“The Perseverance Mission Isn’t Just About Science—It’s About Ethics” Boston Globe (Feb 2021)
Mars is a wonder. As humans start exploring it, we need to keep it that way.
"NASA’s Dragonfly Mission Will Seek Clues about Titan’s Habitability” NASA (2020)
Dragonfly will help scientists understand the chemical evolution of Saturn’s largest moon
“RNA and DNA May Have Shared Building Blocks and May Have Appeared at the Same Time” Astrobiology (2020)
Contrary to popular belief, RNA may not have preceded DNA. But what does that actually mean?
“How Animals Sense Earth’s Magnetic Field” Astrobiology (2020)
Birds and turtles are among the animals that use magnetism as a GPS.
“How Manganese Played a Pivotal Role in Photosynthesis and Oxidation Protection” Astrobiology (April 2019)
If not for manganese, we wouldn’t be here. Who knew?!
“How Life Could Help Atmospheric Tides Slow a Planet’s Rotation” Astrobiology (Nov 2018)
The presence of biological life may have altered Earth’s rotation in a way that helped life proliferate.
"New Study Identifies Possible Ancestors of RNA" Astrobiology (Sept 2018)
Scientists think RNA existed before DNA, but what existed before RNA?
"Chiral Molecules May Have Hitched Meteor Rides to Planets" originally Astrobiology, now Space.com (Aug 2018)
Chirality, a property of all molecules associated with life, may have come from space and used meteors as transport.
"Bacterial Survival in Salty Antifreeze Raises Hope for Life on Mars and Icy Moons" Astrobiology / Space.com (July 2018)
Microbes' ability to survive in sub-zero brine raises possibilities for life on Mars and in the oceans of Europa, Enceladus, and even Pluto.
"Habitability of the Young Earth Could Boost the Chances of Life Elsewhere" Astrobiology / Space.com (May 2018)
Conditions on early Earth and other terrestrial planets were more moderate than previously thought.
"Mars and Earth May Not Have Been Early Neighbors" Astrobiology / Space.com Dec 2017)
Some scientists think Mars formed much farther away from the sun and was brought closer by Jupiter.