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Category: Research

Paleoenvironmental context in searching for past life on Mars

August 21, 2024 astrobio

Professor Kathy Campbell Abstract:  The search for life beyond Earth occupies exploration efforts of space agencies and researchers, and captures…

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Posted in: Events, Featured, Graduate Program, Research Filed under: Colloquium, Featured

2022 Virtual Workshop- Mission to Detect Life

July 22, 2024 astrobio

GOALS: 1.LEARN 1.Instrument capabilities/limitations 2.Experimental design- 3.Sample management on site 4.Data types and structure 5.Data analysis/interpretation 6.Importance of replication 7.How…

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Posted in: Research, Workshop Filed under: Workshop

Applications Open for the Heising-Simons 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship at The University of Washington

July 8, 2024 Miles Currie

The UW community supports research efforts in exoplanet and planetary science and astrobiology, primarily within the Astronomy and Earth and…

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Posted in: Administration, Featured, Research

(bio)Geochemistry on exoplanets: From desert planets to water worlds

April 4, 2024 astrobio

Hilairy Hartnett Biogeochemistry integrates theory from geology, chemistry, biology and physics to address questions across spatial and temporal scales including…

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Posted in: Events, Research Filed under: Colloquium

The cold chemistry of cryovolcanism: Insights from experimental and natural analogs

astrobio

Mark Fox-Powell Open University ‘Cryovolcanism’ at icy worlds offers immense promise for astrobiology, as it appears to transport material from…

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Posted in: Events, Graduate Program, Research Filed under: Colloquium, Featured, Research

Astrobiology Research Rotations

March 22, 2024 astrobio

Sam Gilbert-Janizek Presenting: Predicting Outgassing Rates for L 98-59 b with an Interior Model AB Rotation with Prof. Laura Schaefer…

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Posted in: Administration, Events, Graduate Program, Research, Research Rotation Filed under: Colloquium

American Geophysical Union Honors UWAB Researchers

November 21, 2023 Miles Currie

Each year, AGU recognizes individuals and teams for their accomplishments in research, education, science communication and outreach. Honorees and their…

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Posted in: Awards, Featured, Research Filed under: Baptiste Journaux, David Catling, Jody Deming, Victoria Meadows

Work of UWAB Director Prof. Victoria Meadows Featured in AAS Nova

Miles Currie

The work of VPL PI Prof. Victoria Meadows was recently featured in AAS Nova. Her work, along with UWAB alumni…

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Posted in: Featured, Research Filed under: Andrew Lincowski, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Victoria Meadows

UWAB Researchers Featured in Aeon Article: Uncertain Contact

Miles Currie

UWAB researcher David Catling and alumnus Edward Schwieterman have been featured in an Aeon article on combating the uncertainty associated…

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Posted in: Featured, Research Filed under: David Catling, Eddie Schwieterman, Victoria Meadows

UW News: Polar experiments reveal seasonal cycle in Antarctic sea ice algae

November 20, 2023 Miles Currie

UWAB researchers Hannah Dawson and Jodi Young have recently been featured in UW News, who reports on their recent paper…

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Posted in: Featured, Research Filed under: Hannah Dawson, Jodi Young

Key Building Block of Life Detected on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus

July 24, 2023 astrobio

An international team, including UW Astrobiology Postdoctoral researcher Fabian Klenner, discovered phosphorus in the form of phosphates on Saturn’s icy…

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Posted in: Awards, Events, Featured, Graduate Program, Media, Postdocs, Profile, Research Filed under: Fabian Klenner, News

Exploring the Emergence of Life: Phase Separation as a Means of Compartmentalization in Protocell Models

March 30, 2023 astrobio

Zoom Link for Colloquium 05/09/2023 3:00pm PST Please email astrobio@uw.edu for zoom presentation password Presented By Fatma Pir Cakmak Postdoctoral…

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Posted in: Events, Featured, Research Filed under: Colloquium

The search for evidence of life on Enceladus

astrobio

Zoom Link for Colloquium 04/25/2023 3:00pm PST Please email astrobio@uw.edu for zoom presentation password Presented By Alfonso Davila  research scientist…

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Posted in: Administration, Events, Graduate Program, Research Filed under: Colloquium

Astrobiology Graduate Research Rotations Presentation

astrobio

Zoom Link for Colloquium 04/04/2023 3:00pm PST Please email astrobio@uw.edu for zoom presentation password Zack Cohen Dual-Title PhD Student Astrobiology…

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Posted in: Administration, Events, Graduate Student, Research, Research Rotation Filed under: Colloquium

British Columbia’s Unassuming Planetary Laboratory: How a Handful of Frozen Saline Lakes Can Help Us Understand Brines Across the Solar System

May 20, 2022 astrobio

Zoom Link for Colloquium 05/24/2022 3:00pm PST. Please email astrobio@uw.edu for zoom presentation password Presented By Jacob Buffo Abstract: Introduction:  Mounting observational and…

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Posted in: Administration, Events, Featured, Research Filed under: Colloquium

Refining Key Properties of TRAPPIST-1 Planets

April 5, 2021 astrobio

Daniel Larsen A recently completed study, led by UWAB Faculty member Eric Agol and with UWAB Program Director, Victoria Meadows,…

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Posted in: Newsletter 2021, Research Filed under: Brett Morris, Eric Agol, Newsletter, Rodrigo Luger, Spitzer Space Telescope, TRAPPIST-1, Victoria Meadows

Hannah Dawson Awarded Hall Conservation Genetics Research Fund!

March 31, 2021 astrobio

Hannah Dawson (Oceanography) was recently awarded the Hall Conservation Genetics Research Fund from the UW College of the Environment for her…

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Posted in: Awards, Featured, Graduate Student, Research Filed under: Awards, Hannah Dawson, RNA

Public Presentation at LPSC by Ken Williford on Mars 2020 Mission

March 9, 2021 astrobio

The public is invited to hear from planetary scientists about the latest research and discussions occurring during the annual Lunar and Planetary…

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Posted in: Alumni, Events, Featured, Research Filed under: Ken Williford, LPSC, Mars, Mars 2020, Perseverance, Public Lecture

Science in Action: UWAB Researchers Challenge the Discovery of Phosphine in the Venus Atmosphere

March 3, 2021 astrobio

Recent graduate of the UW Astrobiology Program, Andrew Lincowski (PhD Astronomy & Astrobiology, 2020), and Program Director, Victoria Meadows, published…

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Posted in: Alumni, Faculty, Featured, Media, Research Filed under: Andrew Lincowski, Eddie Schwieterman, Giada Arney, Michael Wong, Nature, Phosphine, Venus, Victoria Meadows

Is Potassium a Key to Understanding the Ocean’s Past?

March 1, 2021 astrobio

UWAB Professor Fang-Zhen Teng is a co-author of a recent new study out of the UW Non-Traditional Isotope Lab that…

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Posted in: Faculty, Media, Research Filed under: Early Earth, Fang zhen Teng, Publications

UWAB Prof. Jodi Young Awarded 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship

February 19, 2021 astrobio

UWAB Faculty member Jodi Young (Oceanography) has been awarded an early-career fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation! Prof. Young…

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Posted in: Awards, Faculty, Featured, Media, Research Filed under: Awards, Fellowships, Jodi Young, Sloan Foundation, UW News

How to Weigh an Exoplanet: Ask the Astronomers Live!

astrobio

UWAB faculty member Eric Agol and Program Director Victoria Meadows were recently interviewed by Phil LaMarr with the Universe Unplugged:…

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Posted in: Events, Faculty, Featured, Media, Research Filed under: Eric Agol, Interview, TRAPPIST-1, Universe Unplugged, Victoria Meadows

To Find an Extraterrestrial Civilization, Pollution Could Be the Solution

February 16, 2021 astrobio

Members of the Virtual Planetary Laboratory team, including UWAB alumni Giada Arney (PhD Astronomy & Astrobiology, 2016) and Jacob Lustig-Yaeger (PhD Astronomy…

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Posted in: Alumni, Featured, Media, Research Filed under: Alumni, Exoplanets, Giada Arney, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, News, Publications, Technosignatures

UWAB Prof. Sharon Doty Highlighted by UW CoMotion Office

January 27, 2021 astrobio

UWAB Prof. Sharon Doty (School of Environment and Forestry Sciences) was recently featured in a UW Researcher highlight from the…

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Posted in: Faculty, Featured, Media, Research Filed under: CoMotion, Sharon Doty

The 7 Rocky Planets Orbiting TRAPPIST-1 May be Made of Similar Stuff

January 22, 2021 astrobio

UWAB Professor Eric Agol (Astronomy) is the lead author on a new study of the 7 planets in the TRAPPIST-1…

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Posted in: Faculty, Featured, Media, Research Filed under: Brett Morris, Eric Agol, Exoplanets, NASA JPL, Rodrigo Luger, Spitzer Space Telescope, TRAPPIST-1, UW News, Victoria Meadows

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Last April, 4 grad students, accompanied by Prof. Last April, 4 grad students, accompanied by Prof. Baptiste Journaux and funded by the UWAB program, documented the 2024 total solar eclipse. The team traveled to Arkansas to reach the center of the 115-mile band of totality stretching from Texas to Maine, and were the subject of a CENV mini-documentary!

The eclipse team delivered a talk about their trip and outreach work to the rest of the UWAB community on October 15th! Thanks to Baptiste Journaux, Sarah Smith, Alysa Fintel, Andrew Shumway, Haskelle White-Gianella, and Ula Jones for representing the program! 

See the full Eclipse Documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1IpJYI9NQ
… or watch their UWAB Colloquium Talk here: https://youtu.be/TG5QlVPq8rg?si=gIH2hKHxd7JsFpz-

Second Photo Description:
(left to right) Sarah Smith, Baptiste Journaux, Alysa Fintel, Andrew Shumway, Haskelle White-Gianella, and Ula Jones at Calico Rock AK just after the total solar eclipse on April 8 2024.
On October 8th, UWAB hosted Dr. Kathy Campbell - a On October 8th, UWAB hosted Dr. Kathy Campbell - a geologist, paleoecologist and astrobiologist from the University of Auckland! Dr. Campbell spoke about her work investigating extreme environments as analog settings for early life on Earth. She uses a comparative paleoenvironmental approach to searching for evidence of past life in Martian rocks by focusing on Earth’s hot spring deposits and unusual hydrothermal silica found by Spirit rover at Columbia Hills on Mars. 

In other words, her work helps us understand geochemical signs of past life, which is used to inform biosignature detection on Mars! 

The colloquium recording is now available on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/hYuuMY-yNu4
This week UWAB faculty member, Jodi Young, and pos This week UWAB faculty member, Jodi Young, and postdoctoral researcher, Fabian Klenner, joined the UW College of Environment’s Extreme Environments podcast, FieldSound, to teach the community about how extreme environments on Earth can inform us about the search for life on distant exoplanets and icy moons, such as Europa and Enceladus!

Jodi Young studies how marine microalgae shape our ecosystems, flourishing in the harsh icy brine environments of Earth’s polar regions. Fabian Klenner combines experimentation and modeling to understand the oceans of icy moons and biosignature detection. In the FieldSound podcast, Young and Klenner discuss topics including the Solar System’s icy moons, marine fieldwork, and the Europa Clipper mission – demonstrating how astrobiology is a field of extreme interdisciplinary collaboration! 

Listen to their full podcast here:
https://environment.uw.edu/news/2024/10/s3-e2-astrobiology-with-jodi-young-and-fabian-klenner/
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