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Polgári M, Gyollai I, Fintor K, Horváth H, Pál-Molnár E, Biondi JC. Microbially Mediated Ore-Forming Processes and Cell Mineralization. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2731. [PMID: 31849883 PMCID: PMC6902787 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sedimentary black shale-hosted manganese carbonate and oxide ores were studied by high-resolution in situ detailed optical and cathodoluminescence microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy to determine microbial contribution in metallogenesis. This study of the Urucum Mn deposit in Brazil is included as a case study for microbially mediated ore-forming processes. The results were compared and interpreted in a comparative way, and the data were elaborated by a complex, structural hierarchical method. The first syngenetic products of microbial enzymatic oxidation were ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite on the Fe side, and vernadite, todorokite, birnessite, and manganite on the Mn side, formed under obligatory oxic (Mn) and suboxic (Fe) conditions and close to neutral pH. Fe- and Mn-oxidizing bacteria played a basic role in metallogenesis based on microtextural features, bioindicator minerals, and embedded variable organic matter. Trace element content is determined by source of elements and microbial activity. The present Urucum (Brazil), Datangpo (China), and Úrkút (Hungary) deposits are the result of complex diagenetic processes, which include the decomposition and mineralization of cell and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of Fe and Mn bacteria and cyanobacteria. Heterotrophic cell colonies activated randomly in the microbialite sediment after burial in suboxic neutral/alkaline conditions, forming Mn carbonates and variable cation-bearing oxides side by side with lithification and stabilization of minerals. Deposits of variable geological ages and geographical occurrences show strong similarities and indicate two-step microbial metallogenesis: a primary chemolithoautotrophic, and a diagenetic heterotrophic microbial cycle, influenced strongly by mineralization of cells and EPSs. These processes perform a basic role in controlling major and trace element distribution in sedimentary environments on a global level and place biogeochemical constraints on the element content of natural waters, precipitation of minerals, and water contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Márta Polgári
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Geosciences, IGGR, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Natural Geography and Geoinformatics, Eszterházy Károly University, Eger, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Gyollai
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Geosciences, IGGR, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Fintor
- Department of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrology, Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Henrietta Horváth
- Department of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrology, Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Elemér Pál-Molnár
- Department of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrology, Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary
| | - João Carlos Biondi
- Polytechnic Center, Geology Department, Federal University of Paraná State, Curitiba, Brazil
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Wilks JM, Chen F, Clark BC, Schneegurt MA. Bacterial Growth in Saturated and Eutectic Solutions of Magnesium Sulphate and Potassium Chlorate with Relevance to Mars and the Ocean Worlds. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 18:502-509. [PMID: 33776587 PMCID: PMC7992186 DOI: 10.1017/s1473550418000502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Liquid water on Mars might be created by deliquescence of hygroscopic salts or by permafrost melts, both potentially forming saturated brines. Freezing point depression allows these heavy brines to remain liquid in the near-surface environment for extended periods, perhaps as eutectic solutions, at the lowest temperatures and highest salt concentrations where ices and precipitates do not form. Perchlorate and chlorate salts and iron sulfate form brines with low eutectic temperatures and may persist under Mars near-surface conditions, but are chemically harsh at high concentrations and were expected to be incompatible with life, while brines of common sulfate salts on Mars may be more suitable for microbial growth. Microbial growth in saturated brines also may be relevant beyond Mars, to the oceans of Ceres, Enceladus, Europa and Pluto. We have previously shown strong growth of salinotolerant bacteria in media containing 2 M MgSO4 heptahydrate (~50% w/v) at 25 °C. Here we extend those observations to bacterial isolates from Basque Lake, BC and Hot Lake, WA, that grow well in saturated MgSO4 medium (67%) at 25 °C and in 50% MgSO4 medium at 4 °C (56% would be saturated). Psychrotolerant, salinotolerant microbes isolated from Basque Lake soils included Halomonas and Marinococcus, which were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and characterized phenetically. Eutectic liquid medium constituted by 43% MgSO4 at -4 °C supported copious growth of these psychrotolerant Halomonas isolates, among others. Bacterial isolates also grew well at the eutectic for K chlorate (3% at -3 °C). Survival and growth in eutectic solutions increases the possibility that microbes contaminating spacecraft pose a contamination risk to Mars. The cold brines of sulfate and (per)chlorate salts that may form at times on Mars through deliquescence or permafrost melt have now been demonstrated to be suitable microbial habitats, should appropriate nutrients be available and dormant cells become vegetative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Wilks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
| | - Fei Chen
- Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA
| | | | - Mark A. Schneegurt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
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53
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Kugler A, Dong H. Phyllosilicates as protective habitats of filamentous cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya against ultraviolet radiation. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219616. [PMID: 31295311 PMCID: PMC6623962 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Phototrophic cyanobacteria are limited in growth locations by their need for visible light and must also cope with intermittent ultraviolet radiation (UVR), especially in extreme environments such as deserts and on early Earth. One survival method for cyanobacteria is growing endolithically within minerals such as micas, gypsum, and quartz minerals. However, the capability of different mica minerals to protect cyanobacteria from UVR, while at the same time allowing transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), has only been minimally examined. In this study, we performed laboratory incubation experiments to demonstrate that a model filamentous cyanobacterium, Leptolyngbya sp., can colonize micas, such as muscovite, phlogopite, and biotite. After inoculation experiments confirmed that these cyanobacteria grew between the sheets of mica, Leptolyngbya sp. colonies were exposed to UVB and UVC for up to 24 hrs, and the level of survival was determined using chlorophyll a and carotenoid assays. Of the three micas investigated, muscovite, being an Fe-poor and Al-rich mica, provided the least attenuation of UVR, however it transmitted the most visible light. Fe-rich biotite provided the best UVR shielding. Phlogopite, apparently because of its intermediate amount of Fe, showed the greatest ability to shield UVR while still transmitting an adequate amount of visible light, making it the ideal habitat for the cyanobacterium. Upon exposure to UVR, significant shifts in several important fatty acids of the cyanobacterium were detected such as linolenic acid and oleic acid, 18:3ω3 and 18:1ω9c, respectively. These cellular changes are interpreted to be a consequence of UVR and other accessory stress (such as O3).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Kugler
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Sciences, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States of America
| | - Hailiang Dong
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Sciences, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States of America
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
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Crisler JD, Chen F, Clark BC, Schneegurt MA. Cultivation and characterization of the bacterial assemblage of epsomic Basque Lake, BC. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2019; 112:1105-1119. [PMID: 30737709 PMCID: PMC6548648 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-019-01244-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Athalassohaline waters that are rich in divalent ions are good analogues for the chemical environments of Mars and the ocean worlds. Sulfate salts, along with chlorides, are important in Mars regolith with Ca, Fe, Mg, and Na counterions. Certain lakes in the Pacific Northwest are saturated with MgSO4 as epsomite. Here we report on the microbial community of Basque Lake, BC, a group of playas that is saturated with MgSO4. More than 60 bacterial isolates were obtained from Basque Lake soils by enrichment culture and repetitive streak-plating using media containing 10% (~ 1.7 M) NaCl or 50% (~ 2 M) MgSO4. Most of the isolates (~ 75%) were Gram-positive, motile, and produced endospores. Isolates related to Marinococcus halophilus and Virgibacillus marismortui dominated the collection. Halomonas and Salinivibrio were Gram-negative genera found at Basque Lake. Nearly all of the Basque Lake isolates grew at 50% MgSO4, with 65% growing at 60% MgSO4. Several isolates could grow in saturated (67%) MgSO4 (aw = 0.90). All of the isolates grew at 10% NaCl with 70% growing at 20% salinity (~ 3.5 M NaCl; aw = 0.82). Basque Lake isolates grew better at basic pH than acidic pH, with 80% growing at pH 9 and 30% growing at pH 10. Only 20% of the isolates grew at pH 5. Numerical taxonomy dendrograms based on 44 phenetic characteristics showed a strong correspondence to phylogenetic trees constructed from 16S rRNA gene sequences. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene sequences from direct DNA extracts of Basque Lake soils recovered predominantly Proteobacteria (60%), Firmicutes (11%), and unclassified bacteria (27%). Microbes capable of growth under the extreme chemical conditions of Mars are a particular concern for forward planetary protection should they contaminate a spacecraft.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Crisler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, 26, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS, 67260, USA
| | - Fei Chen
- Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Mark A Schneegurt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, 26, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS, 67260, USA.
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Martin‐Cuadrado A, Senel E, Martínez‐García M, Cifuentes A, Santos F, Almansa C, Moreno‐Paz M, Blanco Y, García‐Villadangos M, Cura MÁG, Sanz‐Montero ME, Rodríguez‐Aranda JP, Rosselló‐Móra R, Antón J, Parro V. Prokaryotic and viral community of the sulfate‐rich crust from Peñahueca ephemeral lake, an astrobiology analogue. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:3577-3600. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ece Senel
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and MicrobiologyUniversity of Alicante Alicante Spain
- Department of BiologyGraduate School of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir 26470 Turkey
| | - Manuel Martínez‐García
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and MicrobiologyUniversity of Alicante Alicante Spain
| | - Ana Cifuentes
- Department of Ecology and Marine Resources, Marine Microbiology GroupMediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC‐UIB) Esporles Spain
| | - Fernando Santos
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and MicrobiologyUniversity of Alicante Alicante Spain
| | - Cristina Almansa
- Research Technical Services (SSTTI), Microscopy UnitUniversity of Alicante Alicante Spain
| | - Mercedes Moreno‐Paz
- Department of Molecular EvolutionCentro de Astrobiología (INTA‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Yolanda Blanco
- Department of Molecular EvolutionCentro de Astrobiología (INTA‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Ramon Rosselló‐Móra
- Department of BiologyGraduate School of Sciences, Eskisehir Technical University Yunusemre Campus, Eskisehir 26470 Turkey
| | - Josefa Antón
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and MicrobiologyUniversity of Alicante Alicante Spain
| | - Víctor Parro
- Department of Molecular EvolutionCentro de Astrobiología (INTA‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
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56
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Preturlan JGD, Vieille L, Quiligotti S, Favergeon L. Comprehensive Thermodynamic Study of the Calcium Sulfate–Water Vapor System. Part 1: Experimental Measurements and Phase Equilibria. Ind Eng Chem Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.9b00856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- João G. D. Preturlan
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université de Lyon, CRS, UMR 5307 LGF, Centre SPIN, F-42023 Saint-Etienne, France
- Saint-Gobain Research Paris, 39 quai Lucien Lefranc, F-93000 Aubervilliers, France
| | - Laetitia Vieille
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université de Lyon, CRS, UMR 5307 LGF, Centre SPIN, F-42023 Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Sara Quiligotti
- Saint-Gobain Research Paris, 39 quai Lucien Lefranc, F-93000 Aubervilliers, France
| | - Loïc Favergeon
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université de Lyon, CRS, UMR 5307 LGF, Centre SPIN, F-42023 Saint-Etienne, France
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57
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Tang Y, Gao J, Liu C, Chen X, Zhao Y. Dehydration Pathways of Gypsum and the Rehydration Mechanism of Soluble Anhydrite γ-CaSO 4. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:7636-7642. [PMID: 31459855 PMCID: PMC6649257 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The dehydration products of gypsum under different temperature and water vapor pressure were investigated by thermodynamic theory. Additionally, the rehydration mechanism of soluble anhydrite was also studied by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The thermodynamic calculation results reveal that the dehydration mechanism of gypsum significantly depended on ambient temperature and water vapor pressure. In the high-temperature and low water vapor pressure region, gypsum dehydrates to form γ-CaSO4 in a single-step process (CaSO4·2H2O → γ-CaSO4); with increasing water vapor pressure, gypsum undergoes the CaSO4·2H2O → γ-CaSO4 → β-CaSO4·0.5H2O reaction path and as water vapor pressure increases further, the occurrence of a two-step conversion path CaSO4·2H2O → β-CaSO4·0.5H2O → γ-CaSO4 was observed. It was also found that gypsum is stable in the low-temperature and high water vapor pressure region and does not dehydrate to form any calcium sulfate hemihydrate. Finally, the rehydration mechanism of soluble anhydrite was studied by MC simulations. The simulation results are in agreement with the experimental data and support the finding that γ-CaSO4 rehydration forms CaSO4·0.67H2O in high relative humidity. Another important result revealed by the MC simulation is that γ-CaSO4 has an extraordinary ability to capture water molecules from an extremely dry atmosphere, which is very useful in some fields, such as in drying processes and even for extracting liquid water from extremely dry atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongbo Tang
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast
University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Jianming Gao
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast
University, Nanjing 211189, China
- JiangSu
Key Laboratory of Construction Materials, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Chuanbei Liu
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast
University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Xuemei Chen
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast
University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Yasong Zhao
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast
University, Nanjing 211189, China
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58
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Chan MA, Bowen BB, Corsetti FA, Farrand WH, Law ES, Newsom HE, Perl SM, Spear JR, Thompson DR. Exploring, Mapping, and Data Management Integration of Habitable Environments in Astrobiology. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:147. [PMID: 30891006 PMCID: PMC6412026 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
New approaches to blending geoscience, planetary science, microbiology-geobiology/ecology, geoinformatics and cyberinfrastructure technology disciplines in a holistic effort can be transformative to astrobiology explorations. Over the last two decades, overwhelming orbital evidence has confirmed the abundance of authigenic (in situ, formed in place) minerals on Mars. On Earth, environments where authigenic minerals form provide a substrate for the preservation of microbial life. Similarly, extraterrestrial life is likely to be preserved where crustal minerals can record and preserve the biochemical mechanisms (i.e., biosignatures). The search for astrobiological evidence on Mars has focused on identifying past or present habitable environments - places that could support some semblance of life. Thus, authigenic minerals represent a promising habitable environment where extraterrestrial life could be recorded and potentially preserved over geologic time scales. Astrobiology research necessarily takes place over vastly different scales; from molecules to viruses and microbes to those of satellites and solar system exploration, but the differing scales of analyses are rarely connected quantitatively. The mismatch between the scales of these observations- from the macro- satellite mineralogical observations to the micro- microbial observations- limits the applicability of our astrobiological understanding as we search for records of life beyond Earth. Each-scale observation requires knowledge of the geologic context and the environmental parameters important for assessing habitability. Exploration efforts to search for extraterrestrial life should attempt to quantify both the geospatial context and the temporal/spatial relationships between microbial abundance and diversity within authigenic minerals at multiple scales, while assimilating resolutions from satellite observations to field measurements to microscopic analyses. Statistical measures, computer vision, and the geospatial synergy of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), can allow analyses of objective data-driven methods to locate, map, and predict where the "sweet spots" of habitable environments occur at multiple scales. This approach of science information architecture or an "Astrobiology Information System" can provide the necessary maps to guide researchers to discoveries via testing, visualizing, documenting, and collaborating on significant data relationships that will advance explorations for evidence of life in our solar system and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie A. Chan
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Brenda B. Bowen
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Frank A. Corsetti
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Emily S. Law
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Horton E. Newsom
- Department Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Scott M. Perl
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - John R. Spear
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - David R. Thompson
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
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Cockell CS, Harrison JP, Stevens AH, Payler SJ, Hughes SS, Kobs Nawotniak SE, Brady AL, Elphic R, Haberle CW, Sehlke A, Beaton KH, Abercromby AF, Schwendner P, Wadsworth J, Landenmark H, Cane R, Dickinson AW, Nicholson N, Perera L, Lim DS. A Low-Diversity Microbiota Inhabits Extreme Terrestrial Basaltic Terrains and Their Fumaroles: Implications for the Exploration of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:284-299. [PMID: 30840501 PMCID: PMC6442273 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
A major objective in the exploration of Mars is to test the hypothesis that the planet hosted life. Even in the absence of life, the mapping of habitable and uninhabitable environments is an essential task in developing a complete understanding of the geological and aqueous history of Mars and, as a consequence, understanding what factors caused Earth to take a different trajectory of biological potential. We carried out the aseptic collection of samples and comparison of the bacterial and archaeal communities associated with basaltic fumaroles and rocks of varying weathering states in Hawai'i to test four hypotheses concerning the diversity of life in these environments. Using high-throughput sequencing, we found that all these materials are inhabited by a low-diversity biota. Multivariate analyses of bacterial community data showed a clear separation between sites that have active fumaroles and other sites that comprised relict fumaroles, unaltered, and syn-emplacement basalts. Contrary to our hypothesis that high water flow environments, such as fumaroles with active mineral leaching, would be sites of high biological diversity, alpha diversity was lower in active fumaroles compared to relict or nonfumarolic sites, potentially due to high-temperature constraints on microbial diversity in fumarolic sites. A comparison of these data with communities inhabiting unaltered and weathered basaltic rocks in Idaho suggests that bacterial taxon composition of basaltic materials varies between sites, although the archaeal communities were similar in Hawai'i and Idaho. The taxa present in both sites suggest that most of them obtain organic carbon compounds from the atmosphere and from phototrophs and that some of them, including archaeal taxa, cycle fixed nitrogen. The low diversity shows that, on Earth, extreme basaltic terrains are environments on the edge of sustaining life with implications for the biological potential of similar environments on Mars and their exploration by robots and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Address correspondence to: Charles S. Cockell, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, UK
| | - Jesse P. Harrison
- Aquatic Biogeochemistry Research Unit, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Adam H. Stevens
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Samuel J. Payler
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Scott S. Hughes
- Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
| | | | - Allyson L. Brady
- School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - R.C. Elphic
- NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrew F.J. Abercromby
- Biomedical Research & Environmental Sciences Division (SK), NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Petra Schwendner
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jennifer Wadsworth
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Hanna Landenmark
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rosie Cane
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Andrew W. Dickinson
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Natasha Nicholson
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Liam Perera
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Darlene S.S. Lim
- NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI), Moffett Field, California, USA
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60
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Kinetics of White Soft Minerals (WSMs) Decomposition under Conditions of Interest for Astrobiology: A Theoretical and Experimental Study. GEOSCIENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences9020101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, the thermal decomposition kinetics of a class of minerals that we call White Soft Minerals (WSMs) is studied by means of theoretical and experimental methods, in connection to the transport of extraterrestrial organic matter to Earth and the possible use of the decomposition reaction in the characterization of these minerals in space. WSMs include, under a single denomination, carbonates and sulphates of Mg, Fe, and Ca. To improve the present knowledge of the properties of such materials, we use the following techniques: kinetic models for chemical decomposition, atmospheric entry models, spectroscopy, and gravimetric analyses. Model results show that the atmospheric entry of WSM grains is strongly affected by their thermal decomposition. The decomposition reaction, being strongly endothermic, tends to significantly lower the grain temperature during the atmospheric entry, especially at high altitudes and for grazing entries. A previously proposed infrared spectroscopic technique to evaluate the degree of advancement of the reaction is found to be in good agreement with gravimetric measurements for calcium carbonate. The numerical model developed for the atmospheric entry scenarios is used to interpret experimental results. These main findings show that an additional contribution to the reaction enthalpy is needed to reproduce the experimental results, suggesting that the present theoretical model needs improvements such as the account of gas diffusion in the materials.
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61
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Santos JCC, Negreiros FR, Pedroza LS, Dalpian GM, Miranda PB. Interaction of Water with the Gypsum (010) Surface: Structure and Dynamics from Nonlinear Vibrational Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:17141-17152. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b09907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jaciara C. C. Santos
- Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 369, São Carlos, São Paulo 13560-970, Brazil
| | - Fabio R. Negreiros
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo 09210-580, Brazil
| | - Luana S. Pedroza
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo 09210-580, Brazil
| | - Gustavo M. Dalpian
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo 09210-580, Brazil
| | - Paulo B. Miranda
- Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 369, São Carlos, São Paulo 13560-970, Brazil
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Leask EK, Ehlmann BL, Dundar MM, Murchie SL, Seelos FP. Challenges in the Search for Perchlorate and Other Hydrated Minerals With 2.1-μm Absorptions on Mars. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2018; 45:12180-12189. [PMID: 31536048 PMCID: PMC6750048 DOI: 10.1029/2018gl080077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED A previously unidentified artifact has been found in Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars targeted I/F data. It exists in a small fraction (<0.05%) of pixels within 90% of images investigated and occurs in regions of high spectral/spatial variance. This artifact mimics real mineral absorptions in width and depth and occurs most often at 1.9 and 2.1 μm, thus interfering in the search for some mineral phases, including alunite, kieserite, serpentine, and perchlorate. A filtering step in the data processing pipeline, between radiance and I/F versions of the data, convolves narrow artifacts ("spikes") with real atmospheric absorptions in these wavelength regions to create spurious absorption-like features. The majority of previous orbital detections of alunite, kieserite, and serpentine we investigated can be confirmed using radiance and raw data, but few to none of the perchlorate detections reported in published literature remain robust over the 1.0- to 2.65-μm wavelength range. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY Many minerals can be identified with remote sensing data by their characteristic absorptions in visible-shortwave infrared data. This type of data has allowed geological interpretation of much of Mars' surface, using satellite-based observation. We have discovered an issue with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars instrument's data processing pipeline. In ~ <0.05% of pixels in almost all images, noise in the data is smoothed in such a way that it mimics real mineral absorptions, falsely making it look as though certain minerals are present on Mars' surface. The vast majority of previously identified minerals are still confirmed after accounting for the artifact, but some to all perchlorate detections and a few serpentine detections were not confirmed, suggesting that the artifact created false detections. This means concentrated regions of perchlorate may not occur on Mars and so may not be available to generate possibly habitable salty liquid water at very cold temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. K. Leask
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - B. L. Ehlmann
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - M. M. Dundar
- Computer and Information Sciences Department, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - S. L. Murchie
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - F. P. Seelos
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
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Wang A, Sobron P, Kong F, Zheng M, Zhao YYS. Dalangtan Saline Playa in a Hyperarid Region on Tibet Plateau: II. Preservation of Salts with High Hydration Degrees in Subsurface. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1254-1276. [PMID: 30152704 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Based on a field expedition to the Dalangtan (DLT) saline playa located in a hyperarid region (Qaidam Basin) on the Tibet Plateau and follow-up investigations, we report the mineralogy and geochemistry of the salt layers in two vertical stratigraphic cross sections in the DLT playa. Na-, Ca-, Mg-, KCaMg-sulfates; Na-, K-, KMg-chlorides; mixed (K, Mg)-chloride-sulfate; and chlorate and perchlorate were identified in the collected samples. This mineral assemblage represents the last-stage precipitation products from Na-K-Mg-Ca-Cl-SO4 brine and the oxychlorine formation from photochemistry reaction similar to other hyperarid regions on Earth. The spatial distributions of these salts in both stratigraphic cross sections suggest very limited brine volumes during the precipitation episodes in the Holocene era. More importantly, sulfates and chlorides with a high degree of hydrations were found preserved within the subsurface salt-rich layers of DLT saline playa, where the environmental conditions at the surface are controlled by the hyperaridity in the Qaidam Basin on the Tibet Plateau. Our findings suggest a very different temperature and relative humidity environment maintained by the hydrous salts in a subsurface salty layer, where the climatic conditions at surface have very little or no influence. This observation bears some similarities with four observations on Mars, which implies not only a large humidity reservoir in midlatitude and equatorial regions on Mars but also habitability potential that warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alian Wang
- 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McDonnell Center for Space Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Pablo Sobron
- 2 SETI Institute , Mountain View, California
- 3 Impossible Sensing , St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Fanjing Kong
- 4 MLR Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Environments and Resources, Institute of Mineral Resources , Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mianping Zheng
- 4 MLR Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Environments and Resources, Institute of Mineral Resources , Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Yan Sara Zhao
- 5 Institute of Geochemistry , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
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Huang T, Wang R, Xiao L, Wang H, Martínez JM, Escudero C, Amils R, Cheng Z, Xu Y. Dalangtan Playa (Qaidam Basin, NW China): Its microbial life and physicochemical characteristics and their astrobiological implications. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200949. [PMID: 30067805 PMCID: PMC6070256 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Dalangtan Playa is the second largest salt playa in the Qaidam Basin, north-western China. The hyper saline deposition, extremely arid climate and high UV radiation make Dalangtan a Mars analogue both for geomorphology and life preservation. To better understand microbial life at Dalangtan, both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods were examined and simultaneously, environment conditions and the evaporitic mineral assemblages were investigated. Ten and thirteen subsurface samples were collected along a 595-cm deep profile (P1) and a 685-cm deep profile (P2) respectively, and seven samples were gathered from surface sediments. These samples are composed of salt minerals, minor silicate mineral fragments and clays. The total bacterial cell numbers are (1.54±0.49) ×10(5) g-1 for P1 and (3.22±0.95) ×10(5) g-1 for P2 as indicated by the CAtalyzed Reporter Deposition- Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (CARD-FISH). 76.6% and 75.7% of the bacteria belong to Firmicutes phylum respectively from P1 and P2. In total, 47 bacteria and 6 fungi were isolated from 22 subsurface samples. In contrast, only 3 bacteria and 1 fungus were isolated from 3 surface samples. The isolated bacteria show high homology (≥97%) with members of the Firmicutes phylum (47 strains, 8 genera) and the Actinobacteria phylum (3 strains, 2 genera), which agrees with the result of CARD-FISH. Isolated fungi showed ≥98% ITS1 homology with members of the phylum Ascomycota. Moisture content and TOC values may control the sediments colonization. Given the deliquescence of salts, evaporites may provide refuge for microbial life, which merits further investigation. Halotolerant and spore-forming microorganisms are the dominant microbial groups capable of surviving under extreme conditions. Our results offer brand-new information on microbial biomass in Dalangtan Playa and shed light on understanding the potential microbial life in the dried playa or paleo-lakes on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Process and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ruicheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Long Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Process and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Space Science Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- * E-mail: (LX); (HW)
| | - Hongmei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- * E-mail: (LX); (HW)
| | - José M. Martínez
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (UAM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Escudero
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (UAM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Amils
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (UAM-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ziye Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Process and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yi Xu
- Space Science Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
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Thompson SP, Kennedy H, Day SJ, Baker AR, Butler BM, Safi E, Kelly J, Male A, Potter J, Cobb T, Murray CA, Tang CC, Evans A, Mercado R. A slow-cooling-rate in situ cell for long-duration studies of mineral precipitation in cold aqueous environments on Earth and other planetary bodies. J Appl Crystallogr 2018; 51:1197-1210. [PMID: 30147638 PMCID: PMC6100201 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576718008816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Liquid oceans and ice caps, along with ice crusts, have long been considered defining features of the Earth, but space missions and observations have shown that they are in fact common features among many of the solar system's outer planets and their satellites. Interactions with rock-forming materials have produced saline oceans not dissimilar in many respects to those on Earth, where mineral precipitation within frozen seawater plays a significant role in both determining global properties and regulating the environment in which a complex ecosystem of extremophiles exists. Since water is considered an essential ingredient for life, the presence of oceans and ice on other solar system bodies is of great astrobiological interest. However, the details surrounding mineral precipitation in freezing environments are still poorly constrained, owing to the difficulties of sampling and ex situ preservation for laboratory analysis, meaning that predictive models have limited empirical underpinnings. To address this, the design and performance characterization of a transmission-geometry sample cell for use in long-duration synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction studies of in situ mineral precipitation from aqueous ice-brine systems are presented. The cell is capable of very slow cooling rates (e.g. 0.3°C per day or less), and its performance is demonstrated with the results from a year-long study of the precipitation of the hydrated magnesium sulfate phase meridianiite (MgSO4·11H2O) from the MgSO4-H2O system. Evidence from the Mars Rover mission suggests that this hydrated phase is widespread on the present-day surface of Mars. However, as well as the predicted hexagonal ice and meridianiite phases, an additional hydrated sulfate phase and a disordered phase are observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P. Thompson
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Hilary Kennedy
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, UK
| | - Sarah J. Day
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Annabelle R. Baker
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Benjamin M. Butler
- Environmental and Biochemical Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK
| | - Emmal Safi
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
- Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Jon Kelly
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Andrew Male
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Jonathan Potter
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Tom Cobb
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Claire A. Murray
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Chiu C. Tang
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Aneurin Evans
- Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Ronaldo Mercado
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
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Hynek BM, Rogers KL, Antunovich M, Avard G, Alvarado GE. Lack of Microbial Diversity in an Extreme Mars Analog Setting: Poás Volcano, Costa Rica. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:923-933. [PMID: 29688767 PMCID: PMC6067093 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The Poás volcano in Costa Rica has been studied as a Mars geochemical analog environment, since both the style of hydrothermal alteration present and the alteration mineralogy are consistent with Mars' relict hydrothermal systems. The site hosts an active volcano, with high-temperature fumaroles (up to 980°C) and an ultra-acidic lake. This lake, Laguna Caliente, is one of the most dynamic environments on Earth, with frequent phreatic eruptions, temperatures ranging from near-ambient to almost boiling, a pH range of -1 to 1.5, and a wide range of chemistries and redox potential. Martian acid-sulfate hydrothermal systems were likely similarly dynamic and equally challenging to life. The microbiology existing within Laguna Caliente was characterized for the first time, with sampling taking place in November, 2013. The diversity of the microbial community was surveyed via extraction of environmental DNA from fluid and sediment samples followed by Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbial diversity was limited to a single species of the bacterial genus Acidiphilium. This organism likely gets its energy from oxidation of reduced sulfur in the lake, including elemental sulfur. Given Mars' propensity for sulfur and acid-sulfate environments, this type of organism is of significant interest to the search for past or present life on the Red Planet. Key Words: Mars astrobiology-Acid-sulfate hydrothermal systems-Extremophiles-Acidic-High temperature-Acidiphilium bacteria. Astrobiology 18, 923-933.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Hynek
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Address correspondence to:Brian M. HynekLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space PhysicsUniversity of Colorado3665 Discovery Dr.Boulder, CO 80303
| | - Karyn L. Rogers
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Monique Antunovich
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Geoffroy Avard
- OVSICORI, National University of Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Guillermo E. Alvarado
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, Red Sismológica Nacional, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
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The Fate of Lipid Biosignatures in a Mars-Analogue Sulfur Stream. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7586. [PMID: 29765065 PMCID: PMC5954147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25752-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Past life on Mars will have generated organic remains that may be preserved in present day Mars rocks. The most recent period in the history of Mars that retained widespread surface waters was the late Noachian and early Hesperian and thus possessed the potential to sustain the most evolved and widely distributed martian life. Guidance for investigating late Noachian and early Hesperian rocks is provided by studies of analogous acidic and sulfur-rich environments on Earth. Here we report organic responses for an acid stream containing acidophilic organisms whose post-mortem remains are entombed in iron sulphates and iron oxides. We find that, if life was present in the Hesperian, martian organic records will comprise microbial lipids. Lipids are a potential sizeable reservoir of fossil carbon on Mars, and can be used to distinguish between different domains of life. Concentrations of lipids, and particularly alkanoic or “fatty” acids, are highest in goethite layers that reflect high water-to-rock ratios and thus a greater potential for habitability. Goethite can dehydrate to hematite, which is widespread on Mars. Mars missions should seek to detect fatty acids or their diagenetic products in the oxides and hydroxides of iron associated with sulphur-rich environments.
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McMahon S, Bosak T, Grotzinger JP, Milliken RE, Summons RE, Daye M, Newman SA, Fraeman A, Williford KH, Briggs DEG. A Field Guide to Finding Fossils on Mars. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2018; 123:1012-1040. [PMID: 30034979 PMCID: PMC6049883 DOI: 10.1029/2017je005478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The Martian surface is cold, dry, exposed to biologically harmful radiation and apparently barren today. Nevertheless, there is clear geological evidence for warmer, wetter intervals in the past that could have supported life at or near the surface. This evidence has motivated National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency to prioritize the search for any remains or traces of organisms from early Mars in forthcoming missions. Informed by (1) stratigraphic, mineralogical and geochemical data collected by previous and current missions, (2) Earth's fossil record, and (3) experimental studies of organic decay and preservation, we here consider whether, how, and where fossils and isotopic biosignatures could have been preserved in the depositional environments and mineralizing media thought to have been present in habitable settings on early Mars. We conclude that Noachian-Hesperian Fe-bearing clay-rich fluvio-lacustrine siliciclastic deposits, especially where enriched in silica, currently represent the most promising and best understood astropaleontological targets. Siliceous sinters would also be an excellent target, but their presence on Mars awaits confirmation. More work is needed to improve our understanding of fossil preservation in the context of other environments specific to Mars, particularly within evaporative salts and pore/fracture-filling subsurface minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. McMahon
- Department of Geology and GeophysicsYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and AstronomyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - T. Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - J. P. Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary SciencesCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - R. E. Milliken
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary SciencesBrown UniversityProvidenceRIUSA
| | - R. E. Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - M. Daye
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - S. A. Newman
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - A. Fraeman
- Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - K. H. Williford
- Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - D. E. G. Briggs
- Department of Geology and GeophysicsYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
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Košek F, Culka A, Žáček V, Laufek F, Škoda R, Jehlička J. Native alunogen: A Raman spectroscopic study of a well-described specimen. J Mol Struct 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2017.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Price A, Pearson VK, Schwenzer SP, Miot J, Olsson-Francis K. Nitrate-Dependent Iron Oxidation: A Potential Mars Metabolism. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:513. [PMID: 29616015 PMCID: PMC5869265 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This work considers the hypothetical viability of microbial nitrate-dependent Fe2+ oxidation (NDFO) for supporting simple life in the context of the early Mars environment. This draws on knowledge built up over several decades of remote and in situ observation, as well as recent discoveries that have shaped current understanding of early Mars. Our current understanding is that certain early martian environments fulfill several of the key requirements for microbes with NDFO metabolism. First, abundant Fe2+ has been identified on Mars and provides evidence of an accessible electron donor; evidence of anoxia suggests that abiotic Fe2+ oxidation by molecular oxygen would not have interfered and competed with microbial iron metabolism in these environments. Second, nitrate, which can be used by some iron oxidizing microorganisms as an electron acceptor, has also been confirmed in modern aeolian and ancient sediment deposits on Mars. In addition to redox substrates, reservoirs of both organic and inorganic carbon are available for biosynthesis, and geochemical evidence suggests that lacustrine systems during the hydrologically active Noachian period (4.1-3.7 Ga) match the circumneutral pH requirements of nitrate-dependent iron-oxidizing microorganisms. As well as potentially acting as a primary producer in early martian lakes and fluvial systems, the light-independent nature of NDFO suggests that such microbes could have persisted in sub-surface aquifers long after the desiccation of the surface, provided that adequate carbon and nitrates sources were prevalent. Traces of NDFO microorganisms may be preserved in the rock record by biomineralization and cellular encrustation in zones of high Fe2+ concentrations. These processes could produce morphological biosignatures, preserve distinctive Fe-isotope variation patterns, and enhance preservation of biological organic compounds. Such biosignatures could be detectable by future missions to Mars with appropriate instrumentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Price
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria K. Pearson
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Susanne P. Schwenzer
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Jennyfer Miot
- CNRS, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Sorbonne Universités, UMR 7590, Paris, France
| | - Karen Olsson-Francis
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
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Cabrol NA. The Coevolution of Life and Environment on Mars: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Robotic Exploration of Biosignatures. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1-27. [PMID: 29252008 PMCID: PMC5779243 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Earth's biological and environmental evolution are intertwined and inseparable. This coevolution has become a fundamental concept in astrobiology and is key to the search for life beyond our planet. In the case of Mars, whether a coevolution took place is unknown, but analyzing the factors at play shows the uniqueness of each planetary experiment regardless of similarities. Early Earth and early Mars shared traits. However, biological processes on Mars, if any, would have had to proceed within the distinctive context of an irreversible atmospheric collapse, greater climate variability, and specific planetary characteristics. In that, Mars is an important test bed for comparing the effects of a unique set of spatiotemporal changes on an Earth-like, yet different, planet. Many questions remain unanswered about Mars' early environment. Nevertheless, existing data sets provide a foundation for an intellectual framework where notional coevolution models can be explored. In this framework, the focus is shifted from planetary-scale habitability to the prospect of habitats, microbial ecotones, pathways to biological dispersal, biomass repositories, and their meaning for exploration. Critically, as we search for biosignatures, this focus demonstrates the importance of starting to think of early Mars as a biosphere and vigorously integrating an ecosystem approach to landing site selection and exploration. Key Words: Astrobiology-Biosignatures-Coevolution of Earth and life-Mars. Astrobiology 18, 1-27.
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Ehlmann BL, Edgett KS, Sutter B, Achilles CN, Litvak ML, Lapotre MGA, Sullivan R, Fraeman AA, Arvidson RE, Blake DF, Bridges NT, Conrad PG, Cousin A, Downs RT, Gabriel TSJ, Gellert R, Hamilton VE, Hardgrove C, Johnson JR, Kuhn S, Mahaffy PR, Maurice S, McHenry M, Meslin PY, Ming DW, Minitti ME, Morookian JM, Morris RV, O'Connell-Cooper CD, Pinet PC, Rowland SK, Schröder S, Siebach KL, Stein NT, Thompson LM, Vaniman DT, Vasavada AR, Wellington DF, Wiens RC, Yen AS. Chemistry, mineralogy, and grain properties at Namib and High dunes, Bagnold dune field, Gale crater, Mars: A synthesis of Curiosity rover observations. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2017; 122:2510-2543. [PMID: 29497589 DOI: 10.1002/2016je005225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover performed coordinated measurements to examine the textures and compositions of aeolian sands in the active Bagnold dune field. The Bagnold sands are rounded to subrounded, very fine to medium sized (~45-500 μm) with ≥6 distinct grain colors. In contrast to sands examined by Curiosity in a dust-covered, inactive bedform called Rocknest and soils at other landing sites, Bagnold sands are darker, less red, better sorted, have fewer silt-sized or smaller grains, and show no evidence for cohesion. Nevertheless, Bagnold mineralogy and Rocknest mineralogy are similar with plagioclase, olivine, and pyroxenes in similar proportions comprising >90% of crystalline phases, along with a substantial amorphous component (35% ± 15%). Yet Bagnold and Rocknest bulk chemistry differ. Bagnold sands are Si enriched relative to other soils at Gale crater, and H2O, S, and Cl are lower relative to all previously measured Martian soils and most Gale crater rocks. Mg, Ni, Fe, and Mn are enriched in the coarse-sieved fraction of Bagnold sands, corroborated by visible/near-infrared spectra that suggest enrichment of olivine. Collectively, patterns in major element chemistry and volatile release data indicate two distinctive volatile reservoirs in Martian soils: (1) amorphous components in the sand-sized fraction (represented by Bagnold) that are Si-enriched, hydroxylated alteration products and/or H2O- or OH-bearing impact or volcanic glasses and (2) amorphous components in the fine fraction (<40 μm; represented by Rocknest and other bright soils) that are Fe, S, and Cl enriched with low Si and adsorbed and structural H2O.
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Dalai P, Pleyer HL, Strasdeit H, Fox S. The Influence of Mineral Matrices on the Thermal Behavior of Glycine. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2017; 47:427-452. [PMID: 27757771 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-016-9523-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
On the Hadean-Early Archean Earth, the first islands must have provided hot and dry environments for abiotically formed organic molecules. The heat sources, mainly volcanism and meteorite impacts, were also available on Mars during the Noachian period. In recent work simulating this scenario, we have shown that neat glycine forms a black, sparingly water-soluble polymer ("thermomelanoid") when dry-heated at 200 °C under pure nitrogen. The present study explores whether relevant minerals and mineral mixtures can change this thermal behavior. Most experiments were conducted at 200 or 250 °C for 2 or 7 days. The mineral matrices used were phyllosilicates (Ca-montmorillonites SAz-1 and STx-1, Na-montmorillonite SAz-1-Na, nontronite NAu-1, kaolinite KGa-1), salts (NaCl, NaCl-KCl, CaCl2, artificial sea salt, gypsum, magnesite), picritic basalt, and three Martian regolith simulants (P-MRS, S-MRS, JSC Mars-1A). The main analytical method employed was high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Glycine intercalated in SAz-1 and SAz-1-Na was well protected against thermomelanoid formation and sublimation at 200 °C: after 2 days, 95 and 79 %, respectively, had either survived unaltered or been transformed into the cyclic dipeptide (DKP) and linear peptides up to Gly6. The glycine survival rate followed the order SAz-1 > SAz-1-Na > STx-1 ≈ NAu-1 > KGa-1. Very good protection was also provided by artificial sea salt (84 % unaltered glycine after 200 °C for 7 days). P-MRS promoted the condensation up to Gly6, consistent with its high phyllosilicate content. The remaining matrices were less effective in preserving glycine as such or as peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Punam Dalai
- Department of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Hannes Lukas Pleyer
- Department of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Henry Strasdeit
- Department of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Stefan Fox
- Department of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
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Uckert K, Chanover NJ, Getty S, Voelz DG, Brinckerhoff WB, McMillan N, Xiao X, Boston PJ, Li X, McAdam A, Glenar DA, Chavez A. The Characterization of Biosignatures in Caves Using an Instrument Suite. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:1203-1218. [PMID: 29227156 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The search for life and habitable environments on other Solar System bodies is a major motivator for planetary exploration. Due to the difficulty and significance of detecting extant or extinct extraterrestrial life in situ, several independent measurements from multiple instrument techniques will bolster the community's confidence in making any such claim. We demonstrate the detection of subsurface biosignatures using a suite of instrument techniques including IR reflectance spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We focus our measurements on subterranean calcium carbonate field samples, whose biosignatures are analogous to those that might be expected on some high-interest astrobiology targets. In this work, we discuss the feasibility and advantages of using each of the aforementioned instrument techniques for the in situ search for biosignatures and present results on the autonomous characterization of biosignatures using multivariate statistical analysis techniques. Key Words: Biosignature suites-Caves-Mars-Life detection. Astrobiology 17, 1203-1218.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Uckert
- 1 Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University , Las Cruces, New Mexico
| | - Nancy J Chanover
- 1 Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University , Las Cruces, New Mexico
| | | | - David G Voelz
- 3 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Mexico State University , Las Cruces, New Mexico
| | | | - Nancy McMillan
- 4 Department of Geological Sciences, New Mexico State University , Las Cruces, New Mexico
| | - Xifeng Xiao
- 3 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Mexico State University , Las Cruces, New Mexico
| | - Penelope J Boston
- 5 NASA Astrobiology Institute , NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | - Xiang Li
- 6 University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Amy McAdam
- 2 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - David A Glenar
- 6 University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Arriana Chavez
- 4 Department of Geological Sciences, New Mexico State University , Las Cruces, New Mexico
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Cheng Z, Xiao L, Wang H, Yang H, Li J, Huang T, Xu Y, Ma N. Bacterial and Archaeal Lipids Recovered from Subsurface Evaporites of Dalangtan Playa on the Tibetan Plateau and Their Astrobiological Implications. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:1112-1122. [PMID: 28926282 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Qaidam Basin (Tibetan Plateau) is considered an applicable analogue to Mars with regard to sustained extreme aridity and abundant evaporites. To investigate the possibility of the preservation of microbial lipids under these Mars analog conditions, we conducted a mineralogical and organic geochemistry study on samples collected from two Quaternary sections in Dalangtan Playa, northwestern Qaidam Basin, which will enhance our understanding of the potential preservation of molecular biomarkers on Mars. Two sedimentary units were identified along two profiles: one salt unit characterized by a predominance of gypsum and halite, and one detrital unit with a decrease of gypsum and halite and enrichment in siliciclastic minerals. Bacterial fatty acids and archaeal acyclic diether and tetraether membrane lipids were detected, and they varied throughout the sections in concentration and abundance. Bacterial and archaeal biomolecules indicate a dominance of Gram-positive bacteria and halophilic archaea in this hypersaline ecosystem that is similar to those in other hypersaline environments. Furthermore, the abundance of bacterial lipids decreases with the increase of salinity, whereas archaeal lipids showed a reverse trend. The detection of microbial lipids in hypersaline environments would indicate, for example on Mars, a high potential for the detection of microbial biomarkers in evaporites over geological timescales. Key Words: Dalangtan playa-The Qaidam Basin-Subsurface evaporites-Lipid biomarkers-Mars. Astrobiology 17, 1112-1122.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziye Cheng
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan, China
| | - Long Xiao
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan, China
- 2 Macau University of Science and Technology , Macau, China
| | - Hongmei Wang
- 3 State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan, China
| | - Huan Yang
- 3 State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan, China
| | - Jingjing Li
- 4 State Key Laboratory of Lake Sciences and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Ting Huang
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Planetary Science Institute, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Xu
- 2 Macau University of Science and Technology , Macau, China
| | - Nina Ma
- 5 Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Resources and Environments, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences , Beijing, China
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76
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Pontefract A, Zhu TF, Walker VK, Hepburn H, Lui C, Zuber MT, Ruvkun G, Carr CE. Microbial Diversity in a Hypersaline Sulfate Lake: A Terrestrial Analog of Ancient Mars. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1819. [PMID: 29018418 PMCID: PMC5623196 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Life can persist under severe osmotic stress and low water activity in hypersaline environments. On Mars, evidence for the past presence of saline bodies of water is prevalent and resulted in the widespread deposition of sulfate and chloride salts. Here we investigate Spotted Lake (British Columbia, Canada), a hypersaline lake with extreme (>3 M) levels of sulfate salts as an exemplar of the conditions thought to be associated with ancient Mars. We provide the first characterization of microbial structure in Spotted Lake sediments through metagenomic sequencing, and report a bacteria-dominated community with abundant Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, as well as diverse extremophiles. Microbial abundance and functional comparisons reveal similarities to Ace Lake, a meromictic Antarctic lake with anoxic and sulfidic bottom waters. Our analysis suggests that hypersaline-associated species occupy niches characterized foremost by differential abundance of Archaea, uncharacterized Bacteria, and Cyanobacteria. Potential biosignatures in this environment are discussed, specifically the likelihood of a strong sulfur isotopic fractionation record within the sediments due to the presence of sulfate reducing bacteria. With its high sulfate levels and seasonal freeze-thaw cycles, Spotted Lake is an analog for ancient paleolakes on Mars in which sulfate salt deposits may have offered periodically habitable environments, and could have concentrated and preserved organic materials or their biomarkers over geologic time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Pontefract
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ting F Zhu
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | | | - Holli Hepburn
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Clarissa Lui
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Maria T Zuber
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Gary Ruvkun
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Christopher E Carr
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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Marinova DM, Zhecheva EN, Kukeva RR, Markov PV, Nihtianova DD, Stoyanova RK. Mixed sodium nickel-manganese sulfates: Crystal structure relationships between hydrates and anhydrous salts. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2017.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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78
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Mickol RL, Page JL, Schuerger AC. Magnesium Sulfate Salt Solutions and Ices Fail to Protect Serratia liquefaciens from the Biocidal Effects of UV Irradiation under Martian Conditions. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:401-412. [PMID: 28459604 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The growth of Serratia liquefaciens has been demonstrated under martian conditions of 0.7 kPa (7 mbar), 0°C, and CO2-enriched anoxic atmospheres (Schuerger et al., 2013, Astrobiology 13:115-131), but studies into the survivability of cells under hypersaline conditions that are likely to be encountered on Mars are lacking. Serratia liquefaciens cells were suspended in aqueous MgSO4 solutions, or frozen brines, and exposed to terrestrial (i.e., 101.3 kPa, 24°C, O2/N2-normal atmosphere) or martian (i.e., 0.7 kPa, -25°C, CO2-anoxic atmosphere) conditions to assess the roles of MgSO4 and UV irradiation on the survival of S. liquefaciens. Four solutions were tested for their capability to attenuate martian UV irradiation in both liquid and frozen forms: sterile deionized water (SDIW), 10 mM PO4 buffer, 5% MgSO4, and 10% MgSO4. None of the solutions in either liquid or frozen forms provided enhanced protection against martian UV irradiation. Sixty minutes of UV irradiation reduced cell densities from 2.0 × 106 cells/mL to less than 10 cells/mL for both liquid and frozen solutions. In contrast, 3-4 mm of a Mars analog soil were sufficient to attenuate 100% of UV irradiation. Results suggest that terrestrial microorganisms may not survive on Sun-exposed surfaces on Mars, even if the cells are embedded in frozen martian brines composed of MgSO4. However, if dispersed microorganisms can be covered by only a few millimeters of dust or regolith, long-term survival is probable. Key Words: Hypobaria-Mars-Planetary protection-Brines. Astrobiology 17, 401-412.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Mickol
- 1 Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Arkansas , Fayetteville, Arkansas
| | - Jessica L Page
- 2 Department of Physics and Space Science, Florida Institute of Technology , Melbourne, Florida
| | - Andrew C Schuerger
- 3 Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida
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79
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Malherbe C, Hutchinson IB, McHugh M, Ingley R, Jehlička J, Edwards HGM. Accurate Differentiation of Carotenoid Pigments Using Flight Representative Raman Spectrometers. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:351-362. [PMID: 28418705 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Raman spectrometers will be utilized on two Mars rover missions, ExoMars and Mars 2020, in the near future, to search for evidence of life and habitable geological niches on Mars. Carotenoid pigments are recognized target biomarkers, and as they are highly active in Raman spectroscopy, they can be readily used to characterize the capabilities of space representative instrumentation. As part of the preparatory work being performed for the ExoMars mission, a gypsum crust colonized by microorganisms was interrogated with commercial portable Raman instruments and a flight representative Raman laser spectrometer. Four separate layers, each exhibiting different coloration resulting from specific halophilic microorganism activities within the gypsum crust, were studied by using two excitation wavelengths: 532 and 785 nm. Raman or fluorescence data were readily obtained during the present study. Gypsum, the main constituent of the crust, was detected with both excitation wavelengths, while the resonance Raman signal associated with carotenoid pigments was only detected with a 532 nm excitation wavelength. The fluorescence originating from bacteriochlorophyll a was found to overwhelm the Raman signal for the layer colonized by sulfur bacteria when interrogated with a 785 nm excitation wavelength. Finally, it was demonstrated that portable instruments and the prototype were capable of detecting a statistically significant difference in band positions of carotenoid signals between the sample layers. Key Words: Gypsum-Raman spectrometers-Carotenoids-ExoMars-Mars exploration-Band position shift. Astrobiology 17, 351-362.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Malherbe
- 1 Department of Physics, University of Leicester , UK
- 2 Laboratory of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Liège , Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Jan Jehlička
- 3 Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague , Czech Republic
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80
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Williams RME, Chuang FC, Berman DC. Multiple surface wetting events in the greater Meridiani Planum region, Mars: Evidence from valley networks within ancient cratered highlands. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2017; 44:1669-1678. [PMID: 34646054 PMCID: PMC8507182 DOI: 10.1002/2016gl072259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Morphological characterization of valley networks in three exposures of ancient cratered highlands (Nhc1) in the greater Meridiani Planum region yields insight into the Martian aqueous history. From our mapping, key regional differences are apparent in fine-scale valley network attributes including morphologic type, planimetric form, density, and links to candidate paleolakes. This information, combined with crater retention age (inferred exposure age), provides new details on the relative timing and nature of aqueous processes in the region. Newly identified pitted-type valley networks have morphological similarity to terrestrial pitted landforms in an evaporite setting. We interpret the pitted valley networks to reflect late-stage groundwater processes concentrated along the former fluvial conduits. Evidence from this study indicates that localized reactivation of valley networks occurred during or after exhumation of eastern Nhc1 unit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - F. C. Chuang
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - D. C. Berman
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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81
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Korablev OI, Dobrolensky Y, Evdokimova N, Fedorova AA, Kuzmin RO, Mantsevich SN, Cloutis EA, Carter J, Poulet F, Flahaut J, Griffiths A, Gunn M, Schmitz N, Martín-Torres J, Zorzano MP, Rodionov DS, Vago JL, Stepanov AV, Titov AY, Vyazovetsky NA, Trokhimovskiy AY, Sapgir AG, Kalinnikov YK, Ivanov YS, Shapkin AA, Ivanov AY. Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars: A Mast-Mounted Instrument for the Rover. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:542-564. [PMID: 28731817 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
ISEM (Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars) is a pencil-beam infrared spectrometer that will measure reflected solar radiation in the near infrared range for context assessment of the surface mineralogy in the vicinity of the ExoMars rover. The instrument will be accommodated on the mast of the rover and will be operated together with the panoramic camera (PanCam), high-resolution camera (HRC). ISEM will study the mineralogical and petrographic composition of the martian surface in the vicinity of the rover, and in combination with the other remote sensing instruments, it will aid in the selection of potential targets for close-up investigations and drilling sites. Of particular scientific interest are water-bearing minerals, such as phyllosilicates, sulfates, carbonates, and minerals indicative of astrobiological potential, such as borates, nitrates, and ammonium-bearing minerals. The instrument has an ∼1° field of view and covers the spectral range between 1.15 and 3.30 μm with a spectral resolution varying from 3.3 nm at 1.15 μm to 28 nm at 3.30 μm. The ISEM optical head is mounted on the mast, and its electronics box is located inside the rover's body. The spectrometer uses an acousto-optic tunable filter and a Peltier-cooled InAs detector. The mass of ISEM is 1.74 kg, including the electronics and harness. The science objectives of the experiment, the instrument design, and operational scenarios are described. Key Words: ExoMars-ISEM-Mars-Surface-Mineralogy-Spectroscopy-AOTF-Infrared. Astrobiology 17, 542-564.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ruslan O Kuzmin
- 1 Space Research Institute IKI , Moscow, Russia
- 2 Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry GEOKHI , Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergei N Mantsevich
- 1 Space Research Institute IKI , Moscow, Russia
- 3 Department of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Russia
| | | | - John Carter
- 5 Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale IAS-CNRS/Université Paris Sud , Orsay, France
| | - Francois Poulet
- 5 Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale IAS-CNRS/Université Paris Sud , Orsay, France
| | - Jessica Flahaut
- 6 Université Lyon 1 , ENS-Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Andrew Griffiths
- 7 Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London , Dorking, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Gunn
- 8 Department of Physics, Aberystwyth University , Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | | | - Javier Martín-Torres
- 10 Division of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology , Kiruna, Sweden
- 11 Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR) , Granada, Spain
| | - Maria-Paz Zorzano
- 10 Division of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology , Kiruna, Sweden
- 12 Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) , Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Alexander V Stepanov
- 1 Space Research Institute IKI , Moscow, Russia
- 3 Department of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University , Russia
| | | | | | | | | | - Yurii K Kalinnikov
- 14 National Research Institute for Physicotechnical and Radio Engineering Measurements VNIIFTRI , Mendeleevo, Russia
| | - Yurii S Ivanov
- 15 Main Astronomical Observatory MAO NASU , Kyiv, Ukraine
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82
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Mota JF, Garrido-Becerra JA, Merlo ME, Medina-Cazorla JM, Sánchez-Gómez P. The Edaphism: Gypsum, Dolomite and Serpentine Flora and Vegetation. THE VEGETATION OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-54867-8_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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83
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Domagal-Goldman SD, Wright KE, Adamala K, Arina de la Rubia L, Bond J, Dartnell LR, Goldman AD, Lynch K, Naud ME, Paulino-Lima IG, Singer K, Walther-Antonio M, Abrevaya XC, Anderson R, Arney G, Atri D, Azúa-Bustos A, Bowman JS, Brazelton WJ, Brennecka GA, Carns R, Chopra A, Colangelo-Lillis J, Crockett CJ, DeMarines J, Frank EA, Frantz C, de la Fuente E, Galante D, Glass J, Gleeson D, Glein CR, Goldblatt C, Horak R, Horodyskyj L, Kaçar B, Kereszturi A, Knowles E, Mayeur P, McGlynn S, Miguel Y, Montgomery M, Neish C, Noack L, Rugheimer S, Stüeken EE, Tamez-Hidalgo P, Imari Walker S, Wong T. The Astrobiology Primer v2.0. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:561-653. [PMID: 27532777 PMCID: PMC5008114 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shawn D Domagal-Goldman
- 1 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- 2 Virtual Planetary Laboratory , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Katherine E Wright
- 3 University of Colorado at Boulder , Colorado, USA
- 4 Present address: UK Space Agency, UK
| | - Katarzyna Adamala
- 5 Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Jade Bond
- 7 Department of Physics, University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | - Kennda Lynch
- 10 Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana , Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Marie-Eve Naud
- 11 Institute for research on exoplanets (iREx) , Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Ivan G Paulino-Lima
- 12 Universities Space Research Association , Mountain View, California, USA
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Kelsi Singer
- 14 Southwest Research Institute , Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Ximena C Abrevaya
- 16 Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio (IAFE) , UBA-CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rika Anderson
- 17 Department of Biology, Carleton College , Northfield, Minnesota, USA
| | - Giada Arney
- 18 University of Washington Astronomy Department and Astrobiology Program , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Dimitra Atri
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Jeff S Bowman
- 19 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University , Palisades, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Regina Carns
- 22 Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Aditya Chopra
- 23 Planetary Science Institute, Research School of Earth Sciences, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University , Canberra, Australia
| | - Jesse Colangelo-Lillis
- 24 Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University , and the McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | | | - Julia DeMarines
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Carie Frantz
- 27 Department of Geosciences, Weber State University , Ogden, Utah, USA
| | - Eduardo de la Fuente
- 28 IAM-Departamento de Fisica, CUCEI , Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México
| | - Douglas Galante
- 29 Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory , Campinas, Brazil
| | - Jennifer Glass
- 30 School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia , USA
| | | | | | - Colin Goldblatt
- 33 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria , Victoria, Canada
| | - Rachel Horak
- 34 American Society for Microbiology , Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Betül Kaçar
- 36 Harvard University , Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Akos Kereszturi
- 37 Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Emily Knowles
- 38 Johnson & Wales University , Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Paul Mayeur
- 39 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , Troy, New York, USA
| | - Shawn McGlynn
- 40 Earth Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yamila Miguel
- 41 Laboratoire Lagrange, UMR 7293, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis , CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | | | - Catherine Neish
- 43 Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - Lena Noack
- 44 Royal Observatory of Belgium , Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sarah Rugheimer
- 45 Department of Astronomy, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- 46 University of St. Andrews , St. Andrews, UK
| | - Eva E Stüeken
- 47 University of Washington , Seattle, Washington, USA
- 48 University of California , Riverside, California, USA
| | | | - Sara Imari Walker
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
- 50 School of Earth and Space Exploration and Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Teresa Wong
- 51 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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84
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Fox-Powell MG, Hallsworth JE, Cousins CR, Cockell CS. Ionic Strength Is a Barrier to the Habitability of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:427-42. [PMID: 27213516 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The thermodynamic availability of water (water activity) strictly limits microbial propagation on Earth, particularly in hypersaline environments. A considerable body of evidence indicates the existence of hypersaline surface waters throughout the history of Mars; therefore it is assumed that, as on Earth, water activity is a major limiting factor for martian habitability. However, the differing geological histories of Earth and Mars have driven variations in their respective aqueous geochemistry, with as-yet-unknown implications for habitability. Using a microbial community enrichment approach, we investigated microbial habitability for a suite of simulated martian brines. While the habitability of some martian brines was consistent with predictions made from water activity, others were uninhabitable even when the water activity was biologically permissive. We demonstrate experimentally that high ionic strength, driven to extremes on Mars by the ubiquitous occurrence of multivalent ions, renders these environments uninhabitable despite the presence of biologically available water. These findings show how the respective geological histories of Earth and Mars, which have produced differences in the planets' dominant water chemistries, have resulted in different physicochemical extremes which define the boundary space for microbial habitability. KEY WORDS Habitability-Mars-Salts-Water activity-Life in extreme environments. Astrobiology 16, 427-442.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark G Fox-Powell
- 1 UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , UK
| | - John E Hallsworth
- 2 Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast , UK
| | - Claire R Cousins
- 3 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St. Andrews , UK
| | - Charles S Cockell
- 1 UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , UK
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85
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Stawski TM, van Driessche AES, Ossorio M, Diego Rodriguez-Blanco J, Besselink R, Benning LG. Formation of calcium sulfate through the aggregation of sub-3 nanometre primary species. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11177. [PMID: 27034256 PMCID: PMC4821993 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation pathways of gypsum remain uncertain. Here, using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, we quantify the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), an important mineral phase on Earth and Mars. The reaction starts through the fast formation of well-defined, primary species of <3 nm in length (stage I), followed in stage II by their arrangement into domains. The variations in volume fractions and electron densities suggest that these fast forming primary species contain Ca–SO4-cores that self-assemble in stage III into large aggregates. Within the aggregates these well-defined primary species start to grow (stage IV), and fully crystalize into gypsum through a structural rearrangement. Our results allow for a quantitative understanding of how natural calcium sulfate deposits may form on Earth and how a terrestrially unstable phase-like bassanite can persist at low-water activities currently dominating the surface of Mars. The quantitative understanding of how gypsum nucleates and grows from aqueous solutions is limited. Here, the authors demonstrate how, by using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of this mineral can be quantified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz M Stawski
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexander E S van Driessche
- LEC, IACT, CSIC-UGR, E-18100 Armilla, Spain.,Structural Biology Brussels, VUB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.,CNRS, ISTerre, F-38041 Grenoble, France
| | | | | | - Rogier Besselink
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
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86
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Marshall CP, Olcott Marshall A. Challenges Analyzing Gypsum on Mars by Raman Spectroscopy. ASTROBIOLOGY 2015; 15:761-769. [PMID: 26317670 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Raman spectroscopy can provide chemical information about organic and inorganic substances quickly and nondestructively with little to no sample preparation, thus making it an ideal instrument for Mars rover missions. The ESA ExoMars planetary mission scheduled for launch in 2018 will contain a miniaturized Raman spectrometer (RLS) as part of the Pasteur payload operating with a continuous wave (CW) laser emitting at 532 nm. In addition, NASA is independently developing two miniaturized Raman spectrometers for the upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission, one of which is a remote (stand-off) Raman spectrometer that uses a pulse-gated 532 nm excitation system (SuperCam). The other is an in situ Raman spectrometer that employs a CW excitation laser emitting at 248.6 nm (SHERLOC). Recently, it has been shown with analyses by Curiosity that Gale Crater contains significantly elevated concentrations of transition metals such as Cr and Mn. Significantly, these transition metals are known to undergo fluorescence emission in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Consequently, samples containing these metals could be problematic for the successful acquisition of fluorescence-free Raman spectra when using a CW 532 nm excitation source. Here, we investigate one analog environment, with a similar mineralogy and sedimentology to that observed in martian environments, as well as elevated Cr contents, to ascertain the best excitation wavelength to successfully collect fluorescence-free spectra from Mars-like samples. Our results clearly show that CW near-infrared laser excitation emitting at 785 nm is better suited to the collection of fluorescence-free Raman spectra than would be a CW laser emitting at 532 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig P Marshall
- 1 Department of Geology, The University of Kansas , Lawrence, Kansas
- 2 Department of Chemistry, The University of Kansas , Lawrence, Kansas
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87
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Insights from the metagenome of an acid salt lake: the role of biology in an extreme depositional environment. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122869. [PMID: 25923206 PMCID: PMC4414474 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The extremely acidic brine lakes of the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia are home to some of the most biologically challenging waters on Earth. In this study, we employed metagenomic shotgun sequencing to generate a microbial profile of the depositional environment associated with the sulfur-rich sediments of one such lake. Of the 1.5 M high-quality reads generated, 0.25 M were mapped to protein features, which in turn provide new insights into the metabolic function of this community. In particular, 45 diverse genes associated with sulfur metabolism were identified, the majority of which were linked to either the conversion of sulfate to adenylylsulfate and the subsequent production of sulfide from sulfite or the oxidation of sulfide, elemental sulfur, and thiosulfate via the sulfur oxidation (Sox) system. This is the first metagenomic study of an acidic, hypersaline depositional environment, and we present evidence for a surprisingly high level of microbial diversity. Our findings also illuminate the possibility that we may be meaningfully underestimating the effects of biology on the chemistry of these sulfur-rich sediments, thereby influencing our understanding of past geobiological conditions that may have been present on Earth as well as early Mars.
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88
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Sklute EC, Jensen HB, Rogers AD, Reeder RJ. Morphological, structural, and spectral characteristics of amorphous iron sulfates. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2015; 120:809-830. [PMID: 29675340 PMCID: PMC5903680 DOI: 10.1002/2014je004784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Current or past brine hydrologic activity on Mars may provide suitable conditions for the formation of amorphous ferric sulfates. Once formed, these phases would likely be stable under current Martian conditions, particularly at low- to mid-latitudes. Therefore, we consider amorphous iron sulfates (AIS) as possible components of Martian surface materials. Laboratory AIS were created through multiple synthesis routes and characterized with total X-ray scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, visible/near-infrared (VNIR), thermal infrared (TIR), and Mössbauer techniques. We synthesized amorphous ferric sulfates (Fe(III)2(SO4)3 · ~ 6-8H2O) from sulfate-saturated fluids via vacuum dehydration or exposure to low relative humidity (<11%). Amorphous ferrous sulfate (Fe(II)SO4 · ~1H2O) was synthesized via vacuum dehydration of melanterite. All AIS lack structural order beyond 11 Å. The short-range (<5 Å) structural characteristics of amorphous ferric sulfates resemble all crystalline reference compounds; structural characteristics for the amorphous ferrous sulfate are similar to but distinct from both rozenite and szomolnokite. VNIR and TIR spectral data for all AIS display broad, muted features consistent with structural disorder and are spectrally distinct from all crystalline sulfates considered for comparison. Mössbauer spectra are also distinct from crystalline phase spectra available for comparison. AIS should be distinguishable from crystalline sulfates based on the position of their Fe-related absorptions in the visible range and their spectral characteristics in the TIR. In the NIR, bands associated with hydration at ~1.4 and 1.9 μm are significantly broadened, which greatly reduces their detectability in soil mixtures. AIS may contribute to the amorphous fraction of soils measured by the Curiosity rover.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. C. Sklute
- Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Now at Department of Astronomy, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, USA
| | - H. B. Jensen
- Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A. D. Rogers
- Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R. J. Reeder
- Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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89
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Vítek P, Jehlička J, Edwards HGM, Hutchinson I, Ascaso C, Wierzchos J. Miniaturized Raman instrumentation detects carotenoids in Mars-analogue rocks from the Mojave and Atacama deserts. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2014; 372:rsta.2014.0196. [PMID: 25368344 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This study is primarily focused on proving the potential of miniaturized Raman systems to detect any biomolecular and mineral signal in natural geobiological samples that are relevant for future application of the technique within astrobiologically aimed missions on Mars. A series of evaporites of varying composition and origin from two extremely dry deserts were studied, namely Atacama and Mojave. The samples represent both dry evaporitic deposits and recent evaporitic efflorescences from hypersaline brines. The samples comprise halite and different types of sulfates and carbonates. The samples were analysed in two different ways: (i) directly as untreated rocks and (ii) as homogenized powders. Two excitation wavelengths of miniaturized Raman spectrometers were compared: 532 and 785 nm. The potential to detect carotenoids as biomarkers on Mars compared with the potential detection of carbonaceous matter using miniaturized instrumentation is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Vítek
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - J Jehlička
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - H G M Edwards
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Space Sciences Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - I Hutchinson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Space Sciences Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - C Ascaso
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, c/ Serrano 115 dpdo., 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - J Wierzchos
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, c/ Serrano 115 dpdo., 28006 Madrid, Spain
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90
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Evidence of in situ microbial activity and sulphidogenesis in perennially sub-0 °C and hypersaline sediments of a high Arctic permafrost spring. Extremophiles 2014; 19:1-15. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-014-0703-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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91
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Rummel JD, Beaty DW, Jones MA, Bakermans C, Barlow NG, Boston PJ, Chevrier VF, Clark BC, de Vera JPP, Gough RV, Hallsworth JE, Head JW, Hipkin VJ, Kieft TL, McEwen AS, Mellon MT, Mikucki JA, Nicholson WL, Omelon CR, Peterson R, Roden EE, Sherwood Lollar B, Tanaka KL, Viola D, Wray JJ. A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions": findings of the second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2). ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:887-968. [PMID: 25401393 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2014.1227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological science and Mars exploration communities, focused on understanding when and where Special Regions could occur. The study applied recently available data about martian environments and about terrestrial organisms, building on a previous analysis of Mars Special Regions (2006) undertaken by a similar team. Since then, a new body of highly relevant information has been generated from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched in 2005) and Phoenix (2007) and data from Mars Express and the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (all 2003). Results have also been gleaned from the Mars Science Laboratory (launched in 2011). In addition to Mars data, there is a considerable body of new data regarding the known environmental limits to life on Earth-including the potential for terrestrial microbial life to survive and replicate under martian environmental conditions. The SR-SAG2 analysis has included an examination of new Mars models relevant to natural environmental variation in water activity and temperature; a review and reconsideration of the current parameters used to define Special Regions; and updated maps and descriptions of the martian environments recommended for treatment as "Uncertain" or "Special" as natural features or those potentially formed by the influence of future landed spacecraft. Significant changes in our knowledge of the capabilities of terrestrial organisms and the existence of possibly habitable martian environments have led to a new appreciation of where Mars Special Regions may be identified and protected. The SR-SAG also considered the impact of Special Regions on potential future human missions to Mars, both as locations of potential resources and as places that should not be inadvertently contaminated by human activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Rummel
- 1 Department of Biology, East Carolina University , Greenville, North Carolina, USA
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92
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Siljeström S, Freissinet C, Goesmann F, Steininger H, Goetz W, Steele A, Amundsen H. Comparison of prototype and laboratory experiments on MOMA GCMS: results from the AMASE11 campaign. ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:780-797. [PMID: 25238325 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2014.1197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The characterization of any organic molecules on Mars is a top-priority objective for the ExoMars European Space Agency-Russian Federal Space Agency joint mission. The main instrument for organic analysis on the ExoMars rover is the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA). In preparation for the upcoming mission in 2018, different Mars analog samples are studied with MOMA and include samples collected during the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) to Svalbard, Norway. In this paper, we present results obtained from two different Mars analog sites visited during AMASE11, Colletthøgda and Botniahalvøya. Measurements were performed on the samples during AMASE11 with a MOMA gas chromatograph (GC) prototype connected to a commercial mass spectrometer (MS) and later in home institutions with commercial pyrolysis-GCMS instruments. In addition, derivatization experiments were performed on the samples during AMASE11 and in the laboratory. Three different samples were studied from the Colletthøgda that included one evaporite and two carbonate-bearing samples. Only a single sample was studied from the Botniahalvøya site, a weathered basalt covered by a shiny surface consisting of manganese and iron oxides. Organic molecules were detected in all four samples and included aromatics, long-chained hydrocarbons, amino acids, nucleobases, sugars, and carboxylic acids. Both pyrolysis and derivatization indicated the presence of extinct biota by the detection of carboxylic acids in the samples from Colletthøgda, while the presence of amino acids, nucleobases, carboxylic acids, and sugars indicated an active biota in the sample from Botniahalvøya. The results obtained with the prototype flight model in the field coupled with repeat measurements with commercial instruments within the laboratory were reassuringly similar. This demonstrates the performance of the MOMA instrument and validates that the instrument will aid researchers in their efforts to answer fundamental questions regarding the speciation and possible source of organic content on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Siljeström
- 1 Department of Chemistry, Materials and Surfaces, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden , Borås, Sweden
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93
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Chatzitheodoridis E, Haigh S, Lyon I. A conspicuous clay ovoid in Nakhla: evidence for subsurface hydrothermal alteration on Mars with implications for astrobiology. ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:651-693. [PMID: 25046549 PMCID: PMC4126275 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.1069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract A conspicuous biomorphic ovoid structure has been discovered in the Nakhla martian meteorite, made of nanocrystalline iron-rich saponitic clay and amorphous material. The ovoid is indigenous to Nakhla and occurs within a late-formed amorphous mesostasis region of rhyolitic composition that is interstitial to two clinopyroxene grains with Al-rich rims, and contains acicular apatite crystals, olivine, sulfides, Ti-rich magnetite, and a new mineral of the rhoenite group. To infer the origin of the ovoid, a large set of analytical tools was employed, including scanning electron microscopy and backscattered electron imaging, wavelength-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray mapping, Raman spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscope imaging, and atomic force microscope topographic mapping. The concentric wall of the ovoid surrounds an originally hollow volume and exhibits internal layering of contrasting nanotextures but uniform chemical composition, and likely inherited its overall shape from a preexisting vesicle in the mesostasis glass. A final fibrous layer of Fe-rich phases blankets the interior surfaces of the ovoid wall structure. There is evidence that the parent rock of Nakhla has undergone a shock event from a nearby bolide impact that melted the rims of pyroxene and the interstitial matter and initiated an igneous hydrothermal system of rapidly cooling fluids, which were progressively mixed with fluids from the melted permafrost. Sharp temperature gradients were responsible for the crystallization of Al-rich clinopyroxene rims, rhoenite, acicular apatites, and the quenching of the mesostasis glass and the vesicle. During the formation of the ovoid structure, episodic fluid infiltration events resulted in the precipitation of saponite rinds around the vesicle walls, altered pyrrhotite to marcasite, and then isolated the ovoid wall structure from the rest of the system by depositing a layer of iron oxides/hydroxides. Carbonates, halite, and sulfates were deposited last within interstitial spaces and along fractures. Among three plausible competing hypotheses here, this particular abiotic scenario is considered to be the most reasonable explanation for the formation of the ovoid structure in Nakhla, and although compelling evidence for a biotic origin is lacking, it is evident that the martian subsurface contains niche environments where life could develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Chatzitheodoridis
- Department of Geological Sciences, School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Sarah Haigh
- School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ian Lyon
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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94
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Shelor CP, Dasgupta PK, Aubrey A, Davila AF, Lee MC, McKay CP, Liu Y, Noell AC. What can in situ ion chromatography offer for Mars exploration? ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:577-588. [PMID: 24963874 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.1131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The successes of the Mars exploration program have led to our unprecedented knowledge of the geological, mineralogical, and elemental composition of the martian surface. To date, however, only one mission, the Phoenix lander, has specifically set out to determine the soluble chemistry of the martian surface. The surprising results, including the detection of perchlorate, demonstrated both the importance of performing soluble ion measurements and the need for improved instrumentation to unambiguously identify all the species present. Ion chromatography (IC) is the state-of-the-art technique for soluble ion analysis on Earth and would therefore be the ideal instrument to send to Mars. A flight IC system must necessarily be small, lightweight, low-power, and have low eluent consumption. We demonstrate here a breadboard system that addresses these issues by using capillary IC at low flow rates with an optimized eluent generator and suppressor. A mix of 12 ions known or plausible for the martian soil, including 4 (oxy)chlorine species, has been separated at flow rates ranging from 1 to 10 μL/min, requiring as little as 200 psi at 1.0 μL/min. This allowed the use of pneumatic displacement pumping from a pressurized aluminum eluent reservoir and the elimination of the high-pressure pump entirely (the single heaviest and most energy-intensive component). All ions could be separated and detected effectively from 0.5 to 100 μM, even when millimolar concentrations of perchlorate were present in the same mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Phillip Shelor
- 1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington , Arlington, Texas
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95
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Marlow JJ, Larowe DE, Ehlmann BL, Amend JP, Orphan VJ. The potential for biologically catalyzed anaerobic methane oxidation on ancient Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:292-307. [PMID: 24684241 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.1078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the potential for the biologically mediated anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction on ancient Mars. Seven distinct fluids representative of putative martian groundwater were used to calculate Gibbs energy values in the presence of dissolved methane under a range of atmospheric CO2 partial pressures. In all scenarios, AOM is exergonic, ranging from -31 to -135 kJ/mol CH4. A reaction transport model was constructed to examine how environmentally relevant parameters such as advection velocity, reactant concentrations, and biomass production rate affect the spatial and temporal dependences of AOM reaction rates. Two geologically supported models for ancient martian AOM are presented: a sulfate-rich groundwater with methane produced from serpentinization by-products, and acid-sulfate fluids with methane from basalt alteration. The simulations presented in this study indicate that AOM could have been a feasible metabolism on ancient Mars, and fossil or isotopic evidence of this metabolic pathway may persist beneath the surface and in surface exposures of eroded ancient terrains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Marlow
- 1 Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California
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96
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Marcucci EC, Hynek BM. Laboratory simulations of acid-sulfate weathering under volcanic hydrothermal conditions: Implications for early Mars. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2014; 119:679-703. [PMID: 26213665 PMCID: PMC4508920 DOI: 10.1002/2013je004439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We have completed laboratory experiments and thermochemical equilibrium models to investigate secondary mineral formation under conditions akin to volcanic, hydrothermal acid-sulfate weathering systems. Our research used the basaltic mineralogy at Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua, characterized by plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, and volcanic glass. These individual minerals and whole-rock field samples were reacted in the laboratory with 1 molal sulfuric acid at varying temperatures (65, 150, and 200°C), fluid:rock weight ratios (1:1, 4:1, and 10:1), and durations (1-60 days). Thermochemical equilibrium models were developed using Geochemist's Workbench. To understand the reaction products and fluids, we employed scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The results of our experiments and models yielded major alteration minerals that include anhydrite, natroalunite, minor iron oxide, and amorphous Al-Si gel. We found that variations in experimental parameters did not drastically change the suite of minerals produced; instead, abundance, size, and crystallographic shape changed. Our results also suggest that it is essential to separate phases formed during experiments from those formed during fluid evaporation to fully understand the reaction processes. Our laboratory reacted and model predicted products are consistent with the mineralogy observed at places on Mars. However, our results indicate that determination of the formation conditions requires microscopic imagery and regional context, as well as a thorough understanding of contributions from both experiment precipitation and fluid evaporation minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Marcucci
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Now at Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, Alaska, USA
- Correspondence to: E. C. Marcucci,
| | - Brian M Hynek
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, Colorado, USA
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97
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Cockell CS. Trajectories of martian habitability. ASTROBIOLOGY 2014; 14:182-203. [PMID: 24506485 PMCID: PMC3929387 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.1106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/29/2013] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Beginning from two plausible starting points-an uninhabited or inhabited Mars-this paper discusses the possible trajectories of martian habitability over time. On an uninhabited Mars, the trajectories follow paths determined by the abundance of uninhabitable environments and uninhabited habitats. On an inhabited Mars, the addition of a third environment type, inhabited habitats, results in other trajectories, including ones where the planet remains inhabited today or others where planetary-scale life extinction occurs. By identifying different trajectories of habitability, corresponding hypotheses can be described that allow for the various trajectories to be disentangled and ultimately a determination of which trajectory Mars has taken and the changing relative abundance of its constituent environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, UK
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98
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Farías ME, Contreras M, Rasuk MC, Kurth D, Flores MR, Poiré DG, Novoa F, Visscher PT. Characterization of bacterial diversity associated with microbial mats, gypsum evaporites and carbonate microbialites in thalassic wetlands: Tebenquiche and La Brava, Salar de Atacama, Chile. Extremophiles 2014; 18:311-29. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-013-0617-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/05/2013] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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99
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Supervolcanoes within an ancient volcanic province in Arabia Terra, Mars. Nature 2013; 502:47-52. [PMID: 24091975 DOI: 10.1038/nature12482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Several irregularly shaped craters located within Arabia Terra, Mars, represent a new type of highland volcanic construct and together constitute a previously unrecognized Martian igneous province. Similar to terrestrial supervolcanoes, these low-relief paterae possess a range of geomorphic features related to structural collapse, effusive volcanism and explosive eruptions. Extruded lavas contributed to the formation of enigmatic highland ridged plains in Arabia Terra. Outgassed sulphur and erupted fine-grained pyroclastics from these calderas probably fed the formation of altered, layered sedimentary rocks and fretted terrain found throughout the equatorial region. The discovery of a new type of volcanic construct in the Arabia volcanic province fundamentally changes the picture of ancient volcanism and climate evolution on Mars. Other eroded topographic basins in the ancient Martian highlands that have been dismissed as degraded impact craters should be reconsidered as possible volcanic constructs formed in an early phase of widespread, disseminated magmatism on Mars.
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Westall F, Loizeau D, Foucher F, Bost N, Betrand M, Vago J, Kminek G. Habitability on Mars from a microbial point of view. ASTROBIOLOGY 2013; 13:887-97. [PMID: 24015806 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2013.1000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Extraterrestrial habitability is a complex notion. We briefly review what is known about the origin of life on Earth, that is, life based on carbon chemistry and water. We then discuss habitable conditions (past and present) for established life and for the survival of microorganisms. Based on these elements, we propose to use the term habitable only for conditions necessary for the origin of life, the proliferation of life, and the survival of life. Not covered by this term would be conditions necessary for prebiotic chemistry and conditions that would allow the recognition of extinct or hibernating life. Finally, we apply this concept to the potential emergence of life on Mars where suitable conditions for life to start, proliferate, and survive have been heterogeneous throughout its history. These considerations have a profound impact on the nature and distribution of eventual traces of martian life, or any precursor, and must therefore inform our search-for-life strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Westall
- 1 CNRS-OSUC-Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire , Orléans, France
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