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Focus on Astrobiology

Our January issue features a Focus on Astrobiology covering a wide but not exhaustive spread of topics that are focusing the debate and effort of researcheres in modern astrobiology.

Featured

Focus on astrobiology

A series of pieces published in this issue highlights the breadth and depth of topics discussed in modern astrobiology, an exciting discipline that has come to the forefront of astronomy in recent years and promises to answer one of the most fundamental questions of humanity.

Editorial 22 Jan 2024

Atmospheric carbon depletion as a tracer of water oceans and biomass on temperate terrestrial exoplanets

A low atmospheric carbon abundance can be a ‘habiosignature’ and indicate the presence of substantial surficial liquid water, tectonic activity and/or a biomass in temperate rocky exoplanets. It can potentially be detected by JWST at 4.3 μm in a few tens of transits.

Amaury H. M. J. Triaud Julien de Wit Franck Selsis Perspective 28 Dec 2023

Deciphering Lyman-α emission deep into the epoch of reionization

A combination of JWST/NIRCam observations and magnetohydrodynamic simulations indicates that frequent mergers with close companions give rise to bursty star formation and hence the unexpectedly high Lyman-α emission detected from early galaxies.

Callum Witten Nicolas Laporte Charlotte Simmonds Article Open Access 18 Jan 2024

Detection of apatite in ferroan anorthosite indicative of a volatile-rich early lunar crust

This Article provides evidence for apatite in a ferroan anorthosite clast in a lunar meteorite, allowing direct measurement of the volatile systematics of the primary products of the lunar magma ocean and the earliest lunar crust.

Tara S. Hayden Thomas J. Barrett Ian A. Franchi Article Open Access 15 Jan 2024

Current issue

Focus on astrobiology

Editorial 22 Jan 2024

Moving toward a framework for communicating the confidence of life detection

James Green Tori Hoehler Mary Voytek Correspondence 28 Dec 2023

Change is needed to diversify space science — and it starts with a name

A. R. Lennox World View 30 Oct 2023

Atmospheric carbon depletion as a tracer of water oceans and biomass on temperate terrestrial exoplanets

Amaury H. M. J. Triaud Julien de Wit Franck Selsis Perspective 28 Dec 2023

Sustained and comparative habitability beyond Earth

Charles S. Cockell Mark Simons Steven D. Vance Perspective 28 Dec 2023

The oxygen bottleneck for technospheres

Amedeo Balbi Adam Frank Perspective 28 Dec 2023 Contents View all issues Subscribe

Announcements

Focus: Astrobiology

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary subject with the aim to understand the origins, evolution and extent of life in the Universe. This Collection showcases a series of pieces published in Nature Astronomy covering a wide but far from exhaustive spread of topics that are focusing the debate and the effort of researchers in modern astrobiology.

Looking for a new Chief Editor!

Time for a career change? Considering leading a dynamic team at Nature Astronomy!

Focus: Dark skies

The global climate crisis has prompted the astronomy community in recent years to assess, primarily, the impact of its activities upon climate change, and secondarily, the impact of climate change upon astronomy. Collectively, these articles demonstrate that the research community needs to take rapid action in order to limit the impact on the climate and create a sustainable future for astronomy.

LaTeX template and tips!

Nature Astronomy is one of the many Nature journals that accepts submissions in LaTeX, and now there is a LaTeX template for authors to use

Nature Astronomy is a Transformative Journal ; authors can publish using the traditional publishing route OR via immediate gold Open Access.

Our Open Access option complies with funder and institutional requirements .

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Latest Research articles

Reply to: Effects of density and temperature variations on the metallicity of Mrk71

Yuguang Chen Tucker Jones Guido Roberts-Borsani Matters Arising 05 Feb 2024

Effects of density and temperature variations on the metallicity of Mrk 71

J. Eduardo Méndez-Delgado César Esteban Manuel Peimbert Matters Arising 05 Feb 2024

Mediation of collisionless turbulent dissipation through cyclotron resonance

While turbulent dissipation is prevalent in astrophysics, the processes that convert turbulent energy into heat are often unclear. This study shows that plasma waves are fundamental to heating the solar wind and similar turbulent astrophysical systems.

Trevor A. Bowen Stuart D. Bale Jonathan Squire Article Open Access 23 Jan 2024

A younger Universe implied by satellite pair correlations from SDSS observations of massive galaxy groups

A comparison of observations and simulations of satellite galaxies around massive galaxy groups reveals significant differences, including correlated motions of pairs of satellite galaxies, which challenge the standard model of cosmology.

Qing Gu Qi Guo Jie Wang Article 22 Jan 2024

Inferring chemical disequilibrium biosignatures for Proterozoic Earth-like exoplanets

Chemical disequilibrium is a known biosignature, and it is important to determine the conditions for its remote detection. A thermodynamical model coupled with atmospheric retrieval shows that a disequilibrium can be inferred for a Proterozoic Earth-like exoplanet in reflected light at a high O 2 /CH 4 abundance case and signal-to-noise ratio of 50.

Amber V. Young Tyler D. Robinson James D. Windsor Article Open Access 22 Jan 2024

Deciphering Lyman-α emission deep into the epoch of reionization

A combination of JWST/NIRCam observations and magnetohydrodynamic simulations indicates that frequent mergers with close companions give rise to bursty star formation and hence the unexpectedly high Lyman-α emission detected from early galaxies.

Callum Witten Nicolas Laporte Charlotte Simmonds Article Open Access 18 Jan 2024

Latest Reviews & Analysis

Galaxy mergers can explain the unexpected hydrogen emission in the early Universe

The Lyman-α emission line of hydrogen should be absorbed and thus not seen from galaxies in the early Universe — and yet it is observed. Now detailed images from JWST coupled with magnetohydrodynamical simulations show that interactions between galaxies are facilitating the escape of this radiation.

Research Briefing 22 Jan 2024

Multi-star systems observed in high-mass star forming region

High-mass stars in the Milky Way often exist in systems of two or more stars, but how this multiplicity arises is not clear and so far there have been no unequivocal observations of protostellar systems that could solve the issue. Now, systems of five, four and three stars, and several binaries, have been resolved in a star-forming region, and point to core fragmentation as the likely origin of multiplicity.

Research Briefing 18 Jan 2024

Diagnosing grain growth in a dense cloud with JWST

The size distribution of solid grains in dense clouds is a key parameter to constrain in order to understand grain growth, which influences the nature and timescale of the formation of protoplanets. A JWST study has quantified the grain size distribution by modelling the spectral absorptions arising from ice components of grains before protostellar collapse.

Burcu Günay News & Views 09 Jan 2024

Is the apparent absence of extraterrestrial technological civilizations down to the zoo hypothesis or nothing?

If advanced technological extraterrestrial lifeforms are out there, where are they? Thus goes the Fermi paradox. This Perspective reviews various solutions and proposes that they are either not there or are deliberately hiding from us.

Ian A. Crawford Dirk Schulze-Makuch Perspective 28 Dec 2023

The oxygen bottleneck for technospheres

On Earth, technological advances required open-air combustion, which needs an oxygen partial pressure of about 18%. This threshold can help guide searches for detectable technospheres on other planets.

Amedeo Balbi Adam Frank Perspective 28 Dec 2023

Sustained and comparative habitability beyond Earth

Charles S. Cockell Mark Simons Steven D. Vance Perspective 28 Dec 2023

Atmospheric carbon depletion as a tracer of water oceans and biomass on temperate terrestrial exoplanets

Amaury H. M. J. Triaud Julien de Wit Franck Selsis Perspective 28 Dec 2023

Spinning a faraway tale

Paul Woods News & Views 20 Dec 2023

The spirited youth of Venus

Cedric Gillmann News & Views 14 Dec 2023

News & Comment

Focus on astrobiology

A series of pieces published in this issue highlights the breadth and depth of topics discussed in modern astrobiology, an exciting discipline that has come to the forefront of astronomy in recent years and promises to answer one of the most fundamental questions of humanity.

Editorial 22 Jan 2024

Congratulations, it’s twins!

Paul Woods Research Highlight 15 Jan 2024

Is astrobiology serious science?

Is the scientific status of astrobiology undermined by the lack of evidence for alien life, the problematic influence of science fiction, or the use of ‘astrobiology’ as a buzzword for attracting funding? Here we defend the emerging discipline.

Cyrille Jeancolas Catherine Gillen Peter Vickers Comment 28 Dec 2023

Moving toward a framework for communicating the confidence of life detection

James Green Tori Hoehler Mary Voytek Correspondence 28 Dec 2023

Using artificial intelligence to transform astrobiology

The search for life elsewhere involves variables across multiple scales in time and space, often nested hierarchically. We suggest that the emergence of artificial intelligence learning systems offers critically important ways to make progress.

Caleb A. Scharf Marisa H. Mayer Penelope J. Boston Comment 28 Dec 2023

Anti-satellite weapon tests to disrupt large satellite constellations

The testing of a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon on 15 November 2021 has prompted renewed efforts in space arms control. A multilateral treaty banning all destructive anti-satellite weapon tests is urgently needed.

Aaron Boley Michael Byers Comment 28 Dec 2023

Trending - Altmetric

Early Mars habitability and global cooling by H2-based methanogens

Aggregate effects of proliferating low-Earth-orbit objects and implications for astronomical data lost in the noise

Buried palaeo-polygonal terrain detected underneath Utopia Planitia on Mars by the Zhurong radar

Diamond precipitation dynamics from hydrocarbons at icy planet interior conditions

Science jobs

Full Professorship (W3) for Physical Computation (f/m/d)

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Heidelberg University invites applications for a Full Professorship (W3) for Physical Computation (f/m/d

Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg (DE)

Universität Heidelberg

Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Palaeoclimatic Geochemistry

Innovative and visionary geoscientist, who applies geochemistry in the field of palaeoceanography and palaeoclimatology.

Aarhus, Midtjylland (DK)

Aarhus University (AU)

Postdoc Position in Laboratory Astrochemistry

Do you have a PhD degree in physics or similar field, with strong experience in experimental surface science

Aarhus, Midtjylland (DK)

Aarhus University (AU)

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (Tenured/Tenure-Track), MizzouForward, Condensed Matter Physics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy seeks applications for outstanding faculty candidates, at all ranks, whose research is in CM Physics.

Columbia, Missouri

University of Missouri, Physics and Astronomy Department

Postdoc in experimental condensed matter physics

Applications are invited for a 2-year postdoc position in experimental condensed matter physics

Aarhus, Midtjylland (DK)

Aarhus University (AU)

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Top headline image: James Tuttle Keane, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Issue cover: Image: James Tuttle Keane, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Cover design: Bethany Vukomanovic.

Nature Astronomy ( Nat Astron ) ISSN 2397-3366 (online)

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Posted by Jack Read more Comments (15) 2024.02.07 20:58