Abstract The Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for
Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) is a robotic arm-mounted instrument on NASA's …

There are three groups of scientists dominating the search for the origin of life: the organic
chemists (the Soup), the molecular biologists (RNA world), and the inorganic chemists …

Scientists use the Earth as a tool for astrobiology by analyzing planetary field analogues (ie
terrestrial samples and field sites that resemble planetary bodies in our Solar System). In …

Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful, non-contact, non-destructive technique for
detection and characterization of in situ organic compounds. Excitation using deep UV …

In 1976, the Viking landers carried out the most comprehensive search for organics and
microbial life in the martian regolith. Their results indicate that Mars' surface is lifeless and …

The effects of radiation on the survivability of key biosignatures are a driving factor in
exploration strategies throughout the solar system. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, especially …

Laboratory simulations of Martian conditions are essential to develop quantitative models for
the survival of organic biomarkers for future Mars exploration missions. In this work, we …

Minerals might have played critical roles for the origin and evolution of possible life forms on
Mars. The study of the interactions between the “building blocks of life” and minerals …

Most of the phyllosilicates detected at the surface of Mars today are probably remnants of
ancient environments that sustained long-term bodies of liquid water at the surface or …

The search for organic carbon at the surface of Mars, as clues of past habitability or
remnants of life, is a major science goal of Mars' exploration. Understanding the chemical …