Enceladus’s ocean is extremely alkaline and low on carbon dioxide, but one terrestrial extremophile made it work.
biogeochemistry
Posted inNews
The Secrets of Acid Salt Lakes
These stunning bodies of water—saltier than seawater and nearly as acidic as lemon juice—can teach us more about where life can survive, on Earth and beyond.
Posted inNews
Where Did Formaldehyde Rain Down on Mars? Almost Everywhere.
More formaldehyde rained down in places that were already wet and favorable for prebiotic chemistry.
Posted inOpinions
What We Could Lose by Trying to Make Mars Habitable
The rock, ice, and atmosphere of Mars hold a largely unread archive. Terraforming could erase it before the biggest scientific questions are answered.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Briny “Death Pools” Hold Clues to Early Life
New evidence from the depths of the Red Sea supports the oxidation of manganese and iron as an engine for life in the earliest oceans.
Posted inNews
Venusian Sulfur Clouds Might Not Be So Inhospitable After All
New research shows that peptides can fold into “omega loops” linked to biological functions, even in highly acidic environments.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Volatile Organic Compounds Have Been Underestimated in the Carbon Cycle
Better tracking of these reactive compounds is essential for understanding how the atmosphere and terrestrial biosphere interact.
Posted inNews
Wastewater Can Take Harmful Algal Blooms from Bad to Worse
By modeling toxic diatoms and coastal processes, scientists have discovered the degree to which nutrients from Southern California’s densely populated coast affect these blooms.
Posted inEditors' Vox
How Bubbles Reshape Air-Sea Gas Exchange
Bubbles produced by breaking waves provide an important but often overlooked pathway for exchanging carbon dioxide, oxygen, and other gases between the ocean and atmosphere.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Typhoons Mix Up Bacteria and Biochemistry
After a typhoon surprised a research cruise, scientists took advantage of the unique sampling opportunity to reveal rapid changes in bacterioplankton communities and biogeochemical cycling.