Surprising insights about debris flows on Mars

The period that liquid water was present on the surface of Mars may have been shorter than previously thought. Channel landforms called gullies, previously thought to be formed exclusively by liquid water, can also be formed ...

Renaissance for magnetotactic bacteria in astrobiology

Magnetotactic bacteria can form magnetofossils like magnetic nanocrystals as observed in the Martian meteorite ALH84001, which held a special place in the field of astrobiology primarily in the early 90s. While the flourishing ...

How exploring Hawaiian caves helps NASA search for life on Mars

In August 2019, Chloe Fishman crawled into a cave beneath the largest active volcano on the planet. Along with scientists from NASA and other institutions, she had come to Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano to study the microscopic ...

Moon and Mars superoxides for oxygen farming

The dusty faces of the moon and Mars conceal unseen hazards for future explorers. Areas of highly oxidizing material could be sufficiently reactive that they would produce chemical burns on astronauts' unprotected skin or ...

Earthly lava tubes may offer insights into extraterrestrial life

Since 1997, NASA has successfully landed five rovers on Mars. The rovers have beamed back data that indicate life cannot survive on the Martian surface; we do not know whether life persists below the ground, however. For ...

The search for life beyond Earth

Mars may now be considered a barren, icy desert but did Earth's nearest neighbour once harbour life?

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