Attending the Astrobiology Science Conference taking place from June 24-28, 2018 in Seattle, Washington? Submit your abstract to our session and we hope to see you there! Description: Recent discoveries on ocean worlds as well as remnants of ancient aqueous environments on Mars set important foundations in the search for extraterrestrial life. To better prioritize targets for investigation, select high-value analysis sites, and develop exploration strategies for potential ancient or extant biosignatures, a diverse set of analog environments on Earth are extremely valuable. Given the rapidly emerging nature of the field, as well as the ocean world missions under development, key details of how such findings translate into habitability are timely. We welcome in particular abstracts addressing geological contexts or spatial scales that could inform the search for habitable environments or biosignatures on our solar system’s Ocean Worlds. Relevant work will contextualize terrestrial studies – including those pertaining to Pre-Cambrian glacial “Snowball” conditions – within the framework of aqueous paleoenvironments on Mars and our expanding knowledge of celestial bodies like Europa, Enceladus, Titan, Ceres, and Triton. Subjects could include (but are not limited to) geophysical analyses that constrain habitable environments or geochemical gradients, assessments of energetics for past or extant life, the effect of ice cover on physical and chemical processes, or biological activity that could generate diagnostic biomarkers. We also encourage “process-based” abstracts that detail how the exploratory approaches used in terrestrial contexts – such as mission operations, instrument testing, and field site selection – may be mobilized in support of the future astrobiology missions. Abstracts are due March 6, 2019.

Abstracts are due shortly (Wednesday, January 18) for the upcoming Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2017 meeting in Mesa, Arizona (April 24-28, 2017). Among others, deep biosphere-related topics include “Seeking Evidence of Habitable Conditions and Life Activity in Serpentinizing Systems” (organizers: Beth Orcutt and Alexis Templeton) and “Earth’s Deep Biosphere and the Astrobiosphere: New Connections Made Through Advanced Instrumentation and Field Approaches” (organizers: D’Arcy Meyer-Dombard and Dawn Cardace). The topic organizers encourage you to consider submitting an abstract about your research!