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Astrobiology (EUA)
Em 2026: 2 notícias
Desde 1995: 12 notícias
Microfossils interpreted as animal traces were actually algae and bactéria
Publicado em 25 de maio de 2026
A reexamination of microfossils found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul shows that the marks previously interpreted as traces of worms or other small oceanic animals are actually communities of fossilized microscopic bacteria and algae.
These findings imply that during the Ediacaran period, approximately 540 million years ago, there may not have been enough oxygen for the evolution of invertebrates that left traces in the substrate, as previously thought. The study was published [...]
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Lichen Paved The Way For Plants And Animals To Thrive On Earth
Publicado em 18 janeiro 2026Lichens were already widespread over 410 million years ago, according to a new international study which identifies a fossil from Brazil as one of the oldest lichen in Earth’s history. The team used cutting-edge x-ray imaging and other modern techniques to examine a fossil known as Spongiophyton, from the Devonian time period (around 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago). According to lead author Dr Bruno Becker-Kerber from Harvard University, the fossil shows a similar combination of fungi [...]ver notícia -
Flower-like Satellite Constellations To Guide Future Missions Around TitanSatellite Navigation
Publicado em 12 novembro 2025Exploring Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, presents unique orbital challenges due to its dense atmosphere, gravitational perturbations, and limited sunlight. A new study proposes an innovative satellite constellation architecture based on the 2D Necklace Flower Constellation methodology, enabling long-term, stable coverage of Titan’s surface. By integrating frozen orbits and repeating ground-track configurations, the approach ensures continuous observation and reduced maintenance [...]ver notícia -
Biosignatures: The Oldest Ant Ever Discovered Found Fossilized In Brazil
Publicado em 26 abril 2025Editor’s note: we currently have three rovers on Mars – and other in orbit – searching in one way or another for biosignatures – chemical and/or geological traces that life has left behind – if there ever was (or perhaps still is) life on Mars. Some of these indicators may point to environments wherein life (as we know it) would have found habitable conditions. In some cases life leaves behind fossils- mineralized versions of structures that were [...]ver notícia -
Extremophile Spinoffs: Bioactive Compounds Identified In Bacteria From The Andes
Publicado em 21 janeiro 2025An article published in the journal Scientific Reports describes how researchers analyzed biofilm produced by bacteria found in the El Medano hot springs, located in Chile in the central Andes, and concluded that one of its key ingredients can be used to develop natural additives for the pharmaceutical and food industries. The biofilm ingredient in question is an exopolysaccharide (EPS), a cluster of extracellular carbohydrate polymers produced by the thermotolerant Med1 strain of the [...]ver notícia -
Tardigrades Are Less Cosmopolitan And More Diverse Than Has Been Thought
Publicado em 25 outubro 2024Tardigrades are microscopic invertebrates measuring between 0.2 mm and 1.1 mm in length. They are close relatives of arthropods (spiders, insects, crustaceans), and can live in wide variety of environments. Yet little is known about them. Many species were described in the twentieth century when few traits were thought necessary to differentiate species, and the molecular tools used today to compare one or more genes did not exist. For this reason, in a study published in the Zoological [...]ver notícia -
NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,109 19 July 2024 (Space Life Science Research Results)
Publicado em 22 julho 2024The abstract in PubMed or at the publisher’s site is linked when available and will open in a new window. Papers deriving from NASA support: Bailey SM, Kunkel SR, Bedford JS, Cornforth MN. The central role of cytogenetics in radiation biology. Radiat Res. 2024 Jul 10. Online ahead of print. PIs: S.M. Bailey, M.N. Cornforth Journal Impact Factor: 2.5 Funding: “The authors are indebted to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) HRP program for supporting these [...]ver notícia -
Absorption Of Light By Molecules Has Applications In Microscopy, Medicine And Data Storage
Publicado em 15 outubro 2023Editor’s note: as we build the hand held sensors – tricorders – that we take along on Away Team mission on other worlds we’ll need to build in as much functionality as possible. Absorption spectroscopy is an analytical chemistry tool that can determine if a particular substance is present in a sample by measuring the intensity of the light absorbed as a function of wavelength. Measuring the absorbance of an atom or molecule can provide important information about [...]ver notícia -
Gravitational Action Of Sun And Moon Influences Behavior Of Animals And Plants, Study Shows
Publicado em 05 janeiro 2022The rhythms of activity in all biological organisms, both plants and animals, are closely linked to the gravitational tides created by the orbital mechanics of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. This truth has been somewhat neglected by scientific research but is foregrounded in a study by Cristiano de Mello Gallep at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and Daniel Robert at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. An article on the study is published [...]ver notícia -
Amoebae Diversified At Least 750 Million Years Ago, Far Earlier Than Expected
Publicado em 28 fevereiro 2019Press Release - Source: FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO Brazilian researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary history of amoebae and demonstrated that at the end of the Precambrian period, at least 750 million years ago, life on Earth was much more diverse than suggested by classic theory. The study, which was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, revealed eight new ancestral lineages of Thecamoebae, the largest group in Amoebozoa. Thecamoebians [...]ver notícia