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October 20, 2025

OoL digest — October 20

This week we have 33 new papers on the origin of life. Enjoy!


Astrobiology

The microbiology and geochemistry of the shallow-water hydrothermal vents of the Gulf of Naples, Italy
Barosa et al. — preprint

Foundation Models for Astrobiology: Paper I -- Workshop and Overview
Felton et al. — preprint

Pseudo-panspermia of Phosphorus species on the Early Earth
Feng et al. — preprint

SETI Post-Detection Protocols: Progress Towards a New Version
Garrett et al. — preprint

Reassessment of Kepler’s habitable zone Earth-like exoplanets with data-driven null signal templates
Robnik et al. — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Ancient Mars Climate With a Polar Ocean and Ice Sheet Dynamics
Schmidt et al. — Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Mineralogically Diverse and Salt-Rich Regolith in Jezero Crater Characterized Using X-Ray Spectroscopy
Shumway et al. — Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Evaluating Habitability and Biosignature Detection on TOI-700 d: The Role of UV Environment and Atmospheric Pressure
Sumida et al. — preprint

Understanding Exoplanet Habitability: A Bayesian ML Framework for Predicting Atmospheric Absorption Spectra
Trehan et al. — preprint


Astrochemistry

The survival of aromatic molecules in protoplanetary disks
Piacentino et al. — preprint

A quest for sulfur-bearing refractory species. Identification of CaS in the interstellar medium
Tasa-Chaveli et al. — preprint

Laboratory study of amino acids on amorphous Mg-silicate using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction – implications for the survival and delivery of interstellar organics to the solar nebula and early Earth
Thompson et al. — Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Probing the Physics of Dusty Outflows through Complex Organic Molecules in the Early Universe
Vayner et al. — preprint


Astrophysics

JWST-TST DREAMS: NIRSpec/PRISM Transmission Spectroscopy of the Habitable Zone Planet TRAPPIST-1 e
Espinoza et al. — The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Chemistry, Climate, and Transmission Spectra of TRAPPIST-1 e Explored with a Multimodel Sparse Sampled Ensemble
Wolf et al. — The Planetary Science Journal


Biochemistry

Gradual assembly of metabolism at a phosphorylating hydrothermal vent
Mrnjavac et al. — preprint

Anion–π interaction–induced phase separation as a prebiotic pathway to oxygenation
Ren et al. — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Prebiotic Absolute Asymmetric Formation of D-Ribose by Wollastonite’s Inherent Surface Structure
Zhang et al. — preprint


Geoscience

Disentangling Continental Weathering During the Late Paleozoic Ice Age
Gao et al. — Geophysical Research Letters


Mathematical Biology

Information and the living tree of life A theory of measurement grounded in biology
Hudnall — BioSystems

A Self-Organized Tower of Babel: Diversification through Competition
Noronha et al. — preprint

Interplay of Fidelity and Diversity in the Evolution of the Genetic Code
Seo et al. — preprint


Microbiology

Endospore integrity and viability of Bacillus subtilis on simulated Martian regolith in rotational UVC radiation exposures
Davis et al. — preprint

Investigating changes in thiophene-bearing quinones of the archaeon Acidianus manzaensis after exposure to Mars-like conditions
Gfellner et al. — preprint

Microbial exoenzymes catalyzed the transition to an oxygenated Earth
Sanger et al. — preprint

Plasmidome, resistome, and virulence-associated genes characterization of Acinetobacter johnsonii in NASA cleanrooms and a clinical setting
Tumeo et al. — preprint


Palaeontology

A Cnidarian affinity for Salterella and Volborthella: implications for the evolution of shells
Vayda et al. — Journal of Paleontology


Planetary Sciences

Spectral Mixture Modeling with Laboratory Near-Infrared Data I: Insights into Compositional Analysis of Europa
Emran — Icarus

Precipitation induced by explosive volcanism on Mars and its implications for unexpected equatorial ice
Hamid et al. — Nature Communications

Using Venus, Earth, and Mars to Understand Exoplanet Volatile and Climate Evolution
Jakosky et al. — Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Magnetostratigraphic constraints on the late Ediacaran paleomagnetic enigma
Pierce et al. — Science Advances

Sliding and Burrowing Blocks of CO2 Create Sinuous “Linear Dune Gullies” on Martian Dunes by Explosive Sublimation-Induced Particle Transport
Roelofs et al. — Geophysical Research Letters

Potassium-40 isotopic evidence for an extant pre-giant-impact component of Earth’s mantle
Wang et al. — Nature Geoscience

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