State University and Arizona State University teams studied the phylogenetic relationships between the proteins that allow nitrogenase to interact with each of the three elements. Their results suggest that the protein (known as Nif protein) actually developed in methanogenic microorganisms, and was then incorporated into bacteria by lateral gene transfer around 1.5-2.2 billion years ago. Ultimately, if Mo-nitrogenase originated under anoxic conditions in the Archaean, it would have likely happened in an environment where both methanogens and bacteria coexisted, and where molybdenum was present for at least part of the time.

The emergence of enzymes like Mo-nitrogenase was a significant step in the evolution of life, and had powerful repercussions for planet Earth and its biosphere as a whole. This research can help answer important questions about the environmental conditions that were present on the early Earth, and the interactions that occurred between life and the ancient planet.

The results were published in the May edition of the journal Geobiology

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The record of Earth's sulfur cycle preserved in sedimentary rocks is commonly used to track the evolution of microbial sulfur metabolisms and levels of atmospheric oxygen throughout geologic history. Sulfur isotope evidence suggests the Earth's atmospheric oxygen appeared about 2.4 billion years ago, but its level remained rather low until about 650 million years ago.

New studies by NASA Astrobiology Institute scientists have questioned the extent to which the record of the sulfur cycle reflects the oxygenation. The team has demonstrated that a laboratory culture of a marine sulfate-reducing bacterium can produce sulfur isotope signatures beyond the threshold previously used to define the boundaries for different sulfur metabolisms. This finding suggests that oxygenation is not the only mechanism that can explain similar signatures in modern and ancient sediments. The team's paper was published in the July 1 issue of Science.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 12-13, 2011

A two-day workshop using NAI remote communications tools will be held on May 12th and 13th, 2011. Real-time participation requires only an internet connection and is available to interested scientists from around the world. More details, including connection and registration information, is available at the meeting website given below.

Synopsis

Over the past 4 billion years, the Earth and its biosphere have undergone a series of linked transitions in redox state, biochemical plasticity, and biological diversity. In order to study this evolution, diverse scientific disciplines, including inorganic and organic geochemistry, microbiology, and genomics, we must overcome traditional disciplinary barriers and interact. In recent years, numerous technological advances have resulted in rapid advances in each of these fields. One of the most striking has been the development of cheaper and more efficient sequencing technologies, along with attendant advances in genetics and the computational techniques to leverage the resulting data. To facilitate interactions between paleobiologists and scientists using the latest techniques in molecular biology and genomics, a symposium will be held at the J. Craig Venter Institute in San Diego, California. The primary objective is the exchange of knowledge and the development of a dialog that might yield cutting-edge ideas for future work.

Confirmed Speakers

Tim Lyons, University of California, Riverside
Gordon Love, University of California, Riverside
James Lake, University of California, Los Angeles
Gustavo Caetano-Anolles, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Lawrence David, Harvard University
Trinity Hamilton, Montana State University
Ziming Zhao, Georgia Tech
Clyde Hutchison, J. Craig Venter Institute
Kate Freeman, Pennsylvania State University
Dave Doughty, California Institute of Technology
Jason Raymond, Arizona State University
Andrew Allen, J. Craig Venter Institute
Jack Bailey, University of Minnesota
Frank Stewart, Georgia Tech

The workshop will consist of talks and discussion. Each presentation will allow ample time for questions and answers afterwards. We encourage researchers to attend in real time to engage in what we expect will be a lively exchange of ideas during the workshop.

Workshop Organizing Committee

Chris Dupont, J. Craig Venter Institute
Ariel Anbar, Arizona State University
John Peters, Montana State University

For more information and participation instructions, visit: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/geobiology2011

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 28-September 1, 2011
Denver, Colorado
At the Fall 2011 American Chemical Society National Meeting

Mars is the most accessible location outside of the Earth to investigate for evidence of past and present habitable zones and for extinct or extant extraterrestrial life.  Chemistry-based approaches provide the central tool in these exploration efforts. This search involves the interplay of physical, organic, inorganic, analytical, biological, and geochemistry along with inputs from atmospheric physics and remote imaging. NASA and ESA missions, some joint, will launch over the next 10 years and carry chemistry-based instrumentation to examine whether evidence of past/present habitability and habitation exists and where on Mars future exploration should be directed.

Submit abstracts by March 21 to: http://abstracts.acs.org

You need to register for an ACS user name and password, log in, select 242nd National Meeting, create new abstract (if first time), then "Chemistry as a Tool for Space Exploration and Discovery at Mars" under "CASW".

Contributed papers may be in the form of oral talks or posters. Symposium is co-sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

Mark Allen (Mark.Allen@jpl.nasa.gov)
Jeff Bada (jbada@ucsd.edu)
Ronald Cohen (rccohen@berkeley.edu)

[Source: Planetary Exploration Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new online guidebook helps people understand how astrobiology research ties to Yellowstone National Park. The guidebook, entitled "Secrets of the Springs: Astrobiology in Yellowstone National Park," features an outline of astrobiology and its three fundamental questions; a map of astrobiology-related sites in Yellowstone; and an overview of "extreme environments" and their connection to the search for extra-terrestrial life.

The book was created by astrobiology researchers at Montana State University with support from the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

The book can be downloaded in PDF format at http://abrc.montana.edu/outreach/scienceofthesprings.html or viewed online at http://bit.ly/h82DDO

Printed copies of the guidebook are free for teachers to use as a classroom resource. Museums and science centers may also have free print copies. Contact Suzi Taylor with MSU Extended University at taylor@montana.edu

Montana State University's Extended University offers workforce training and professional development, science education and public outreach, educational technologies and distance learning courses, degrees and certificates via Montana State Online.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Universite Cadi Ayyad, Ibn Battuta Centre, Marrakech, Morocco

Joint ESA/NASA Workshop and Field Trip
February 7-9, 2011

ABSTRACT DEADLINE JANUARY 7th

Conveners:
Charles Cockell (Open University, UK),
Oliver Angerer (ESA),
Mary Voytek (NASA),
Gian Gabriele Ori (IRSPS, Italy and Ibn Battuta Centre, Morocco),
Kamal Taj-Eddine (Universite Cady Ayyad and Ibn Battuta Centre, Morocco)

Geobiology in Space Exploration is a meeting of talks and discussions to understand the full range of the contributions of geobiology to robotic and human space exploration, from life detection to practical applications of geobiology and geomicrobiology. Its purpose is to develop a road map of geobiology for future space missions. It is co-organised by the ESA Topical Team: Geomicrobiology for Space Settlement and Exploration.

Topics to be covered at the meeting include:

1) microbe-mineral interactions, biosignatures and the search for life elsewhere,

2) use of microorganisms in practical applications in space exploration,

3) space missions involving aspects of geobiology.

4) analog sites for the study of other planetary environments.

The meeting will begin midday on Monday 7th and will finish on Wednesday February 9th and will be held at the Universite Cadi Ayyad (Morocco). The meeting will then be followed by a voluntary field trip for interested participants to investigate geomicrobiology and geology from Precambrian to Quaternary in the Atlas Mountains.

The output of this workshop will be a document/paper setting out directions and potential in geobiology applied to space.

Visit http://www.irsps.unich.it/education/geoexp2011/ for further information.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA-Funded Astrobiology Research Discovers Earth Life Built With Arsenic, NASA

"NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth. Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components."

Second Genesis on Earth?, Washington Post

"News of the discovery caused a scientific commotion, including calls to NASA from the White House and Congress asking whether a second line of earthly life has been found."

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Astrobiologists: Deadly arsenic breathes life into organisms, Arizona State University

"Evidence that the toxic element arsenic can replace the essential nutrient phosphorus in biomolecules of a naturally occurring bacterium expands the scope of the search for life beyond Earth, according to Arizona State University scientists who are part of a NASA-funded research team reporting findings in the Dec. 2 online Science Express."

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keith's note: Multiple, reliable sources within the Astrobiology community tell me that NASA's Astrobiology announcement tomorrow concerns Arsenic-based biochemistry and the implications for the origin of life on Earth, how it may have happened more than once on our planet, and the implications for life arising elsewhere in the universe. NASA has not found life on any other world.

That said, as a biologist, I have to say that this is exciting stuff. It shows that other biochemistries are possible - more than just "life as we know it" and that the possible places where "life" could exist in the universe are now much more numerous as a result. What other biochemistries are possible? I am certain we'll be hearing much more about this.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)