News

Stay up to date with all of the Blue Marble Space news and happenings here.

A Fuel Cell Model for the Origin of Life

Dr. Laurie Barge has published a paper suggesting a novel way to study the origin of life by using fuel cells. Although fuel cells carry the potential to create cleaner-burning cars, Dr. Barge and her co-authors suggest that fuel cells are also an ideal laboratory for probing one of astrobiology’s deepest mysteries. This research is published in the journal Astrobiology, and news coverage appears on the NASA JPL website. [Read the article at JPL]

Read more

Meet the Team: Craig Hardgrove

This month we feature Craig Hardgrove, a research scientist who recently joined our team at BMSIS. BMSIS: Please tell us a little about yourself. Craig: I grew up in the southeastern US, and got my undergraduate degree in physics at Georgia Tech. I completed my dissertation in planetary science from the University of Tennessee in 2011. I am currently on the Mars Science Laboratory color camera and neutron detector teams. I worked on the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, […]

Read more

Podcast: Balancing Exploration and Use of Space Beyond Earth Orbit

Our “Beer with BMSIS” podcast for February features a conversation with Dr. Margaret Race of the SETI Institute about some of the challenges facing astrobiology and space exploration titled “More Bumps in the Road Ahead for Astrobiology?: Balancing Exploration and Use of Space Beyond Earth Orbit“. Commercial space exploration has come along way since the days NASA’s moon landing, and commercial interests in the moon, Mars, asteroids, and other space resources must now be taken as seriously as national space […]

Read more

Astronomy Magazine: A new funding method for SETI?

Astronomy Magazine’s blog features a story about the SETI Lottery Bond devised by BMSIS research scientist Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra. Although this idea may be a long way from implementation, novel sources of funding will ultimately be needed if SETI is to conduct the long-term search required for its success. Written by Suzanne Jacobs, a graduate student in the MIT science writing program, the article examines the SETI Lottery Bond idea from a variety of perspectives in hopes that SETI will […]

Read more

NAI Seminar with Dr. Jim Cleaves

Our own Dr. Jim Cleaves will be featured Feb. 10th @ 11 AM (Pacific) on the NASA Astrobiology Institute’s director’s seminar. Dr. Cleaves will discuss his ongoing research in his talk titled, “Amino Acid Analysis of Titan Tholins and Comparison With Other Prebiotic Reaction Systems”, where he explores the various pathways that abiotic chemistry might ultimately lead to organic living processes. NAI Director’s Seminar with Dr. Jim Cleaves February 10th @ 11:00 AM (Pacific) Join via Adobe Connect: http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/nai_directors_seminar

Read more

Podcast: Finding life at the driest place on Earth

Our “Beer with BMSIS” podcast for November features a conversation with BMSIS research scientist Armando Azua-Bustos about his research goal of Finding life at the driest place on Earth. The “astrobiologist from the desert”, Dr. Azua-Bustos leads a conversation about the various forms of exotic life that exist–and might yet be found–in the dry deserts of the world. Focusing his research on the environment of the Atacama desert in Chile, Dr. Azua-Bustos explains the strategies he uses to search for […]

Read more

Pubs: Quantum Non-Barking Dogs

A new paper led by Dr. Sara Imari Walker explores some novel concepts in quantum mechanics using conceptual models for the decay of an excited atom and the tunneling of a particle through a barrier. The paper is titled “Quantum Non-Barking Dogs” and is available as a pre-print on arXiv.org. In a new episode of our podcast series “Pubs with BMSIS”, join Brendan Mullan in a conversation with Dr. Walker about quantum mechanics and the implications of her new ideas. […]

Read more

Pubs: Funding SETI with a Lottery Bond

A new paper led by Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra proposes lottery bonds as a mechanism for funding science research by appealing to investors, rather than donors. The paper is titled “Funding the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence with a Lottery Bond” and has been submitted for publication to Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. In a new episode of our podcast series “Pubs with BMSIS”, join Brendan Mullen in a conversation with Dr. Haqq-Misra about this new proposed method of funding SETI. […]

Read more

Search for the Origin of Life – The Movie

Search for the Origin of Life is a new documentary movie made in collaboration with the NASA Astrobiology Institute and Montana State University and distributed by PBS International. Featuring 8 astrobiologists, including BMSIS scientist Dr. Betül Kacar, the show takes a personal look at individual researchers who, through their experiments and field work, seek to understand the very beginnings of life on Earth. [Watch the full video at Montana PBS]

Read more
1 … 14 15 16 17 18 … 20