Dr. Catherine Maggiori is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology at Georgetown University. In this Astrobiology Revealed, Dr. Zerkle asked about Catherine’s paper “Biosignature Detection and MinION Sequencing of Antarctic Cryptoendoliths After Exposure to Mars Simulation Conditions.” Catherine discusses the benefits of definitive molecules like DNA in life detection, and how rocks provide a safe space for microbes in Antarctica and (possibly) on Mars.

Dr. Amber Young is civil servant science researcher at Goddard Space Flight Center. Here, Dr. Zerkle asks about Amber’s paper entitled “Inferring chemical disequilibrium biosignatures for Proterozoic Earth-like exoplanets.“ Amber discusses prospects for life detection from exoplanet atmospheres, why the Proterozoic Earth provides the best test case, and how the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory could be her dream mission

Iva Vilović recently wrote “Variations in climate habitability parameters and their effect on Earth’s biosphere during the Phanerozoic Eon.” Originally a physicist by training, Iva is currently a final year doctoral student in the Astrobiology Research Group, at the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Iva discusses how looking back through time at the history of life on Earth provides a valuable window for considering habitability outside our own solar system.

Lauren Sanders and Ryan Scott recently co-authored “Biological research and self-driving labs in deep space supported by artificial intelligence” and “Biomonitoring and precision health in deep space supported by artificial intelligence.” Lauren is acting GeneLab Project Scientist, with NASA Ames Research Center and Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, and Ryan is Ames Life Sciences Data Archive Project Scientist, with KBR and NASA Ames Research Center. Lauren and Ryan review the unique opportunities available for AI technology in deep space, and how interested scientists and community members can join the discussion.

A conversation with Anamaria Berea, Priya DasSarma, Anurup Mohanty, and Sibsankar Palit — all of the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science — led by Harvey Sapgao.

Learn more about the Agnostic Life Finding Association – Mars (ALFA Mars) organization and their intentions of searching for potential signs of Martian life before humans arrive at the Red Planet.

Anamaria Berea is an Associate Professor in Computational and Data Sciences at George Mason University and a Research Investigator at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. Anamaria and her colleagues have taken on the daunting task of updating the Golden Record - an intergalactic message composed by Carl Sagan in the 1970’s that was sent into space aboard Voyager 1 and 2 to communicate the story of humanity to extraterrestrial civilizations.

Frank Postberg is a Professor of Planetary Sciences in the Institute of Geological Sciences at the Freie Universität Berlin. In their recent paper, “Detection of phosphates originating from Enceladus’s ocean,” Frank and coauthors describe the surprising detection of vast amounts of the bioessential nutrient, phosphorus, in the liquid ocean beneath Enceladus’s icy shell. Frank describes how they made this astonishing discovery, and why it could be a harbinger for habitability in the outer solar system.

Ana Franco is a Chemistry PhD student in Instituto Superior Técnico at Universidade de Lisboa. In this article, Aubrey Zerkle spoke with Ana about her recent hypothesis paper “Boron as a Hypothetical Participant in the Prebiological Enantiomeric Enrichment”. Astrobiologists seek to unravel how life emerged on our planet to illuminate how life might originate on other worlds. In this Q&A, Ana discusses one of the outstanding mysteries of life’s origins and how she thinks boron could solve it.

Daniela de Paulis is Artist in Residence at the SETI Institute and at the Green Bank Observatory. She’s the mastermind behind the experiential live performance, A Sign in Space. On May 24, Daniela and colleagues transmitted a top-secret signal to Earth. The signal, meant to simulate an alien message from outer space, was transmitted from the Trace Gas Orbiter as it circled Mars. Astronomers at the Green Bank Telescope, the SETI Allen Telescope Array, and the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station successfully intercepted the signal, and the world-wide race to decode the message began.

Roy Price is an Assistant Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University. In his recent paper, “Quantifying the bioavailable energy in an ancient hydrothermal vent on Mars and a modern Earth-based analogue”, Roy and colleagues explored shallow hydrothermal vents in Iceland to imagine what types of microbes might have lived in similar environments on past Mars.

This week we had an inspiring conversation with Anurup Mohanty, who is Research Project Staff at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In addition to his research, Anurup is also a Visiting Scholar at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, where he channels his passion for science communication. In this Q&A, Anurup shares his journey as a budding astrobiologist and discusses his recent perspectives article, “Toward sustainable space exploration: a roadmap for harnessing the power of microorganisms.”

We had the pleasure of interviewing Maryse Napoleoni, a 3rd year PhD student in the Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing group at Freie Universität Berlin. For her recent paper, “Mass Spectrometric Fingerprints of Organic Compounds in NaCl-Rich Ice Grains from Europa and Enceladus”, Maryse used special instruments on Earth to simulate what similar devices on space missions might see in plume material from icy moons.

In our inaugural Q&A for Astrobiology Revealed, we talk with astrobiologist Armando Azua-Bustos about his recent paper “Dark microbiome and extremely low organics in Atacama fossil delta unveil Mars life detection limits”. Armando discusses growing up in the Atacama Desert, why he thinks it's harboring 100 million-year-old DNA, and how we should (or shouldn’t!) be searching for life on Mars.