The Martian environment, characterized by extreme aridity, frigid temperatures, and a lack of
atmospheric oxygen, presents a formidable challenge for potential terraforming endeavors …

Lipid molecules are organic compounds, insoluble in water, and based on carbon-carbon
chains that form an integral part of biological cell membranes. As such, lipids are ubiquitous …

The second ExoMars mission will be launched in 2020 to target an ancient location
interpreted to have strong potential for past habitability and for preserving physical and …

Planococcus halocryophilus strain Or1, isolated from high Arctic permafrost, grows and
divides at− 15° C, the lowest temperature demonstrated to date, and is metabolically active …

In permafrost (perennially frozen ground) microbes survive oligotrophic conditions, sub-zero
temperatures, low water availability and high salinity over millennia. Viable life exists in …

While grounded in the hard sciences of physics, chemistry, geology, and astronomy, as well
as well-accepted principles in the life sciences, astrobiology remains the most speculative of …

Astrobiology is the science that seeks to understand the story of life in our universe.
Astrobiology includes investigation of the conditions that are necessary for life to emerge …

The Atacama Desert is by far the driest and oldest desert on Earth, showing a unique
combination of environmental extremes (extreme dryness, the highest UV radiation levels on …

Terrestrial analogue studies underpin almost all planetary missions and their use is
essential in the exploration of our Solar system and in assessing the habitability of other …

Significant progress is being made in the development of the next generation of low cost life
detection instrumentation with much smaller size, mass and energy requirements. Here, we …