Australian Centre for Astrobiology
@AussieAstrobio
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Australian Centre for Astrobiology, UNSW.
UNSW Sydney
Joined February 2020
The researchers within the Australian Centre for Astrobiology have a broad range of interests including: origin of life, early life, chemistry, geology, metagenomics and science communication. We are based at UNSW in Sydney, Australia.
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RT @UNSWScience: 1/3.Earlier this year, geoconservationist and @AussieAstrobio PhD candidate @clarefletcher42 spent four weeks living and w….
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ACA student work across a variety of study fields in astrobiology. The ACA is proud to be a truly interdisciplinary research centre.
I am extremely proud to have finally got my first journal article published! It's been almost 9 months of back and forth since first submitting to the journal, and was a similar amount of work to write in the first place.
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The ACA has wrapped up for the year, and what a year it's been! We got a new Director, our previous Director is moving to Curtin Uni, and we've had students and postdocs start, finish, and continue doing their excellent research!.Happy holidays and we'll be back in the New Year!
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The ACA's Prof. Martin Van Kranendonk led a trip of @NASA @esa @CSIRO & @AusSpaceAgency scientists and program leaders to the Pilbara, WA to see the oldest convincing evidence of life. These 2.7-3.5 billion year old stromatolite fossils help guide the search for life on Mars.
Strap in – it’s time to meet your ancient ancestors! Fossilized microbial communities in Western Australia are helping scientists hone their skills for detecting potential ancient life on Mars. Join us on an expedition to see what our own backyard can teach us about the search
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RT @UNSWScience: 1/2 @UNSW scientists Prof. Martin Van Kranendonk, Luke Steller (@steller_luke) & Clare Fletcher (@clarefletcher42) recentl….
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A great article by @UNSWScience about our recent Pilbara trip collabing with the Marble Bar School, community, & Nyamal knowledge holders! Thanks to ACA members Prof Martin Van Kranendonk, @steller_luke & @clarefletcher42 for their knowledge & organisation.
unsw.edu.au
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Our scientists @clarefletcher42 @steller_luke and Martin Van Kranendonk had the opportunity to go to Meentheena with Nyamal knowledge holders, school kids, @NASA @ESA @AusSpaceAgency and @CSIRO! We work to inspire next gen & the community. We enjoyed our learning and teaching!
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New research has shown bioavailable phosphates exist on Enceladus! Read the article in The Conversation for an explanation of this research by ACA members Laura McKemmish, Albert Fahrenbach, and Martin Van Kranendonk:
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RT @its_snobsi: Gave a little talk today for the @AussieAstrobio ACA Student Seminars to give a background on all thinks eukaryogenesis, mi….
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ACA member and former Director, Martin Van Kranendonk, announced his Mars Sample Return mission for the Home Plate digitates at the #australianspacesummit today! Head to for more info!.
Proud of and excited for my supervisor Martin Van Kranendonk for announcing LifeSprings Mars - an Aussie led Mars Sample Return mission at the #australianspacesummit Check out for more info! Ad astra 🚀
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Stromatolite fossils from the Pilbara's North Pole Dome & Meentheena regions have been nominated for National Heritage Listing! The sites give clues to the origin of life, early Earth's environment, and guide the search for life elsewhere in the universe
abc.net.au
Fossils billions of years old that show the first signs of life on Earth, and could hold the key to life on other planets, have been nominated for national heritage listing.
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A reminder that AAM Abstracts are due May 15th. Head to to submit your abstract, register, and check out our speakers! Hope to see you there!.
The ACA is pleased to announce that we are hosting the 2023 Australasia Astrobiology Meeting! AAM2023 will take place at @UNSW's Kensington Campus, June 13-15th! .More details here: We look forward to reading your abstracts and seeing you there! 🚀🧬🧪.
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ACA PhD Student @clarefletcher42 presented to @UNOOSA COPUOS's 62nd Legal Subcommittee Meeting. Clare's presentation proposed creating a science-led policy to conserve Mars' outstanding universal geoheritage values. Watch Clare's presentation here:
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The ACA is pleased to announce that we are hosting the 2023 Australasia Astrobiology Meeting! AAM2023 will take place at @UNSW's Kensington Campus, June 13-15th! .More details here: We look forward to reading your abstracts and seeing you there! 🚀🧬🧪.
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RT @ferrari_belinda: The search for life on Mars is ramping up- there could be alien life on Mars, but will our rovers be able to find it?….
theconversation.com
Our Mars rovers might not be sensitive enough to detect signs of life. But lessons from Antarctica might make future missions more successful.
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Please join us in welcoming our new director, Albert Fahrenbach! . Left to right are current ACA director Albert Fahrenbach, outgoing director Martin Van Kranendonk (2014-2023), and founding director, Malcolm Walter (2001-2014).
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We are absolutely thrilled to hear that the ACA's very own @BurnsBrendan2 has been awarded an @arc_gov_au #DP23 grant! We can't wait to see what exciting research The Burns Lab will produce in the coming years 🦠.
Incredibly excited with the news our @arc_gov_au #DP23 was funded. together with amazing colleagues @iduggin @DebnathGhosal we get to dive down many rabbit holes in the elusive search for our microbial ancestors. To Asgard and beyond ⚔️
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Want to learn about our planet?. Join ACA members and other scientists on a journey to Earth. They discuss deep time, the origin of life, how our planet has evolved over time, and the situation we face moving forward under the threat of climate change.
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A reminder that our event exploring the intersection of science and art is happening today at UNSW CLB 6 at 5pm! It will feature a talk by Steven Durbach and be accompanied by a SciArt showcase hosted by recent MPhil graduate @ScarlettLiW.
We will also be showcasing some videos made by our talented students. Join us in UNSW's Central Lecture Block Rm 6 5pm 28/09 for an evening of showcasing how science and art can compliment one another!
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Are you interested in what life as an ACA member and as an astrobiologist can be like? Join @steller_luke at 9am AEST this Thursday (29th September) for his feature on NASA Astrobiology's podcast #AskAstrobio!. Watch live on YouTube:
An all new #AskAstrobio featuring @steller_luke, a BMSIS scientist, researcher of hot spring geochemistry, and stand-up science comedian! Let’s laugh, learn about #astrobiology, and more. Live next week on the @NASAAstrobio YouTube channel:
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