The possibility of life elsewhere in the universe has fascinated humankind for ages. To the
best of our knowledge, life, as we know it, is limited to planet Earth; yet current investigation …

Lava tubes are key targets in the search for life on Mars. Their basaltic walls provide
protection from radiation and changing environmental conditions, which could enable life or …

Snow is the largest component of the cryosphere, with its cover and distribution rapidly
decreasing over the last decade due to climate warming. It is imperative to characterize the …

Volcanic (lava tube) caves at Lava Beds National Monument (N. CA, USA) provide a
valuable terrestrial analog for volcanic caves on Mars and the Moon. Terrestrial volcanic …

The Qaidam Basin is the highest and one of the largest and driest deserts on Earth. It is
considered a mars analog area in China. In contrast to numerous studies concerning its …

With no direct extant-life detection instrumentation included in a space mission since the
1970s, the advancement of new technologies to be included in future space missions is …

Existence of life outside the Earth is a mystery that human beings have been searching for
centuries. In the past few decades, discovering microbes in extremely terrestrial habitats has …

The search for extant microbial life will be a major focus of future astrobiology missions;
however, no direct extant life detection instrumentation is included in current missions to …

In the search for life in our Solar System, Mars remains a promising target based on its
proximity and similarity to Earth. When Mars transitioned from a warmer, wetter climate to its …

Abstract The Winter Wonderland ice cave, located at an elevation of 3140 m above sea level
in the Uinta Mountains of northern Utah, USA, maintains a constant sub‐zero temperature …