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The Europa Clipper mission will arrive at the Jovian system in 2030 and analyze ice grains sourced from the icy material on its surface using impact mass spectrometry, which will provide key constraints on Europa’s chemical composition and habitability.

However, deriving quantitative compositional information from spaceborne impact mass spectra of ice grains has historically proven difficult due to the confounding effects of composition and impact velocity, coupled with difficulties in accelerating ice grains to spacecraft velocities under analogous sampling conditions.

Using a novel hypervelocity ice grain acceleration and impact mass spectrometry method, we quantify the degree to which the mass spectra of NaCl-rich ice grains are influenced by chemical composition and impact velocity variations within the flyby velocity ranges planned for the Europa Clipper mission.

These results suggest that high-fidelity studies quantifying composition and velocity-related effects in impact mass spectra may be necessary to accurately interpret data collected at Europa and other ocean worlds in the future.

K. Marshall Seaton (1), Bryana L. Henderson (1), Sascha Kempf (2), Sarah E. Waller (1), Morgan E. C. Miller (1), Paul D. Asimow (3), Morgan L. Cable (1) ((1) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, (2) Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, (3) Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology)

Comments: 29 pages, 11 figures, 1 table
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Space Physics (physics.space-ph)
Cite as: arXiv:2508.10169 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2508.10169v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.10169
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Submission history
From: Marshall Seaton
[v1] Wed, 13 Aug 2025 20:04:24 UTC (1,604 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10169
Astrobiology,

Astrobiology, while traditionally focused on understanding the origin of life on Earth and the potential for life elsewhere, offers powerful tools and insights for addressing urgent challenges on our planet.

This perspective, written by early career researchers, calls for a deliberate integration of astrobiological research with applied sciences in environmental engineering, biotechnology, and resource management. We highlight how knowledge from Earth analogs for other planetary bodies can inform strategies for carbon capture, low-carbon energy production, waste remediation, and biotechnology.

Examples include engineering serpentinizing systems for hydrogen and carbon sequestration, harnessing extremophile and cyanobacterial metabolisms for sustainable industrial processes, and applying microbial bioremediation to mitigate environmental contaminants and pollutants.

As technologies developed for space exploration begin to find terrestrial relevance, we argue that astrobiology must evolve to become a bidirectional science that not only explores the cosmos but also supports sustainable life on Earth. This dual approach strengthens our ability to design and implement astrobiological missions to other solar system bodies while simultaneously supporting improved stewardship of our own Earth.

Introduction

As early career researchers, we recognize an increasing tension between fundamental questions in science, such as “Where did life come from?” and “Does it exist elsewhere in our solar system and universe?” and pressing questions of environmental sustainability on Earth. We contend that these questions are not contradictory; instead, we among others increasingly observe investigations in fundamental, astrobiological questions intersecting with applied scientific fields, particularly in the realms of climate sustainability, biotechnology, and resource management.

Here, we propose a path that fosters synergy between Earth analog research and the application of biology and geochemistry of these natural systems to applied science. Given that astrobiology intersects heavily with multiple Earth-facing fields of study, this early career perspective argues that an Earth-centric approach to astrobiology can benefit both the field of astrobiology and the only planet known to harbor life: Earth.

Over the next two decades, we urge the astrobiology community, which conducts fundamental research on Earth in the search for life elsewhere, to advocate for and engage in translating our research in the aid of our own planet. We contend that there is significant motivation to reexamine and harness the extensive capabilities of microorganisms, and the analog environments they inhabit, to address the growing energy and resource demands of human life on Earth and potentially beyond.

In this perspective, we highlight several illustrative, but non-exhaustive examples of processes and themes that represent the convergence between astrobiology and applied science, including:

1. Astrobiology and Environmental Science and Engineering: Investigating the interactions between biological and geological processes in analog environments to develop innovative solutions for energy production and carbon capture.
2. Astrobiology and Biotechnology: Harnessing the unique capabilities of extremophiles and other environmentally relevant microorganisms to develop biotechnological applications that can address issues such as waste management, bioenergy production, and bioremediation.
3. Astrobiology and Resource Management: Applying knowledge gained from studying microorganisms in analog environments to improve resource management practices on Earth, ensuring sustainable acquisition and use of natural resources.

Catherine G. Fontana1, Sabrina Elkassas, Tristan A. Caro, Srishti Kashyap, Alta E. G. Howells

A Search for Life in the Universe Advances Life on Earth, EarthArXiv

Astrobiology

Editor’s note: as we send increasingly sophisticated astrobiology probes – to more places – often at much greater distances – they will need to be able to do more and more analysis in situ i.e. onsite – without direct human assistance. When we eventually send human crews that will become even more important since the most needs to be made of the time they have to study the world they are visting. Being able to probe the inner workings of an alien ecology and its inhabitants will be crucial. Developments in imaging technology such as this one help pave the way toward those capabilities.

Researchers have developed a high-speed 3D imaging microscope that can capture detailed cell dynamics of an entire small whole organism at once. The ability to image 3D changes in real time over a large field of view could lead to new insights in developmental biology and neuroscience.

“Traditional microscopes are constrained by how quickly they can refocus or scan through different depths, which makes it difficult to capture fast, 3D biological processes without distortion or missing information,” said Eduardo Hirata Miyasaki, who performed the work while in Sara Abrahamsson’s lab at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and is now at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub. “Our new system extends the multifocus microscopy (MFM) technique Abrahamsson developed by using a 25-camera array to push the limits of speed and volumetric imaging. This leap in efficiency opens the door to studying small living systems in motion without disrupting them.”

In Optica, Optica Publishing Group’s journal for high-impact research, the researchers describe their new microscope, which combines diffractive optics with 25 tiny cameras to synchronously and simultaneously image at multiple depths. They demonstrate live imaging of 25-plane 3D volumes measuring up to 180 x 180 x 50 microns at acquisition speeds of more than 100 volumes per second.

“The new microscope, which we call the M25, is particularly useful for imaging swimming C. elegans worms, a model organism used to study development, neuroscience and locomotion,” said Hirata Miyasaki. “Traditionally, scientists could only see part of the organism clearly at any one time. With our new microscope, it is possible to watch the entire worm move naturally in 3D, allowing researchers to study how its nervous system controls movement and how behavior might change in response to a genetic mutation, disease or drug treatment.”

Researchers developed a new microscope that combines diffractive optics with 25 tiny cameras (pictured) to simultaneously image at multiple depths. Credit Eduardo Hirata Miyasaki

Multi-plane light control

A key part of the new microscope is the diffractive optical elements used to distribute the various focal planes across an array of 25 cameras. Diffractive optics use microstructures to manipulate light, allowing more complex light control via a thinner, lighter component than traditional optical components such as prisms.

Building upon the original MFM technique, the researchers designed a multi-focus grating to split the incoming light so that each camera captures the same scene but with a focus at a different depth. They also made customized gratings to use in front of each camera lens to correct the chromatic dispersion introduced by the multi-focus grating. By replacing the traditional chromatic-correcting prism, which was difficult to scale beyond 3×3 arrays, these blazed gratings enabled high-resolution, high-speed bioimaging across more planes.

The gratings are made from nanometer-scale patterns that require specialized fabrication tools. After using simulations to determine the optimal designs, the researchers used the University of California Santa Barbara nanofabrication facility to etch the patterns into glass. With the fabrication process now established, these diffractive elements can be accurately reproduced at higher volumes.

“One of the key innovations of the M25 is its use of simplified chromatic correction architecture: By replacing bulky prism-based components with custom-designed blazed gratings, the system achieves efficient dispersion correction across all focal planes while remaining compact and scalable,” said Abrahamsson. “This streamlined optical design not only enables high-speed imaging but also supports compatibility with label-free modalities — a major advantage for applications like embryology, where minimally invasive imaging is essential.”

The researchers also developed new software to handle the challenge of quickly synchronizing and acquiring data from 25 different cameras simultaneously and storing it in a computer.

“When combined, the 25 images — all acquired simultaneously, with no mechanical scanning or moving parts — form a complete 3D snapshot,” said Hirata Miyasaki. “Because this happens at high speed, limited only by the camera’s acquisition speed and the sample’s brightness, we can record entire volumes over time, enabling studies of real biological dynamics.”

Accessible and versatile imaging

The M25 microscope can be used for both fluorescence and label-free modalities, such as brightfield and polarization microscopy, which are especially useful for imaging sensitive biological systems without introducing dyes or labels. This compatibility with minimally invasive techniques makes the M25 well-suited for applications like embryology, where preserving native physiology is critical.

To validate the instrument, the researchers built a prototype and confirmed that it could capture 25 distinct, evenly spaced focal planes simultaneously, without distortion or overlap, by imaging calibration targets. They also used the microscope to image live biological specimens, including common model organisms such as C. elegans, D. melanogaster and P. marinus, demonstrating real-time 3D imaging of moving organisms without the need for scanning or motion compensation.

The system mounts to the side port of a standard commercial microscope. Aside from the diffractive optics, it requires no specialized hardware, making it more straightforward to replicate than systems that rely on custom prisms or complex light path modifications.

Detailed fabrication steps for manufacturing the chromatic correction blazed gratings and the multifocus gratings used in the M25 3D imaging system are available at https://zenodo.org/records/15522415. These components can be fabricated at any academic nanofabrication facility, including the UCSB Nanofabrication facility. The acquisition engine and napari plugin are available at https://github.com/SaraLab-Group/m25-napari and https://github.com/SaraLab-Group/m25-napari/tree/.

Next, the researchers aim to further expand the system’s scale and applications. For example, they plan to use the system’s rich imaging data to train machine learning models that can identify cell states, track dynamic behaviors and detect disease-related changes directly from images.

Paper: E. Hirata Miyasaki, A. Bajor, G. M. Pettersson, M. L. Senftleben, K. E. Fouke, T.G.W. Graham, D. D. John, J. R. Morgan, G. Haspel, S. Abrahamsson, “High-speed 3D Imaging with 25-Camera Multifocus Microscope,” 12, 1230-1241 (2025).

DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.563617.

Astrobiology, Tricorder,