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    Microbes harvest metals from meteorites aboard space station

    February 14, 2026, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Astronomy/Space

    Michael Scott Hopkins performs a microgravity experiment on the International Space Station.
    Michael Scott Hopkins performs a microgravity experiment on the International Space Station.

    If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes. In fact, it would be impossible to leave them behind, since they live on and in our bodies, surfaces and food. Learning how they react to space conditions is critical, but they could also be invaluable fellows in our endeavor to explore space.

    Microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi can harvest crucial minerals from rocks and could provide a sustainable alternative to transporting much-needed resources from Earth.

    Researchers from Cornell and the University of Edinburgh collaborated to study how those microbes extract platinum group elements from a meteorite in microgravity, with an experimen...

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    First look at Ryugu Asteroid Sample reveals it is Organic-rich

    February 24, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This conceptual image illustrates the types of organic molecules found in the sample of asteroid Ryugu collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Organics are the building blocks of all known forms of terrestrial life and consist of a wide variety of compounds made of carbon combined with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other atoms. However, organic molecules can also be created by non-living processes, such as chemical reactions in asteroids.
    Credits: NASA/JAXA/Dan Gallagher

    Asteroid Ryugu has a rich complement of organic molecules, according to a NASA and international team’s initial analysis of a sample from the asteroid’s surface delivered to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft...

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