Mastodawn

"It is very unlikely that we would drive to #extinction any native Martian #microorganisms in the process of extending the habitability of #Mars" https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Zubrin

Robert Zubrin - Wikiquote

Show thread

Spaceflight 🚀Mar 1

We can consider three possible responses to the discovery of indigenous life on #Mars 🔴

• Leave it alone
• Alter Mars to enhance the chances of that biota to become a global scale biology
• Collect samples for laboratory preservation, then replace or augment it with #terrestrial life forms

It is very unlikely that we would drive to extinction any native #Martian #microorganisms 🦠 by extending the habitability of Mars
#RobertZubrin 2002
https://marspapers.org/paper/McKay_2000.pdf

#Terraforming #Mars

Show thread

Ivi Choc Feb 4

#phototrophy #photosynthesis #chlorophyll #retinal #ATP #plants #microorganisms #evolution #biology #biochemistry #science

Original open access article

Burnetti et al. 02 February 2026, npj Complex 3, 9

Priority effects inhibit the repeated evolution of phototrophy

https://doi.org/10.1038/s44260-026-00069-z

Ivi Choc Feb 4

#FYI #PaulBeckwith video lecture #phototrophy #photosynthesis #chlorophyll #retinal #ATP #plants #microorganisms #evolution #biology #biochemistry #science Paul & Newton introduce a highly interesting paper on the biology of #energy production from #sunlight www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qX0...

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:cfqu6alt3sngvm3mir7vqtzy/post/3mdycyp34wk2c

On the Evolution of Life — Why...

Ivi Choc Feb 4

#FYI #PaulBeckwith video lecture #phototrophy #photosynthesis #chlorophyll #retinal #ATP #plants #microorganisms #evolution #biology #biochemistry #science

Paul & Newton introduce a highly interesting paper on how and why plants/microorganisms developed #energy production from #sunlight twice differently.

(And yes, we also have rhodopsin in our eyes, we "see" with it. From the incoming light it produces electric signals for the brain.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qX0S87YSLA

On the Evolution of Life — Why Sunlight Capture Creating the Biosphere Evolved Twice and Only Twice

YouTube

Mongabay Jan 24

Microbes may be invisible, but they underpin planetary and ecosystem health — and are increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution and land use change.

A new IUCN specialist group aims to put microbes on the conservation agenda, including Red and Green Lists for at-risk species.

by Sean Mowbray
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/iucn-launches-group-to-conserve-at-risk-microbes-vital-to-life-on-earth/

#news #climatechange #conservation #ecosystems #endangeredspecies #extinction #habitatloss #microorganisms

IUCN launches group to conserve at-risk microbes vital to life on Earth

Invisible in their trillions, microbes dwell in our bodies, grow in soils, live on trees and are integral to planetary health. Yet the huge oversized roles these teeming biodiverse microbial communities play as a foundation for life on Earth is often overlooked. And so, too, are the threats microorganisms face, especially from humanity’s actions. But […]

Conservation news

Flipboard Science Desk Jan 23

Lindsay Vonn, Connor McDavid and Amber Glenn, eat your hearts out. The most impressive physical feats are taking place at microscopic scale. @KnowableMag looks at the extraordinary abilities of microbes that can move at hundreds of body lengths per second, balloon to six times their starting size in minutes, and target their prey with extreme speed or accuracy.

https://flip.it/iBZx-p

#Science #Biology #Microorganisms

Microbial Olympics: Super-duper one-celled athletes

They race, they leap, they spin, they shoot. Meet the organisms for whom physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.

Knowable Magazine | Annual Reviews

Scientific Frontline Jan 20

#Microorganisms in #seawater immediately surrounding #corals act as superior, non-invasive biomarkers for detecting diseases like Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) compared to #microbes within the coral tissue.
#MarineBiology #Ecology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/01/mb01202601.html

Seawater microbes offer new, non-invasive way to detect coral disease

Reefs are increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution, and rapidly spreading diseases such as stony coral tissue loss disease

Scientific Frontline Jan 13

There is a connection between exposure to #microscopic #plastic particles and inflammatory #intestine diseases. This is shown in a study by researchers in Austria and Sweden. In experiments on mice, plastic particles affected immune cells and intestinal #microorganisms
#Medical #MolecularBiology #Microbiology #Environmental #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/01/med01132601.html

Plastic particles increase inflammation and cross barriers

Nanoplastic particles smaller than 0.0003 millimeters demonstrated the highest mobility, successfully traversing the intestinal barrier

Scientific Frontline Dec 15

As fossil #fuels rise in cost and green initiatives gain traction, alternative methods for producing useful compounds using #microorganisms have the potential to become sustainable, #environmentally friendly technologies.
#Biotechnology #Environmental #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2025/12/btech12152501.html

Raising strong yeast as a petroleum substitute

Mutated baker’s yeast at the forefront of alternative 2,3-butanediol production methods