OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The TQCC of Astrobiology is 8. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2022-06-01 to 2026-06-01.)

Article	Citations
Life Detection and Microbial Biomarker Profiling with Signs of Life Detector-Life Detector Chip During a Mars Drilling Simulation Campaign in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert	65
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Extraction from Mars Analog Soils and Their Characterization with Solid-State Nanopores	54
Extremophiles in Earth's Deep Seas: A View Toward Life in Exo-Oceans	52
Spore Survival During Abrasive Saltation on Mars: A Comment on Bak et al.	51
Novel Chimeric Amino Acid-Fatty Alcohol Ester Amphiphiles Self-Assemble into Stable Primitive Membranes in Diverse Geological Settings	39
Hydrothermal Regeneration of Ammonium as a Basin-Scale Driver of Primary Productivity	38
The Origin, Extension, and Future of the “NASA Definition” of Life	38
Self-Shielding Enhanced Organics Synthesis in an Early Reduced Earth’s Atmosphere	38
A Modular 3D-Printed Design to Investigate Prebiotic Chemical Systems in Hot Spring Pools	36
Ultraviolet Resistance of Microorganisms Isolated from Uranium-Rich Minerals from Perus, Brazil	35
Chapter 10: Planetary Protection—History, Science, and the Future	33
Proteomic Insights into Psychrophile Growth in Perchlorate-Amended Subzero Conditions: Implications for Martian Life Detection	30
Protective Effects of Halite to Vacuum and Vacuum-Ultraviolet Radiation: A Potential Scenario During a Young Sun Superflare	30
Nanopore Sequencing: A Way to Explore Life’s Origins	29
The Microbial Inhabitants of the Corona Lava Tube: Astrobiological Insights from a Mars Analog Environment	27
Exploiting the Unique Biology of Caenorhabditis elegans to Launch Neurodegeneration Studies in Space	26
Haloferax volcanii Remains Viable and Shows Morphological Changes under Anoxic (CO ₂ -Enriched) and Hypobaric (2.4 kPa) At	26
Sharp Rise in Cosmic Ray Irradiation of Organisms on Earth Caused by a Nearby SN Shockwave Passage	26
Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (LITMS) Instrument Field and Laboratory Tests as Part of the ARADS Field Campaigns	24
Boron as a Hypothetical Participant in the Prebiological Enantiomeric Enrichment	24
Challenges and Opportunities in Using Amino Acids to Decode Carbonaceous Chondrite and Asteroid Parent Body Processes	22
Mesoarchean Microbial Cd, Ba, and Ni Cycling: Evidence for Photosynthesis in Pongola Group Stromatolites through Novel Stable Isotopes and High-Resolution Trace Element Maps	21
Traces of Bacterial Contribution to Calcite Weathering Detected by Statistical Characterizations of Surface Microtopography	21
The Call for a New Definition of Biosignature	20
What Would an Alien Amino Acid Alphabet Look Like and Why?	20

Undecanoic Acid and L-Phenylalanine in Vermiculite: Detection, Characterization, and UV Degradation Studies for Biosignature Identification on Mars	20
An Accounting of Contamination Control Requirements, Implementation, and Verification of the Sample Tubes for the Mars 2020 Mission and Future Return Sample Science	20
Strong Evidence that Abiogenesis Is a Rapid Process on Earth Analogs	20
Eta-Earth Revisited I: A Formula for Estimating the Maximum Number of Earth-Like Habitats	19
UV Transmission in Prebiotic Environments on Early Earth	19
Correction to: Simplified Meteorite Parent Body Alteration of Amino Acids by Hydrothermal Processes (Doi: 10.1089/Ast.2024.0096)	19
The New Astronomical Frontier of Interstellar Objects	18
Structural Biosignatures—A Category of Potential Biosignatures in the Life Detection Knowledge Base	18
Nitrogen Incorporation in Potassic and Micro- and Meso-Porous Minerals: Potential Biogeochemical Records and Targets for Mars Sampling	18
A Review of the “Black Beauty” Martian Regolith Breccia and Its Martian Habitability Record	18
Astrobiological Implications of Interstellar Material in the Solar System	17
Organic Biosignature Degradation in Hydrothermal and Serpentinizing Environments: Implications for Life Detection on Icy Moons and Mars	16
Final Report of the Mars Sample Return Science Planning Group 2 (MSPG2)	16
Planetary Protection Knowledge Gap Closure Enabling Crewed Missions to Mars	15
Using Organic Contaminants to Constrain the Terrestrial Journey of the Martian Meteorite Lafayette	15
Future of the Search for Life: Workshop Report	15
The Impact of Extreme Low Temperatures on Raman Spectra of Amino Acids Relevant for the Search for Life on Europa	15
An Interview with Dr. Sara Seager	14
Effects of UV and Calcium Perchlorates on Uracil Deposited on Strontium Fluoride Substrates at Mars Pressure and Temperature	14
Catalytic Synthesis of Polyribonucleic Acid on Prebiotic Rock Glasses	14
Prebiotic Nucleoside Phosphorylation in a Simulated Deep-Sea Supercritical Carbon Dioxide–Water Two-Phase Environment	14
Crystal Habits as Potential Biosignatures	13
Geochemical Mobility of Elements in Antarctic Environments Affected by CO ₂ -Rich Hydrothermal Fluids: Astrobiological Implications	13
Measurement of Photochemical Haze Refractive Indices and Hygroscopicity: Influence of CO ₂ in CH ₄	13
Spectroscopic Protocol for Biosignature Detection: Arctic Ice Samples as Analogs for Icy Moons	13
Absorption and Scattering of UV and Visible Light Through Simulated Martian Regoliths and Rock Samples	13
Different Scenarios for the Origin and the Subsequent Succession of a Hypothetical Microbial Community in the Cloud Layer of Venus	13
An Overview of Lipid Biomarkers in Terrestrial Extreme Environments with Relevance for Mars Exploration	12
Chemical, Thermal, and Radiation Resistance of an Iron Porphyrin: A Model Study of Biosignature Stability	12
Chapter 4: A Geological and Chemical Context for the Origins of Life on Early Earth	12
Bridging Place-Based Astrobiology Education with Genomics, Including Descriptions of Three Novel Bacterial Species Isolated from Mars Analog Sites of Cultural Relevance	12
Spore Survival During Abrasive Saltation on Mars: A Reply to the Comment by Minns et al.	11
Dispersion of Bacteria by Low-Pressure Boiling: Life Detection in Enceladus' Plume Material	11
Rosalind Franklin Society Proudly Announces the 2023 Award Recipient for Astrobiology	11
Humid Evolution of Haze in the Atmosphere of Super-Earths in the Habitable Zone	11
Preliminary Planning for Mars Sample Return (MSR) Curation Activities in a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF)	11
Exoplanet Innovators Interview: Sara Seager Interviews Jim Kasting	11
Life Detection Knowledge Base: Assessment Criteria for Potential Biosignatures	11
Biosignature Detection and Preservation in Lake Salda Microbialites Under Simulated Martian Conditions	11
Simple Lipids Form Stable Higher-Order Structures in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid	11
Are Large Sulfur Isotope Variations Biosignatures in an Ancient, Impact-Induced Hydrothermal Mars Analog?	11
Recommendation on Orbiting Sample Cleanliness	11
Experimental Identification of Potential Martian Biosignatures in Open and Closed Systems	11
Eta-Earth Revisited II: Deriving a Maximum Number of Earth-Like Habitats in the Galactic Disk	11
Preservation of Extracellular Sheaths Produced by Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria: An Analog for Potential Morphological Biosignatures on Mars	10
Building Identity and Community for Early Career Professionals in the Emerging Field of Astrobiology	10
Icelandic Hot Springs as a Prebiotic Analog: Wet–Dry Cycling Effects on the Stability of Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids	10
Considerations for Detecting Organic Indicators of Metabolism on Enceladus	10
Assembly of Replicating Protocells with Primitive Metabolism	10
A Bayesian Analysis of the Probability of the Origin of Life Per Site Conducive to Abiogenesis	10

A Mission Simulating the Search for Life on Mars with Automated Drilling, Sample Handling, and Life Detection Instruments Performed in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert, Chile	9
Rosalind Franklin Society Proudly Announces the 2022 Award Recipient for Astrobiology	9
Quantifying the Bioavailable Energy in an Ancient Hydrothermal Vent on Mars and a Modern Earth-Based Analog	9
Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Project Measurement Definition Team Final Report	9
Recovery of Lipid Biomarkers in Hot Spring Digitate Silica Sinter as Analogs for Potential Biosignatures on Mars: Results from Laboratory and Flight-Like Experiments	9
Mathematical Model of Antibiotic Resistance Determinants' Stability Under Space Flight Conditions	9
Astrobiology by Gavriil Tikhov	9
Ancient Siliciclastic–Evaporites as Seen by Remote Sensing Instrumentation with Implications for the Rover-Scale Exploration of Sedimentary Environments on Mars	9
The Role of Fatty Acid Vesicles in the Origin of Polymer Function	9
The Lipidome of a Mars Analog Poly-Extreme Community in Atacama Halite Endolith: Chemotaxonomy, Lipid Adaptation, and Implications for the Search for Extraplanetary Biosignatures	8
Does Gaia Play Dice? Simple Models of Non-Darwinian Selection	8
DNA Polymerization in Icy Moon Abyssal Pressure Conditions	8
A Machine-Learning Approach to Biosignature Exploration on Early Earth and Mars Using Sulfur Isotope and Trace Element Data in Pyrite	8
Experimental Models on the Prebiotic Formation of Biopolymer Building Blocks	8
Preface to Eta-Earth Revisited: How Common Are Earth-like Habitats in the Galaxy?	8
Life Detection on Icy Moons Using Flow Cytometry and Exogenous Fluorescent Stains	8
Inducing Homochirality Through Intermediary Catalytic Species: A Stochastic Approach	8
Evaluation of Decontamination Potential of Wet Wipes Against Microbial Contamination of Chinese Spacecraft Materials	8
Microbial Motility at the Bottom of North America: Digital Holographic Microscopy and Genomic Motility Signatures in Badwater Spring, Death Valley National Park	8
Impact of M Dwarfs Ultraviolet Radiation on Prebiotic Chemistry: The Case of Adenine	8
Directional Aspects of Vegetation Linear and Circular Polarization Biosignatures	8