This month at SAGANet, we’re looking back at the brightest comet to appear in our skies since 1997 and how this cosmic visitor can bring us all a little more insight and joy.

This month at SAGANet, we’re discussing the modern science fiction classic The Three-Body Problem

A new Nature Communications paper discusses the functional chemistry of carbonaceous and organic matter within the asteroid Ryugu. This matter seems to be both more abundant and more diverse than other similar material, indicating that direct asteroidal material can offer more clues about the early Solar System than meteorites alone.

A new paper in Science Advances connects martian meteorites to their potential source craters using cosmic ray exposure (CRE) aging, modeling, and crater chronology methods. All of the linked meteorites were likely derived from the top 26 m of surface lava flows on Mars and there are probably yet more martian meteorites to be discovered on Earth.

Jihua Hao is a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China and an affiliated research investigator at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. In this interview with Dr. Zerkle, Jihua explains how thermodynamics can help astrobiologists determine which organics should (and shouldn’t!) be forming in the oceans of icy moons, and why instrument artifacts might be a problem for detecting them.

This work from Edmund R. R. Moody et al. published in July in Nature Ecology and Evolution seeks to explain some of LUCA’s (or last universal common ancestor) most disputed attributes and its place among early Earth’s biosphere.

Riccardo Spinelli is a researcher at the Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF, Palermo Observatory). In this Astrobiology Revealed, Riccardo explains how starlight evolves over time and why this matters when astronomers look for habitable exoplanets.

Nita Sahai is a full Professor and endowed chair in the Department of Polymer Science, within the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron in Ohio, where she also has joint appointments with the Departments of Biology and Geosciences, as well as the Integrated Bioscience Program

Zoe Todd is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Astrobiology Primer 3.0 is a brief introduction for scientists new to the discipline and all those curious about astrobiology. Over 12 sections, the Primer outlines the chief hypotheses and areas of research in this growing and interdisciplinary field, complete with broad swaths of references and other research materials. Here, SAGANet provides a summary and review so you can decide if diving into the Primer is right for you.

Microbiologist turned astrophysicist, Lígia Fonseca Coelho, talks about her paper “Purple is the new green: biopigments and spectra of Earth-like purple worlds.” Lígia is currently a 51 Pegasi b Fellow in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University.

We chatted with planetary scientist and science fiction author Craig Walton about his paper “Cosmic dust fertilization of glacial prebiotic chemistry on early Earth.” Craig is the NOMIS–ETH Fellow at the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich and a Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College, University of Cambridge.

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.