Journal Title: Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences
ISSN (Print): 3126-3836
ISSN (Online): 3126-3844
Publisher: Society for Ancient Philosophy, Cosmology, Religion, Anthropology and Astrobiology - SAPCRAA
Contact: info@sapcraa.com Phone: +38765471075
Adress: Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publication Frequency: The journal publishes two regular issues per year (June and December). In addition, special thematic issues devoted to specific topics in cosmology, astrobiology and related interdisciplinary fields may be published throughout the year, subject to editorial approval.
Language: English
Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Dr. Stevo Najman, Department of Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš & Department for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Scientific Research Center for Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Republic of Serbia.

AIMS & SCOPE

Aims

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review aims to advance rigorous, evidence-based scholarship at the intersection of two fundamental questions: how the universe is structured and evolves, and how life arises and persists within it. Published by SAPCRAA, the journal seeks to provide an international, double-blind peer-reviewed forum that connects fundamental research in cosmology with the study of the origin and distribution of life, upholding the highest standards of academic excellence and publication ethics while making research accessible to a global scientific community.

Scope

The journal publishes original research articles, review articles, and short communications in cosmology and astrobiology, together with the natural-science disciplines that directly inform them: astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science, and the physics, chemistry, genetics and biology of the conditions for life. Within this remit it considers theoretical, observational, computational, and experimental work, including studies of cosmological models and large-scale structure; planetary habitability and biosignatures; prebiotic chemistry and the physico-chemical conditions for life; and the methodological and epistemological foundations of these fields. Contributions that bridge cosmology and astrobiology with adjacent natural sciences are welcome, provided they make a clear, evidence-based contribution to the journal's core subject area. All articles are published in English with full abstracts.

Types of Contributions

The journal welcomes the following types of submissions

Original research articles,
Review articles and theoretical essays,
Case studies and comparative analyses,
Research notes and commentaries,
Book reviews.

All submissions except book reviews undergo double-blind peer review.

PUBLICATION ETHICS

This journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. Please see our [Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement] for more information.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

All manuscripts submitted to Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and Natural Sciences undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the highest standards of academic quality and integrity. Each submission is initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief for scope and quality before being sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field. For complete details on our review procedures, criteria, and timelines, please refer to our [Peer Review Process].

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and Natural Sciences welcomes submissions from researchers, academics, and practitioners in the field of military sciences and related disciplines. Before submitting a manuscript, authors are kindly requested to carefully review our formatting requirements, citation style, and submission procedures. Complete instructions for preparing and submitting your manuscript are available in our [Author Guidelines].

ARCHIVE AND ACCESS

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences is committed to the principles of open scholarship. As a fully open access journal, we provide immediate and unrestricted access to all published research. Complete full-text versions of all issues are available in our [Archive]. To ensure permanence and citability, each article is assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI). All content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), permitting others to share, copy, and adapt the work for any purpose, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source.

All journal issues and articles are available in the [Archive].

INDEXING AND ABSTRACTING

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences is committed to ensuring global visibility and accessibility of published research. The journal is currently indexed in the following databases:

The journal has been indexed in the Dimensions database.

The journal's content is crawled and made discoverable through Google Scholar.

The journal's content is crawled and made discoverable through Semantic Scholar.

The publisher is a Crossref member. Metadata for all articles is deposited with Crossref, and each article receives a persistent DOI (prefix 10.65932).

The journal is present on ResearchGate.

Authors who publish in Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences retain full copyright of their work. By submitting a manuscript, authors grant the journal the right of first publication. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that anyone may freely read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, provided that proper attribution is given to the original authors and source.

Authors are permitted to:

Share and distribute their published work through any medium,
Deposit their work in institutional or subject repositories,
Reuse their work in subsequent publications,
Retain patent and trademark rights,
Gender and diversity in armed forces,

No formal copyright transfer is required.

PLAGIARISM POLICY

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism and originality using iThenticate prior to peer review. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarised content, including self-plagiarism, will be rejected immediately. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal will follow the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and may retract the article. Authors are expected to ensure that their work is entirely original and that any use of others' ideas, words, or data is properly cited.

RETRACTION POLICY

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences follows the retraction guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Articles may be retracted in the following circumstances:

Clear evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct or honest error,

Plagiarism or redundant publication,
Fabrication or falsification of data,
Failure to disclose major conflicts of interest,
Ethical violations involving human or animal subjects,
Copyright infringement.

Retraction notices will be published and linked to the original article, which will remain accessible but clearly marked as retracted. Retractions may be initiated by the authors, the Editor-in-Chief, or the publisher upon verified evidence of misconduct.

APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences is committed to fair and transparent editorial processes. Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision or file a complaint may do so by following the procedures outlined below.

Appeals: Authors may submit an appeal if they believe a rejection decision was made in error. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision and should include a detailed response to the reviewers' comments and a clear justification for reconsideration. Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, if necessary, by an independent member of the Editorial Board. The decision on the appeal is final.

Complaints: Complaints regarding editorial conduct, peer review process, or publication ethics should be addressed in writing to the Editor-in-Chief at editor@sapcraa.com All complaints will be investigated promptly and handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

AI POLICY

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review follows current guidelines of COPE, ICMJE, and the recommendations of the major scientific publishing bodies concerning the use of artificial intelligence in research and scholarly publishing. AI tools, including large language models and generative systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot, as well as AI-based image generators, cannot be listed as authors, since authorship entails intellectual accountability for the scientific content of the work that AI systems are not capable of bearing. Full responsibility for every aspect of a submitted manuscript — including any text, code, analysis, figure, simulation output, or data interpretation produced or assisted by AI tools — rests entirely with the human authors, who remain accountable for the accuracy of all observational and theoretical claims, the integrity of all data and citations, the validity of all computations, and the originality of all arguments. Authors must disclose any substantive use of AI tools in the methods section or in a dedicated acknowledgments statement, identifying the tool, its version, and the function performed, including but not limited to text generation, literature search, code generation, data analysis, image generation or enhancement, modelling and simulation, and translation. Routine language polishing does not require detailed itemisation but should be acknowledged in general terms. The fabrication or selective alteration of data, citations, observational records, or numerical results — whether produced by AI or by any other means — constitutes a serious breach of research integrity and will result in rejection, retraction, and, in cases of bad faith, notification of the authors' institutions and relevant scientific bodies. AI-generated or AI-enhanced images, figures, plots, and visualisations must be clearly identified as such, and may not be presented as authentic observational, experimental, or simulation data unless this is fully and transparently justified within the methodological framework of the article; the manipulation of astronomical, microscopic, spectroscopic, or any other empirical imagery through AI tools requires explicit disclosure of every step performed. Reviewers and editors are prohibited from uploading submitted manuscripts, datasets, code, or any portion thereof to public or third-party AI systems, as this violates the confidentiality of peer review and may compromise unpublished scientific work. The Editorial Board reserves the right to request further information about AI use at any stage, to require revision, and to reject or retract work where AI use has not been properly disclosed. The policy is reviewed periodically and updated to reflect evolving standards in scientific publishing.

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences is committed to protecting the privacy of all users, authors, reviewers and readers.

Data Collection: We collect personal information (such as names, email addresses, and institutional affiliations) only when voluntarily provided during manuscript submission, registration, or correspondence. This information is used solely for editorial and publishing purposes.

Data Usage: Personal data is used to manage the submission and peer review process, communicate with authors and reviewers, and improve our services. We do not share personal information with third parties except as necessary for publishing operations or when required by law.

Cookies: Our website may use cookies to enhance user experience and analyse site traffic. Users may disable cookies through their browser settings.

Data Security: We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.

Rights: Users have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of their personal data. For any privacy-related inquiries, please contact us at [email].

This policy is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences is primarily funded through donations, institutional support, and the resources of the Society for Ancient Philosophy, Cosmology, Religion, Anthropology and Astrobiology. As a result, the journal strives to minimise financial barriers for authors and does not routinely charge Article Processing Charges (APCs). Submission and peer review are always free of charge. However, in exceptional circumstances, a modest APC may be applied to support the costs of publication. Authors will be informed of any applicable charges upon acceptance of their manuscript. For further information, please contact the editorial office at info@sapcraa.com

SUBMISSION

Cosmological and Astrobiological Review: Journal for the Study of the Universe, Life and the Natural Sciences welcomes original submissions from researchers, academics, and practitioners worldwide. Manuscripts may be submitted through one of the following methods:

Option 1: Submit via our online submission form [here].

Option 2: Submit via email to info@sapcraa.com with “Manuscript Submission” in the subject line. Authors will receive confirmation of receipt within 5 business days. Before submitting, please ensure that your manuscript complies with the formatting and style requirements outlined in our [Author Guidelines].

Editorial Board

Prof. Dr. Stevo NajmanUniversity of NišBiology education, history and philosophy of biology, anthropology, integrative biology, cell biology, preclinical in vitro and in vivo research, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and biomedicine(Republic of Serbia)
Prof. Dr. Nidhal GuessoumAmerican University of SharjahHigh-energy and nuclear astrophysics; positron–electron annihilation and gamma-ray bursts, thermonuclear processes in astrophysical plasmas, Islamic astronomy, relations between modern science and religious traditions(United Arab Emirates)
Slaven KneževićUniversity of Banja LukaPhilosophy of science, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, cosmology and cosmogony, marxism.(Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Prof. Dr. Branislava RankovićUniversity of LjubljanaClinical and research expert in internal medicine(Republic of Slovenia)
Prof. Dr. Sudhir Kumar KatariaMaharshi Dayanand UniversityExpert in biochemistry and zoology(Republic of India)
Academician Prof. Dr. Jelena BoškovićUniversity of BelgradeExpert in plant genetics, breeding, and wheat disease resistance, with a broader focus on biodiversity and sustainable agriculture(Republic of Serbia)
Prof. Dr. Goran StojanovićUniversity Union - Nikola TeslaDynamical systems and stability analysis; methodological review of mathematical modeling and quantitative manuscripts(Republic of Serbia)
Prof. Dr. Radovan PetrovićUniversity “Union Nikola Tesla”Expert in mechanical engineering and mathematics(Republic of Serbia)

Latest Issue

Volume: 4 Issue: 1 (2026) Serial Number: 5

29 June 2026

9–29

Non-gaussian tails of the curvature perturbation in ultraslow-roll inflation: stochastic-δn constraints on primordialblack hole abundance in the asteroid-mass window

Matheus Silva Dias

The number of primordial black holes (PBHs) formed from inflationary perturbationsdepends exponentially on the upper tail of the probability distribution of the curvature perturbation ζ, which makes every abundance estimate hostage to the statistical assumptions entering thattail. This article quantifies, within a single analytic framework, how the estimated PBH abundancechanges when the standard perturbative Gaussian calculation is replaced by the stochastic-δNtreatment of ultra-slow-roll (USR) inflation, in which the tail decays exponentially, P(ζ) ∝exp(−Λζ), rather than as a Gaussian. Using the logarithmic mapping between ζ and its Gaussianprecursor, with benchmark decay rate Λ = 3 and collapse threshold ζc = 0.65, I derive a closedform amplitude-remapping factor R_A = [Λζc/(1 − exp(−Λζc))]² ≈ 5.2, which measures howmuch smaller the coarse-grained variance σ² must be for the mass fraction β to stay fixed onceexponential tails are switched on. Applied across the asteroid-mass window (10¹⁷–10²³ g), thecalculation shows that a Gaussian-calibrated amplitude σ² ≈ (6.3–7.9)×10⁻³ overproduces PBHsby a factor of 5×10⁹ to 1.2×10¹² when the exponential tail operates at fixed amplitude, while theamplitude required for f_PBH = 1 falls to σ² ≈ (1.2–1.5)×10⁻³. The local sensitivity of the abundance to the amplitude, d ln β/d ln σ² ≈ 31 at the calibration point, is nonetheless invariant underthe change of statistics, so the notorious fine-tuning of PBH dark matter scenarios survives thetransition intact. The asteroid-mass window itself remains a viable candidate for the totality ofdark matter: its boundaries are set by evaporation and microlensing physics that do not dependon formation statistics, although the accompanying induced gravitational-wave signal weakens byroughly a factor of 27.

DOI: 10.65932/CAR-2026-1-1 download

30–49

Hydrothermal vents versus the "warm little pond": A comparative assessment of energy gradients in prebiotic synthesis and the origin of metabolism

Slaven Knežević

The question of where and how the first living system arose remains the most contested issue in contemporary astrobiology, with the debate running for decades between two schools: the submarine alkaline hydrothermal vent hypothesis and the surface “warm little pond” (hot spring) hypothesis. This article does not attempt to declare a winner. Instead, it introduces a new analytical framework — the topology of the free-energy gradient — which reframes the entire debate as a distinction between a standing vectorial gradient (the chemiosmotic proton and redox gradient across a barrier, characteristic of vents) and a cyclic temporal gradient (alternating wetting and drying, characteristic of ponds). Alongside the framework, a measur-able Free-Energy Coupling Index (FECI) is proposed, scoring each environment along five dimensions: gradient persistence, vectorial coupling, spatial compartmentalization, cyclic condensation, and carbon–energy flux. A comparative synthesis of thermodynamic parame-ters from peer-reviewed literature (2019–2026) shows that vents achieve a high “metabolic bootstrap” score (FECI-M ≈ 0.82), whereas ponds achieve a high “replicative bootstrap” score (FECI-R ≈ 0.79). The central finding is that these two environments are not compet-ing but thermodynamically complementary along the metabolism→replication transition: the vent provides the continuous vectorial gradient required to bootstrap carbon and energy me-tabolism, while the pond provides the cyclic dehydration regime required for polymerization and encapsulation. The article concludes that the origin of life is tied not to a single location but to a sequence of gradient regimes, interpreted here within a morphology of the first cause (prauzrok).

DOI: 10.65932/CAR-2026-1-2 download

50–63

The informational theory of biological individuality: howorganismal boundaries arise from information flow ratherthan physical membranes

Amanda Larkin

Where does one organism end and its environment begin? The default answer in muchof biology is spatial: the boundary is the outermost membrane, the skin, the cell wall. This articleargues that the membrane is a poor guide to individuality and that the boundary of an organismis better located where information flow closes on itself. I develop the Informational IndividualityCriterion (IIC), a three-axis operationalization that scores any candidate system along informational closure (the contrast between internal predictive mutual information and boundary-crossing mutual information), integrated information (the irreducibility of the system's cause–effectstructure), and constraint-based autonomy (the organizational closure of the constraints thatmaintain the system). On this account, the organismal boundary is the closed surface that maximizes a composite individuality functional, not the surface drawn by lipids or cuticle. I test thecriterion on three cases that break the membrane intuition in opposite directions: the mammalianholobiont, in which many membranes enclose one informational individual; the multinucleatesyncytium, in which one membrane encloses several partly autonomous informational sub-individuals; and the colonial siphonophore, in which many zooid membranes are subordinate to asingle integrated colonial self. Across all three, the informational boundary systematically divergesfrom the physical membrane, and I quantify that gap with a Membrane–Information Divergencediagnostic. The upshot is that individuality is graded, sometimes nested, and frequently displacedfrom the membrane — an outcome that membrane-based criteria cannot represent but that aninformational criterion renders precise and, in principle, measurable.

DOI: 10.65932/CAR-2026-1-3 download

64–76

The role of jovian planets in the dynamical stability ofhabitable zones around red dwarfs: water delivery, orbitalstability, and the sign-changing leverage of giant companions

Lech Kowalski

For Sun-like stars, a comfortable heuristic holds that an outer giant planet is good forthe habitability of inner terrestrial worlds — it helps deliver water and, in the popular imagination,shields the inner system from bombardment. This article argues that the heuristic does not transfer to red dwarfs and that, for the compact resonant systems typical of low-mass stars, an outergiant is more often a liability than an asset. I develop the Giant-Planet Habitability Leverageframework, which decomposes a giant's net effect on an inner terrestrial planet's long-term habitability into three channels — water and volatile delivery, dynamical stabilization versus excitation, and impact or clearing modulation — and combines them into a single signed index (GHLI)that can be positive (the giant helps) or negative (the giant harms). Applying the framework heuristically to three archetypes — a Sun-like system with a Jupiter, a hypothetical M-dwarf compactchain with an imposed cold giant, and a giant-free compact chain of the TRAPPIST-1 type — Ifind that the leverage changes sign with stellar mass: mildly positive to neutral for the solar case(GHLI ≈ +0.3) but distinctly negative when a cold giant is added to a tightly packed M-dwarfchain (GHLI ≈ −0.5). The mechanism is that compact M-dwarf systems obtain their water endogenously, through pebble drift across the ice line during formation, and derive their stabilityfrom resonant locking, so an outer giant supplies little that the system lacks while threatening thefragile resonant architecture on which its stability depends. The upshot is that the observed scarcity of giant planets around red dwarfs, rather than being an obstacle to habitability, is plausiblyone of its enabling conditions. The framework yields concrete, falsifiable predictions and identifies where current occurrence-rate and dynamical constraints most need tightening.

DOI: 10.65932/CAR-2026-1-4 download

77–89

Biosignatures in the atmospheres of ocean worlds: methodological challenges in distinguishing biotic from abioticsources of methane and phosphine

Aleksei Vladimirovich Sokolov

The detection of a putative biosignature gas is only as strong as the abiotic explanationsit can exclude, and recent history — above all the phosphine controversy at Venus — shows howquickly a claimed sign of life can dissolve into instrument artifact or unremarkable geochemistry.This article addresses the methodological problem directly for the two reduced gases most oftenproposed as biosignatures on ocean worlds and habitable-zone exoplanets: methane and phosphine. I argue that prevailing frameworks err by asking a gas-first question — is methane, orphosphine, a biosignature? — and by combining lines of evidence through weighted averagesthat let a strong showing on one axis mask an unaddressed weakness on another. In their place Idevelop a provenance-first Biotic Provenance framework that scores any candidate detection onthree logically independent abiotic-rejection axes: thermodynamic-disequilibrium context, theabiotic-flux ceiling, and spectral and conceptual robustness. Crucially, the framework combinesthese axes under a weakest-link rule — the Biotic Provenance Index is the minimum of the threeaxis scores, not their average — on the argument that a false positive is governed by the leastexcluded abiotic alternative rather than by the average strength of the case. Applied to threetouchstone cases, the framework localizes precisely where each fails: Venus phosphine is limitedby spectral robustness, with the detection itself contested; K2-18b methane and dimethyl sulfideare limited by the same axis, resting on marginal spectral features; and Enceladus methane islimited instead by the abiotic-flux ceiling, because serpentinization can supply the observed abundance. None of the three currently clears the threshold for biotic provenance, but each fails fora different, identifiable reason — which is exactly the diagnostic the field needs, and which aweighted-average confidence ladder obscures.

DOI: 10.65932/CAR-2026-1-5 download

90–102

Horizontal gene transfer as a driver of adaptive evolution in extremophiles: a gene-class-stratified reappraisal ofthe tree of life

Rafael Souza Mendes

The image of a single branching tree of life, inherited from Darwin and formalized bymolecular phylogenetics, sits uneasily with what genomics now shows about prokaryotes: thatgenes move sideways across lineages so pervasively that no single gene tree reliably represents anorganism's whole history. This article argues that the tree-versus-web dispute has been miscast asa choice between two incompatible topologies and that both camps are partly right, because theanswer depends on which genes one asks about. I develop a gene-class-stratified reconciliationframework that models a genome as a vertically inherited informational core — the ribosomaland transcription-translation machinery that remains stubbornly tree-like — embedded in a horizontally acquired operational and stress-response shell that is genuinely network-like. On thisaccount the tree of life is neither a tree nor a web but a tree of cores threaded through a networkof shells, and the balance between the two is not fixed but varies across taxa and environments.From the framework I advance the falsifiable Extremity–Reticulation hypothesis: the adaptivecontribution of the horizontal shell, quantified by a Reticulation Index that partitions a genome'sadaptive genes by functional class and provenance, scales with environmental extremity, so thatextremophiles occupy the maximally reticulate end of a continuum. Heuristic scoring across anextremity gradient shows the informational core holding near a Reticulation Index of 0.05–0.08regardless of environment, while the stress-resistance shell climbs from roughly 0.20 in mesophiles to near 0.60 in polyextremophiles. Extremophiles, in this reading, are not marginal curiosities but the clearest demonstration that adaptive evolution in prokaryotes is driven substantiallyby acquisition rather than only by mutation, and the tree of life must be reconceived accordingly— as a statement about the informational core alone, explicitly qualified for everything else.

DOI: 10.65932/CAR-2026-1-6 download

Volume: 4 Issue: 1 (2026) Serial Number: 5 download