Blue Marble Space

From rule-taking to rule-making chemistry: a minimal population–environment feedback model

A key step towards life is the shift from chemistry that merely adapts to its surroundings to chemistry that actively reshapes the local physicochemical conditions that rule its own replication. Using a coupled population-environment feedback model, we identify the conditions und...

The history of enzyme evolution embedded in metabolism.

Whereas phylogenetic reconstructions are a primary record of protein evolution, it is unknown whether the deep history of enzymes is encoded at higher levels of biological organization. Here, we demonstrate that the emergence and reuse history of enzymatic folds is embedded withi...

Individual behavior and physiology of group housed mice in a spaceflight habitat

NASA has a robust history of biomedical investigations using rodent models in spaceflight. The results from these experiments have provided significant insights into the effects of spaceflight on mammalian physiological systems for fundamental, biomedical and commercial research...

The Search for Life Elsewhere: Avoiding Hype and Fostering Public Understanding

The search for life beyond Earth presents unique challenges for science communication due to its interdisciplinary nature, the potential for groundbreaking discoveries, and the inherent uncertainties involved. The Lorentz Center workshop Breaking News: We Found Extraterrestrial L...