astrobiology

Sinking Life in Shallow Seas by , November 25, 2009 02:00 AM

Researchers supported by the NASA Exobiology program have made revealed new information about a period of time spanning three of Earth’s largest mass extinctions. Their work shows how ancient oceans and intercontinental seas responded differently to agents of mass extinction. The work may help scientists understand how climate change could affect different marine environments in the future.

Kepler Named An Innovation of the Year by Popular Science by , November 24, 2009 01:06 PM

Kepler, NASA’s first “astrobiology mission,” has been named by Popular Science Magazine the Aviation and Space Grand Award Winner in their 2009 Best of What’s New review.

Professor at University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo makes impact on the Study of Planetary Habitability by , November 23, 2009 02:00 AM

Professor Abel Mendez has been a dynamic force in scientific research within the University of Puerto Rico system for over 15 years. Mendez, a biophysicist, currently serves as an Associate Professor of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. Professor Mendez’s research focus is the study of planetary habitability and the development of habitability models to understand the interactions between life and terrestrial or planetary environments.The students in Professor Mendez laboratory enjoy being surrounded by a role model that has such a passion for his work and can help them fulfill their personal career goals.

Abel Mendez’s approach to the study of planetary habitability started with the development of a quantitative habitability theory (QH Theory) to assess the current state of terrestrial habitability. He then established a baseline for relevant comparisons with past or future climate scenarios and other planetary bodies including extrasolar planets. Mendez feels that the study of planetary habitability has become more important with the issues of climate change throughout the world and the search for habitable environments within the Solar System and beyond. Studies about the effects of climate change on life are of significant interest to the scientific community and the general public at large. One of the goals of Professor Mendez’s studies is to trace the evolution of terrestrial habitability from paleoclimates to global warming. Many environmental factors control the habitability of a planet in complex ways, but a direct assessment of the habitability of a planet has been a continuous problem in the planetary sciences.

Professor Mendez has developed a new study that shows the first quantitative evaluation of planetary habitability. The study identifies some potential habitats in the solar system and shows how the habitability of our planet has changed in the past, with some periods even better than today. “It is surprising that there is no agreement on a quantitative definition of habitability. There are well-established measures of habitability in ecology since the 1970’s, but only a few recent studies have proposed better alternatives for the astrobiology field, which is more oriented to microbial life. However, none of the existing alternatives from the fields of ecology to astrobiology has demonstrated a practical approach at planetary scales,” says Mendez.

Mendez has always had a passion for science, which evolved into his interest in astrobiology research. From 1988 to 1991 Mendez worked as an undergraduate and graduate student between the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois developing simulations to optimize particle physics detectors. In the summer of 1994, he worked at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center modeling solar plasma physics. In 1998, he started working in the field of astrobiology on various research and education projects supported by the university and the NASA Puerto Rico Space Grant. In 2007, Professor Mendez was selected as a NAI-MIRS Fellow, funded by a NASA NAI-MIRS grant to start experimental work about his research interests at NASA Ames Research Center under the supervision of Dr. Chris McKay.

Mendez is currently starting collaborative efforts in planetary habitability research with other scientists from the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras and Mayaguez, NASA Ames, the SETI Institute, and other national and international institutions. His studies were supported by the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo and the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

Thanks to the efforts and vision of Professor Abel Mendez, astrobiology has provided an environment at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo where students can participate in scientific exploration and have fun in the process.

Abel Mendez recently presented his research at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society October 4-9, 2009 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

Daniel Glavin Wins 2010 Nier Prize by , November 18, 2009 02:31 AM

Daniel Glavin, winner of the 2010 Nier Prize. Photo Credit: Chris Gunn
Daniel Glavin has been selected by the international Meteoritical Society as the recipient of the 2010 Nier Prize. The prestigious Nier Prize is awarded to young scientists performing valuable research in fields related to meteoritics and planetary science.

Dr. Glavin was presented with the prize for his work on extraterrestrial organic chemistry. By examining carbonaceous meteorites, Glavin and his team have made important contributions toward understanding why life uses only left-handed versions of amino acids. It turns out that molecules delivered to Earth in meteorites may have played a role in life’s eventual bias toward molecules of a specific orientation. The work was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Vatican Hosts Study Week on Astrobiology by , November 17, 2009 06:48 PM

This past week in Rome as part of the International Year of Astronomy, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences hosted a Study Week on Astrobiology, an interdisciplinary event during which “cloistered astrobiologists confronted each other’s fields of research” and dialogued about the connections. The participants included many from the extended astrobiology community, including John Baross, David Charbonneau, Roger Summons, Andy Knoll, Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine, Jill Tarter, Sara Seager, and Giovanna Tinetti.

“The questions of life’s origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration,” said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory, in an Associated Press Interview. Funes, a Jesuit priest, also said that the possibility of alien life raises “many philosophical and theological implications” but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the issue. RadioVaticana reports.

Today, NAI Director Carl Pilcher and Vatican Observatory astronomer and Jesuit brother Guy Consolmagno continue the conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti, host of the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s radio program The Current. Their discussion ranges from what it would mean to the Church if alien life were found, to whether or not science needs religion.