Where curious minds ask big questions about life in the universe

We asked Lauren Mc Keown about her recent paper, “Lake Stars as an Earth Analog for Europa’s Manannán Crater Spider Feature.” Lauren is an assistant professor of planetary science at the University of Central Florida. She describes how dendritic lake stars may explain similar features on Europa, and how other niche environments on Earth could serve as powerful analogues for planetary processes beyond our world.

we asked Alta Howells about the recent perspective paper she co-authored, entitled “Searching for extraterrestrial life advances terrestrial sustainability.” Alta is a Research Associate in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado and an Affiliate Scientist at Blue Marble Space at NASA Ames Research Center.

We asked Daniela Billi about her recent paper “Desert cyanobacteria under non-Earth conditions: Implications for astrobiology and sustainable life support.” Daniela is a Professor of Food and Agri-environmental Microbiology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata.” She discusses why desert cyanobacteria in the genus Chroococcidiopsis are model organisms for studying photosynthesis on other planets and shares some of the cool experiments they’ve been involved in.