Now, a team of researchers working in New Mexico has found traces of life inside salty halite crystals. The discovery is "an invaluable resource for understanding the evolutionary record [of Earth] over a geological time frame." picked by AutumnLotus 3 weeks ago

Scientists have found life about twice as far below the seafloor as has ever been documented before. A coring sample off the coast of Newfoundland turned up single-celled microbes living in searing temperatures about a mile (1,626 meters) below the seafloor. picked by AutumnLotus 3 months ago

Tiny microbes beneath the sea floor, distinct from life on the Earth's surface, may account for one-tenth of the Earth's living biomass, according to an interdisciplinary team of researchers, but many of these minute creatures are living on a geologic timescale. picked by maxriter 4 weeks ago

Our planet is changing before our eyes, and as a result, many species are living on the edge. Yet Earth has been on the edge of habitability from the beginning. New work shows that if Earth had been slightly smaller and less massive, it would not have plate tectonics-the forces that move continents and build mountains. And without plate tectonics, life might never have gained a foothold on our wor... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

A mineral that acts like a sponge beneath Earth's surface stores more oxygen than expected, keeping our planet from becoming dry and inhospitable like Mars. The key to the abundant oxygen storage is the mineral majorite, which exists deep below Earth's surface in the mantle. Without the oxygen stockpile, Earth would probably be a barren planet hostile to life. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

An important discovery has been made with respect to the mystery of "handedness" in biomolecules. Researchers found that some of the possible abiotic precursors to the origin of life on Earth have been shown to carry "handedness" in a larger number than previously thought. They studied the organic materials of a special group of meteorites that contain among a variety of compou... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

Previous research has considered the possibility of micro organisms existing in Venus's atmosphere despite extreme temperatures on its surface. But two scientists at the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology say microbes from Venus could actually be blown into the Earth's atmosphere by solar winds. picked by deEPCHIll 4 weeks ago

A team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Milan has discovered some unexpected forms of liquid crystals of ultrashort DNA molecules immersed in water, providing a new scenario for a key step in the emergence of life on Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

If Martian life existed a few billion years ago, scientists think any plant-like microbes would have left behind a stringy fuzz of fibers. That's because here on Earth, researchers now say they have found such ancient fuzz, called cellulose, preserved in chunks of salt deposited more than 250 million years ago — making it the oldest biological substance yet recovered. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

The UK’s national computing grid, along with their counterparts in the US (TeraGrid) and Europe have helped UCL (University College London) scientists shed light on how life on earth may have originated. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth can cause catastrophic extinction events. They can also bring life back, new research shows. picked by AutumnLotus 3 months ago

The wonderland known as Yellowstone National Park has yielded a new marvel an unusual bacterium that converts light to energy. The discovery was made in a hot spring at the park where colorful mats of microbes drift in the warmth. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

By sticking microbes to the outside of the International Space Station, Japanese researchers aim to test the "panspermia" theory that comets and asteroids can spread life between planets.

The Japanese experiment is called Tanpopo, Japanese for "dandelion", after the plant's fluffy seeds, which travel long distances on the wind. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Flash back three or four billion years — Earth is a hot, dry and lifeless place. All is still. Without warning, a meteor slams into the desert plains at over ten thousand miles per hour. With it, this violent collision may have planted the chemical seeds of life on Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

We could have alien origins, say scientists who sent fossilized microscopic life-forms into space and back inside an artificial meteorite. The researchers attached the baseball-size rock to the outside of the European Space Agency's Foton M3 spacecraft to test whether biological material could survive the round-trip journey. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

Some crucial ingredients for life on Earth may have formed in interstellar space, rather than on the planet's surface. A new computer model indicates clouds of adenine molecules, a basic component of DNA, can form and survive the harsh conditions of space, and possibly sprinkle onto planets as the stars they orbit travel through a galaxy. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Some bacterial cells can swim, morph into new forms and even become dangerously virulent - all without initial involvement of DNA. Researchers describe how bacteria accomplish this amazing feat - and in doing so provide a glimpse of what the earliest forms of life on Earth may have looked like. picked by AutumnLotus 1 month ago

Geologists have discovered 1.43 billion-year-old fossils of deep-sea microbes, providing more evidence that life may have originated on the bottom of the ocean. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Beetles first appeared on Earth at the same time as the earliest dinosaurs but turned out to be much better survivors, a new evolutionary study has shown. Today, there are an estimated 350,000 known species of beetle on Earth, and probably several million more yet to be discovered, say scientists. The insects account for about a quarter of all life forms on the planet. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

A new experiment similar to a pregnancy test but designed to search for signs of life on Mars is now exposed to the vacuum of space above Earth. Chip contains samples that glow if they encounter life-critical compounds. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago