Monday, June 22, 2026

SPACE/COSMOS

Mars mission: a stress test for the search for life

Rock samples from Mars could reveal whether life existed there billions of years ago. Researchers are preparing with the help of lab analyses of meteorites

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research

Meteorite Murchison — image:
The meteorite Murchison
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Credit: MPS / T. Klawunn

Billions of years ago, environmental conditions on Mars were significantly more hospitable than they are today. Our neighbouring planet was likely warm, humid, and surrounded by a dense atmosphere. Whether simple microorganisms could have evolved at that time, remains an open question. NASA rovers have found organic molecules in Martian rock, but none of them can unambiguously be linked to life. Rosalind Franklin is set to join the “search team” on Mars starting in 2030. The European rover specialises in detecting organic molecules, among other things. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), the University of Göttingen, and Côte d’Azur University in Nice (France) have now subjected the measurement principle used for this purpose to a new stress test.

Proving that life once existed on Mars is a difficult task, even for ESA’s rover. How can organic molecules that were part of an organism billions of years ago be distinguished from those that formed by non-biological processes? And which molecules are particularly suited to revealing their past? The researchers are pinning their hopes on pristane (C19H40) and phytane (C20H42), two hydrocarbons that derive from living organisms and occur on Earth as components of petroleum. They are particularly stable. “If life once existed on Mars, then molecules like pristane and phytane represent important molecular biosignatures that could have survived to this day,” said MPS scientist Guillaume Leseigneur, lead author of the new study.

Mirrored molecules

Another property makes pristane and phytane promising indicators of life: like many other organic compounds, they are chiral, meaning that they can exist in different configurations, known as enantiomers. These differ only in the spatial, mirrored arrangement of their atoms within the molecule — a bit like the fingers of the left and right hands. “Chirality is a valuable tool in the search for past extraterrestrial life,” said co-author Uwe Meierhenrich of Côte d’Azur University. In organisms, chiral organic molecules occur almost exclusively in one of the two possible mirror configurations. This is true on Earth — and, due to life’s self-replicative properties, must also apply to any potential extraterrestrial life. However, if the same molecules are of non-living origin, both mirror forms are expected to be present in equal parts.

Meteorite and Mars Substitute

The Rosalind Franklin rover is capable of distinguishing between organic molecules of different chirality. This task is performed by the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA), an instrument that combines a gas chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, small furnaces, and an excitation laser. It was developed and built under the leadership of the MPS. Using the gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer, the instrument analyzes the volatile components of rock samples that have been heated in the furnaces. The resulting gas mixture then passes through various capillary tubes that have been coated on their inner surfaces. Since chiral variants of the same type of molecule react at different rates with the coatings, they can be separated in time.

In the current measurements, for which the team used identical MOMA tube replicas, this has now been achieved for pristane and phytane for the first time. Both substances are extremely unreactive. “Chiral separation of pristane and phytane requires high instrument sensitivity and measurement accuracy, both of which we show MOMA can achieve”, explained co-author and MOMA team member Fatma Yesil Sahan from the MPS. As a substitute for Martian rock, the researchers used samples from the Murchison meteorite, which fell in Australia in 1969. Like other space rocks, it contains a variety of organic molecules: some that are part of its original composition, and others that were added through biological contamination, for example at the site where it was found. The researchers assumed that pristane and phytane likely belong to the latter group.

Mysterious Contaminants

However, the results of the measurements were surprising: the Murchison meteorite contains all chiral variants of pristane and phytane in equal proportions — quite unlike any biomass it could have come into contact with at its discovery site. The researchers concluded that the contaminants must have been picked up during its descent through the atmosphere by contact with aerosols from fossil fuel burning. This is suggested by comparative measurements of pristane and phytane preserved in oil shales, sedimentary rocks containing a petroleum precursor. “Petroleum forms in these rocks over millions of years at great depths under the influence of heat and pressure”, said co-author Manuel Reinhardt from the University of Göttingen. Under such conditions, the chiral imbalance is lost, which plausibly explains the equal proportions of all chiral variants of pristane and phytane in the Murchison meteorite.

The research team views the new measurements not only as a successful trial run for MOMA’s activities on Mars. Rather, the results also raise further questions about the origin of organic molecules found in meteorites, and about the increasing concentrations of petroleum contamination in our atmosphere.

The instrument MOMA is part of ESA’s ExoMars Mission to Mars. It was developed and built under a programme of, and funded by, the European Space Agency.

Journal

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

DOI

10.1016/j.epsl.2026.120141

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Racemic isoprenoids in the Murchison meteorite derive from petroleum-based aerosol pollutants

SwRI-led Lucy mission reveals wobbling peanut asteroid

Asteroid Donaldjohanson provides a taste of what is to come from the NASA mission

Southwest Research Institute

Spectra of Asteroid Donaldjohanson and Meteorite Que 97990 — image:
During its April 20, 2025, encounter with the main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered evidence for iron-rich clays on the surface of the asteroid using its infrared spectrometer. Recent studies led by SwRI scientists found that the clays are similar to those found in carbon-rich meteorites such as QUE 97990 and indicate the presence of water on the asteroid in the distant past.
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Credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Dan Gallagher Image of Donaldjohanson: NASA/Goddard/SwRL/JHU-APL

SAN ANTONIO — June 18, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists studying the inner main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson have found that its rotation wobbles. Rather than rolling through space in a steady pattern, Donaldjohanson turns on two axes, rotating end-over-end once every 10.5 Earth days while wobbling around its horizontal axis then once every 26.5 days.

“This is just one of many surprising things learned since NASA’s Lucy spacecraft flew by Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2025,” said SwRI’s Dr. Simone Marchi, deputy principal investigator of the Lucy mission and the study’s lead author. “Lucy images confirmed its elongated shape, initially suggested by Earth-based telescope observations. The flyby revealed that the small asteroid, half a mile in diameter, resembles a peanut, with a two-lobed structure connected by a narrower neck.”

The spacecraft also detected iron-rich clay minerals, formed long ago from the presence of liquid water. These findings indicate that the asteroid likely formed from fragments of a larger, carbon- and water-rich asteroid that broke apart 155 million years ago, following a collision in the main asteroid belt, the region between Mars and Jupiter.

Lucy’s encounter with Donaldjohanson is considered a test run for its primary mission to explore the Trojan asteroids, two swarms of ancient objects that lead and trail Jupiter as it orbits the Sun. Scientists think these populations of space rocks have been preserved since they formed in the early history of the solar system.

“This encounter gave us an opportunity to test our instruments and our procedures to make sure we are ready when we get to Jupiter’s Trojans,” Marchi said. “Once we start learning more about the Trojans, a completely different population of space rocks with very different histories, our understanding of solar system formation is likely to be challenged.”

Donaldjohanson is named for the paleontologist Donald Johanson who discovered “Lucy,” the fossilized skeleton of an early hominin found in Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy is one of the oldest human ancestors ever found and was the inspiration for the Lucy mission’s name.

To read the Science paper titled “The Lucy flyby of (52246) Donaldjohanson: A bilobed asteroid with tumbling rotation,” go to DOI: 10.1126/science.aec0503

Click here to watch a video of the asteroid's rotation - https://youtu.be/Qi4f8xwRiKI.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/markets/earth-space/space-research-technology/space-science/planetary-science.

Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.aec0503

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

The Lucy flyby of (52246) Donaldjohanson: A bilobed asteroid with tumbling rotation

New battery management system makes electric car batteries safer and more durable

In the EU project Nemo, a research team involving TU Graz has developed new models that make battery management systems significantly more intelligent. They detect damage at an early stage and increase the service life of electric car batteries

Graz University of Technology

image:
Electric car batteries can be monitored much more effectively whilst in use thanks to the upgraded battery management system.
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Credit: VSI - TU Graz

Just as an orchestra needs a conductor, a battery management system (BMS) controls the power storage of an electric vehicle. However, up to now the monitoring is only based on the voltages, currents and temperatures of the individual battery cells. Their ageing or possible damage can only be checked externally using complex calculations. In the EU project Nemo, Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and partners from industry have developed intelligent models and algorithms that enable the safety, service life and performance of batteries to be monitored directly in the vehicle’s system.

Avoiding dangers

“The battery management system is an important tool for operating electric vehicles more safely and sustainably,” says Christoph Drießen from the Vehicle Safety Institute at TU Graz. “If we recognise faults and damage to individual battery cells at an early stage via the BMS, many dangers can be avoided. And thanks to the monitoring of the ageing process of each individual cell, their service life can also be extended substantially through intelligent control.”

The team at the Vehicle Safety Institute at TU Graz focused primarily on the safety aspects of the batteries. To this end, the researchers at the institute’s Battery Safety Center examined battery cells that were mechanically deformed, for example to simulate parking damage. They used this laboratory data to train models and algorithms they had developed themselves so that the BMS can recognise damage independently and indicate when maintenance is required. In order to obtain the necessary data from inside the cell, the team is using new sensor technology known as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which measures the electrical resistance inside the cells in the vehicle.

Internal findings on ageing

In addition, the Graz researchers developed a model that predicts the change in physical volume of the cells during charging and discharging. As excessive expansion increases the mechanical pressure in the battery pack and can lead to cracks and deformations, this model helps to minimise the risk of internal short circuits and thermal peaks.

The algorithms and models pertaining to service life and ageing were developed at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Their implementation in the BMS offers clear advantages over previous models or external checks. “Up to now, a test only showed how much the capacity has decreased compared to the original battery condition,” says Christoph Drießen. “But the new models also give us an insight into the changes within the cells as they age. This enables adjustments that are beneficial for performance, service life and safety.”

Demonstrator as a model for series production

Despite the numerous new functions, the enhanced BMS would not be significantly larger or heavier than before. For the additional EIS measurements, however, additional sensors and a correspondingly adapted integration into the BMS are required.

In order to further demonstrate the developed technologies, a follow-up project will work on their continued development and transfer towards industrial application. A demonstrator at module level has already been set up for this in the current project.

The project was Co-funded by the European Union. Additional funding came from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. In addition to TU Graz and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Infineon Technologies Austria, Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr (IAV) and the Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) were on board as hardware and software providers as well as TTTech for the cloud implementation and ICONS as partners.

As part of the development of the battery management system, battery cells were subjected to a number of tests.

Credit

VSI - TU Graz

Journal

Journal of Power Sources

DOI

10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.240029

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Development of a P2D-based model for battery swelling prediction under mechanical constraints

Unlocking the carbon secrets of flooded rice fields

New research reveals how iron and microbes drive greenhouse gas emissions and carbon fate in paddy soils

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

image:
Mechanism and modeling of biogeochemical turnover of organic carbon fractions in paddy soil during flooding process
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Credit: Chengli Hu, Pei Wang & Tongxu Liu

Paddy soils are critical ecosystems for global food security, yet also significant contributors to atmospheric greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. These unique wetland environments, characterized by prolonged flooding, play a complex role in the global carbon cycle. Scientists at the Guangdong Academy of Sciences and South China Normal University undertook a detailed investigation to understand the specific biogeochemical turnover of organic carbon fractions within these soils during flooding. This work aims to unravel the intricate mechanisms that govern carbon's fate, helping to predict and manage emissions from these vast agricultural lands.

Iron's Dual Role in Carbon Turnover

The research team, led by Tongxu Liu, utilized a 40-day anoxic microcosm cultivation experiment to simulate flooding conditions. They discovered that iron minerals, initially protecting organic carbon, undergo a significant transformation under oxygen-depleted conditions. This reductive dissolution of iron minerals destabilizes soil aggregates, releasing previously bound organic carbon. This initial "release process" during the first 20 days accounts for a substantial decrease in the inert carbon pool, making carbon more accessible for microbial activity.

Microbial Shifts Drive Greenhouse Gas Production

As flooding progresses, microbial communities adapt and take over as the primary drivers of carbon turnover. The study identified a shift towards dominant genera such as Clostridium and Fonticella in the later stages. These microbes are crucial in driving both iron cycling and methane production. This microbial decomposition phase, particularly after 20 days, leads to a marked increase in potent greenhouse gas emissions, with methane becoming increasingly dominant over carbon dioxide.

Quantifying Carbon Pathways with a Kinetic Model

To quantify these dynamic processes, the researchers developed a sophisticated kinetic model. This model elucidated the intricate pathways and rates of carbon transformation between active, chronic, and inert organic carbon pools. It revealed that while the inert carbon pool rapidly converts into active fractions, these active pools are then quickly decomposed and mineralized into CH₄ and CO₂. The model also explains the accumulation of the chronic carbon pool, attributing it to its inherent molecular persistence and resistance to further breakdown, despite significant transformation from the inert pool.

The study provides compelling quantitative insights into these transformations. During the 40-day flooding period, the active carbon pool saw a modest decrease, while the inert carbon pool dropped by nearly 14% of the total soil organic carbon. Concurrently, the chronic carbon pool increased by a comparable 14.36%. This dynamic interplay results in a net decrease in overall carbon stability within paddy soils, directly impacting the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Informing Sustainable Carbon Management

These findings have profound implications for agricultural practices and climate change mitigation. Understanding the specific mechanisms and rates of carbon turnover, particularly the role of iron reduction and microbial shifts, allows for more accurate predictions of greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields. The model provides a theoretical framework for developing strategies to enhance carbon sequestration and reduce emissions in these critical agricultural ecosystems. Future investigations will delve into the influence of varying soil iron contents and additional dynamic experiments to refine the model's predictive power.

Suggested author quote for approval:

"Our research reveals that the long-term flooding of paddy soils triggers a complex dance between minerals and microbes, dictating whether carbon is stored or released as powerful greenhouse gases," says Tongxu Liu, a corresponding author from the Guangdong Academy of Sciences. "Quantifying these processes through our kinetic model is a vital step toward better carbon management and emission reduction in these essential agricultural landscapes."

Corresponding Author: Tongxu Liu

Original Source: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-026-00273-5

Contributions: All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Investigation and data analysis were performed by Chengli Hu, Pei Wang, Yang Yang, Kuan Cheng, Wenting Chi, Chao Guo, Guojun Chen and Zebin Hong. Supervision was provided by Tongxu Liu and Xiaomin Li. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Chengli Hu and Pei Wang, and Shiwen Hu, Xiaomin Li and Tongxu Liu commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Journal

Carbon Research

DOI

10.1007/s44246-026-00273-5

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Mechanism and modeling of biogeochemical turnover of organic carbon fractions in paddy soil during flooding process

Article Publication Date

16-Jun-2026

COI Statement

Tongxu Liu is an editorial board member of Carbon Research and was not involved in the editorial review, or the decision to publish, this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Researchers uncover "intelligent molecular module" for rice chilling recovery and nitrogen use efficiency

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters

Global climate change has increased the frequency of regional cold spells, causing substantial yield losses and even crop failure. Meanwhile, excessive nitrogen fertilizer use in agriculture has increased non-point-source pollution. Improving both stress resilience and nitrogen use efficiency has therefore become a major challenge for sustainable crop production.

In rice production, farmers commonly apply nitrogen fertilizer after chilling stress to stimulate tiller regeneration and reduce yield loss. Although this practice is widely used, it increases production costs and environmental impacts. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism linking post-chilling recovery with nitrogen utilization had not been well understood.

Now, a team led by Prof. CHONG Kang from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has identified what it calls an "intelligent molecular module," Chilling Phoenix (CHPO), which coordinates chilling resilience and nitrogen use in rice by automatically changing its function depending on environmental conditions. During chilling stress, CHPO enhances chilling tolerance. Conversely, when temperatures return to normal, CHPO promotes nitrogen uptake and tiller regeneration during recovery.

The study was published in Nature on June 17.

To provide a framework for their study, the researchers established the post-chilling tiller regeneration rate as a key indicator of chilling resilience. They subsequently employed genome-wide association studies (GWAS), quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, and map-based cloning to identify CHPO as a key genetic module that jointly regulates chilling resilience and nitrogen use efficiency.

The researchers identified two alleles: The superior allele, CHPOjap, originated from Chinese common wild rice and was positively selected during the domestication of temperate japonica rice. Compared with CHPOjap, the indica allele CHPOind carries a different number of GCG repeats in its coding region, leading to distinct cold responses, DNA-binding preferences, and contrasting effects on chilling resilience.

Mechanistic analyses revealed that CHPOjap dynamically switches its regulatory program between the chilling and recovery phases. During chilling stress, it accumulates in the nucleus and activates chilling-related genes to enhance chilling tolerance. During recovery, it directly activates the nitrogen transporter gene OsNRT2.4 while repressing OsTCP19, thereby enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and promoting tiller regeneration.

"To evaluate the breeding potential of this molecular module, we established a novel phenotyping system for chilling resilience to test the breeding potential of CHPOjap, which is of critical importance for agricultural applications," Prof. CHONG said.

Following chilling stress, plants were allowed to recover under different nitrogen conditions before being transplanted to the field for yield evaluation. Under all nitrogen treatments, CHPOjap-overexpressing plants consistently produced higher grain yield per plant and exhibited greater nitrogen use efficiency than wild-type plants, while chpo mutants showed the opposite phenotype.

The findings demonstrated the robust breeding potential of CHPOjap as a molecular module for molecular-design breeding aimed at improving yield and nitrogen use efficiency under post-chilling conditions.

The study uncovers the molecular mechanism that coordinates chilling resilience with nitrogen use efficiency. It also provides a genetic explanation for the long-standing agricultural practice of applying nitrogen fertilizer to promote tiller regrowth after chilling stress. In addition, it offers a molecular module and breeding strategy for developing climate-resilient rice varieties with stable yield and efficient nitrogen utilization.

Journal

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-026-10682-6

Article Title

CHPO coordinates chilling recovery and nitrogen use in rice

Article Publication Date

17-Jun-2026