Bridging Place-Based Astrobiology Education with Genomics, Including Descriptions of Three Novel Bacterial Species Isolated from Mars Analog Sites of Cultural Relevance

Democratizing genomic data science, including bioinformatics, can diversify the STEM workforce and may, in turn, bring new perspectives into the space sciences. In this respect, the development of education and research programs that bridge genome science with "place" and world-views specific to a given region are valuable for Indigenous students and educators. Through a multi-institutional collaboration, we developed an ongoing education program and model that includes Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing, free bioinformatic platforms, and teacher training workshops to address our research and education goals through a place-based science education lens. High school students and researchers cultivated, sequenced, assembled, and annotated the genomes of 13 bacteria from Mars analog sites with cultural relevance, 10 of which were novel species. Students, teachers, and community members assisted with the discovery of new, potentially chemolithotrophic bacteria relevant to astrobiology. This joint education-research program also led to the discovery of species from Mars analog sites capable of producing N-acyl homoserine lactones, which are quorum-sensing molecules used in bacterial communication. Whole genome sequencing was completed in high school classrooms, and connected students to funded space research, increased research output, and provided culturally relevant, place-based science education, with participants naming three novel species described here. Students at St. Andrew's School (Honolulu, Hawai'i) proposed the name Bradyrhizobium prioritasuperba for the type strain, BL16AT, of the new species (DSM 112479T = NCTC 14602T). The nonprofit organization Kauluakalana proposed the name Brenneria ulupoensis for the type strain, K61T, of the new species (DSM 116657T = LMG = 33184T), and Hawai'i Baptist Academy students proposed the name Paraflavitalea speifideiaquila for the type strain, BL16ET, of the new species (DSM 112478T = NCTC 14603T).

Heterotrophic Growth Dominates in the Most Extremotolerant Extremophile Cultures

Due to their ability to withstand "extreme" conditions, Earth's extremophilic organisms can constrain habitability windows for other planetary systems. However, there are many other considerations to microbial growth requirements beyond environmental extremes, such as nutrient availability. Here, we conduct a literature review of the most extremotolerant extremophiles in culture, since working with cultured organisms allows environmental and nutrient variables to be constrained with a high level of specificity. We generated a database that includes the isolation environment, carbon source(s) used, and growth preferences across temperature, pressure, salinity, and pH extremes. We found that the "most extreme" conditions were primarily sustained by heterotrophs, except for hyperthermophiles. These results highlight the importance of considering organic carbon availability when using extremophiles for habitability constraints. We also interrogated polyextreme potential across temperature, pressure, salinity, and pH conditions. Our findings suggest that the investigation of growth tolerance rather than growth optimum may reveal wider habitability parameters. Overall, these results highlight the potential polyextremes, environments, nutrient requirements, and additional analyses that could improve the application of cultured investigations to astrobiology questions.

A Review of the "Black Beauty" Martian Regolith Breccia and Its Martian Habitability Record

The regolith breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 and paired samples are unique meteorite representatives of the martian crust. They are water rich, lithologically varied, and preserve the oldest martian zircon grains yet discovered that formed ca. 4500-4300 Ma. The meteorite thus provides us with an invaluable record of the crustal and environmental conditions on early Mars. Resetting of some radioisotopic chronometers occurred in response to a major thermal disturbance event ca. 1500-1400 Ma, likely caused by an impactor that brecciated and redeposited NWA 7034 near the surface in an ejecta blanket. Lithologies comprising NWA 7034 were then aqueously altered by a long-lasting impact-induced hydrothermal system, before being excavated and ejected by a subsequent impact at ca. 5-15 Ma. This review compiles chronological and petrological information into an overarching geochronological summary for NWA 7034 and paired samples. We then provide a synopsis for the volatile (H₂O, C) inventory and hydrothermal alteration history of NWA 7034. From this geochronological history and volatile inventory, we interpret and assess two potential periods of martian habitability: (1) an early window of pre-Noachian planetary habitability, and (2) impact-derived hydrothermal systems that allowed intermittent habitable crater environments well into the Amazonian.

Absolute Configuration of Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Enantiomers Identified by Gas Chromatography: Theorized Application for Isoprenoid Alkanes and the Search of Molecular Biosignatures on Mars

Acyclic saturated hydrocarbon enantiomers were resolved by gas chromatography using a β-cyclodextrin-based chiral stationary phase. The stereospecific synthesis of single enantiomers of 4-methyloctane allowed to assign the absolute stereochemical configuration to the resolved enantiomers. Data show that the (S)-4-methyloctane shows higher chromatographic retention as compared to the (R)-4-methyloctane due to stronger van der Waals interactions with the β-cyclodextrin chiral selector. This introductive research presents future prospects for the separation of stereoisomers of larger branched hydrocarbons. We discuss the importance of chiral hydrocarbons, more precisely the stereochemistry of the isoprenoid alkanes pristane and phytane, as potential biosignatures stable on geological timescales. The origins of pristane and phytane in Earth sediments are presented, and we detail the implications for the search of extinct or extant life on Mars. The data presented here will help to systematically investigate the chirality of hydrocarbon enantiomers in biological and nonbiological samples and in samples to be analyzed by the ESA’s ExoMars rover to trace the chiral precursors of life in 2023.

The Astrobiology of Alien Worlds: Known and Unknown Forms of Life

Most definitions of life assume that, at a minimum, life is a physical form of matter distinct from its environment at a lower state of entropy than its surroundings, using energy from the environment for internal maintenance and activity, and capable of autonomous reproduction. These assumptions cover all of life as we know it, though more exotic entities can be envisioned, including organic forms with novel biochemistries, dynamic inorganic matter, and self-replicating machines. The probability that any particular form of life will be found on another planetary body depends on the nature and history of that alien world. So the biospheres would likely be very different on a rocky planet with an ice-covered global ocean, a barren planet devoid of surface liquid, a frigid world with abundant liquid hydrocarbons, on a rogue planet independent of a host star, on a tidally locked planet, on super-Earths, or in long-lived clouds in dense atmospheres. While life at least in microbial form is probably pervasive if rare throughout the Universe, and technologically advanced life is likely much rarer, the chance that an alternative form of life, though not intelligent life, could exist and be detected within our Solar System is a distinct possibility.

Factoring Origin of Life Hypotheses into the Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond

Two widely-cited alternative hypotheses propose geological localities and biochemical mechanisms for life's origins. The first states that chemical energy available in submarine hydrothermal vents supported the formation of organic compounds and initiated primitive metabolic pathways which became incorporated in the earliest cells; the second proposes that protocells self-assembled from exogenous and geothermally-delivered monomers in freshwater hot springs. These alternative hypotheses are relevant to the fossil record of early life on Earth, and can be factored into the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. This review summarizes the evidence supporting and challenging these hypotheses, and considers their implications for the search for life on various habitable worlds. It will discuss the relative probability that life could have emerged in environments on early Mars, on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and also the degree to which prebiotic chemistry could have advanced on Titan. These environments will be compared to ancient and modern terrestrial analogs to assess their habitability and biopreservation potential. Origins of life approaches can guide the biosignature detection strategies of the next generation of planetary science missions, which could in turn advance one or both of the leading alternative abiogenesis hypotheses.

Microbial Markers Profile in Anaerobic Mars Analogue Environments Using the LDChip (Life Detector Chip) Antibody Microarray Core of the SOLID (Signs of Life Detector) Platform

One of the main objectives for astrobiology is to unravel and explore the habitability of environments beyond Earth, paying special attention to Mars. If the combined environmental stress factors on Mars are compatible with life or if they were less harsh in the past, to investigate the traces of past or present life is critical to understand its potential habitability. Essential for this research is the characterization of Mars analogue environments on Earth through the development of techniques for biomarker detection in them. Biosensing techniques based on fluorescence sandwich microarray immunoassays (FSMI) have shown to be a powerful tool to detect biosignatures and depict the microbial profiles of different environments. In this study, we described the microbial biomarker profile of five anoxic Mars analogues sites using the Life Detector Chip (LDChip), an antibody microarray for multiple microbial marker detection. Furthermore, we contributed to new targets by developing a new 26-polyclonal antibodies microarray using crude extracts from anaerobic sampling sites, halophilic microorganisms, and anaerobic isolates obtained in the framework of the European Mars Analogues for Space Exploration (MASE) project. The new subset of antibodies was characterized and implemented into a microarray platform (MASE-Chip) for microbial marker searching in salty and anaerobic environments.

The Coevolution of Life and Environment on Mars: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Robotic Exploration of Biosignatures

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.

The Argyre Region as a Prime Target for in situ Astrobiological Exploration of Mars

At the time before ∼3.5 Ga that life originated and began to spread on Earth, Mars was a wetter and more geologically dynamic planet than it is today. The Argyre basin, in the southern cratered highlands of Mars, formed from a giant impact at ∼3.93 Ga, which generated an enormous basin approximately 1800 km in diameter. The early post-impact environment of the Argyre basin possibly contained many of the ingredients that are thought to be necessary for life: abundant and long-lived liquid water, biogenic elements, and energy sources, all of which would have supported a regional environment favorable for the origin and the persistence of life. We discuss the astrobiological significance of some landscape features and terrain types in the Argyre region that are promising and accessible sites for astrobiological exploration. These include (i) deposits related to the hydrothermal activity associated with the Argyre impact event, subsequent impacts, and those associated with the migration of heated water along Argyre-induced basement structures; (ii) constructs along the floor of the basin that could mark venting of volatiles, possibly related to the development of mud volcanoes; (iii) features interpreted as ice-cored mounds (open-system pingos), whose origin and development could be the result of deeply seated groundwater upwelling to the surface; (iv) sedimentary deposits related to the formation of glaciers along the basin's margins, such as evidenced by the ridges interpreted to be eskers on the basin floor; (v) sedimentary deposits related to the formation of lakes in both the primary Argyre basin and other smaller impact-derived basins along the margin, including those in the highly degraded rim materials; and (vi) crater-wall gullies, whose morphology points to a structural origin and discharge of (wet) flows.

Raman spectroscopy on Mars: identification of geological and bio-geological signatures in Martian analogues using miniaturized Raman spectrometers

The first Raman spectrometers to be used for in situ analysis of planetary material will be launched as part of powerful, rover-based analytical laboratories within the next 6 years. There are a number of significant challenges associated with building spectrometers for space applications, including limited volume, power and mass budgets, the need to operate in harsh environments and the need to operate independently and intelligently for long periods of time (due to communication limitations). Here, we give an overview of the technical capabilities of the Raman instruments planned for future planetary missions and give a review of the preparatory work being pursued to ensure that such instruments are operated successfully and optimally. This includes analysis of extremophile samples containing pigments associated with biological processes, synthetic materials which incorporate biological material within a mineral matrix, planetary analogues containing low levels of reduced carbon and samples coated with desert varnish that incorporate both geo-markers and biomarkers. We discuss the scientific importance of each sample type and the challenges using portable/flight-prototype instrumentation. We also report on technical development work undertaken to enable the next generation of Raman instruments to reach higher levels of sensitivity and operational efficiency.

Trajectories of martian habitability

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.

Are We from Outer Space?

The biological record suggests that life on Earth arose as soon as conditions were favorable, which indicates that life either originated quickly, or arrived from elsewhere to seed Earth. Experimental research under the theme of “astrobiology” has produced data that some view as strong evidence for the second possibility, known as the panspermia hypothesis. While it is not unreasonable to consider the possibility that Earth’s life originated elsewhere and potentially much earlier, we conclude that the current literature offers no definitive evidence to support this hypothesis.

Chladni’s view, that they fall from the skies, pronounced in 1795, was ridiculed by the learned men of the times. (Rachel, 1881)

Evidence of life on Mars, even if only in the distant past, would finally answer the age-old question of whether living beings on Earth are alone in the universe. The magnitude of such a discovery is illustrated by President Bill Clinton’s appearance at a 1996 press conference to announce that proof had been found at last. A meteorite chipped from the surface of the Red Planet some 15 million years ago appeared to contain the fossil remains of tiny life-forms that indicated life had once existed on Mars. (Young and Martel, 2010)

Mars primordial crust: unique sites for investigating proto-biologic properties

The Martian meteorite collection suggests that intact outcrops or boulder-scale fragments of the 4.5 Ga Martian crust exist within tens of meters of the present day surface of Mars. Mars may be the only planet where such primordial crust samples, representing the first 100 Ma of a planet's environment, are available. The primordial crust has been destroyed on Earth by plate tectonics and other geological phenomena and is buried on the Moon under hundreds or thousands of meters of megaregoltih. Early Mars appears to have been remarkably similar to early Earth, and samples of rock from the first few Ma or first 100 Ma may reveal "missing link" proto-biological forms that could shed light on the transition from abiotic organic chemistry to living cells. Such organic snapshots of nascent life are unlikely to be found on Earth.

Thermal energy and the origin of life

Life has evolved on Earth with electromagnetic radiation (light), fermentable organic molecules, and oxidizable chemicals as sources of energy. Biological use of thermal energy has not been observed although heat, and the thermal gradients required to convert it into free energy, are ubiquitous and were even more abundant at the time of the origin of life on Earth. Nevertheless, Earth-organisms sense thermal energy, and in suitable environments may have gained the capability to use it as energy source. It has been proposed that the first organisms obtained their energy by a first protein named pF(1) that worked on a thermal variation of the binding change mechanism of today's ATP sythase enzyme. Organisms using thermosynthesis may still live where light or chemical energy sources are not available. Possible suitable examples are subsurface environments on Earth and in the outer Solar System, in particular the subsurface oceans of the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn.

Microbial survival rates of Escherichia coli and Deinococcus radiodurans under low temperature, low pressure, and UV-Irradiation conditions, and their relevance to possible Martian life

Viability rates were determined for microbial populations of Escherichia coli and Deinococcus radiodurans under the environmental stresses of low temperature (-35 degrees C), low-pressure conditions (83.3 kPa), and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (37 W/m(2)). During the stress tests the organisms were suspended in saltwater soil and freshwater soil media, at variable burial depths, and in seawater. Microbial populations of both organisms were most susceptible to dehydration stress associated with low-pressure conditions, and to UV irradiation. However, suspension in a liquid water medium and burial at larger depths (5 cm) improved survival rates markedly. Our results indicate that planetary surfaces that possess little to no atmosphere and have low water availability do not constitute a favorable environment for terrestrial microorganisms.

Venus, Mars, and the ices on Mercury and the moon: astrobiological implications and proposed mission designs

Venus and Mars likely had liquid water bodies on their surface early in the Solar System history. The surfaces of Venus and Mars are presently not a suitable habitat for life, but reservoirs of liquid water remain in the atmosphere of Venus and the subsurface of Mars, and with it also the possibility of microbial life. Microbial organisms may have adapted to live in these ecological niches by the evolutionary force of directional selection. Missions to our neighboring planets should therefore be planned to explore these potentially life-containing refuges and return samples for analysis. Sample return missions should also include ice samples from Mercury and the Moon, which may contain information about the biogenic material that catalyzed the early evolution of life on Earth (or elsewhere). To obtain such information, science-driven exploration is necessary through varying degrees of mission operation autonomy. A hierarchical mission design is envisioned that includes spaceborne (orbital), atmosphere (airborne), surface (mobile such as rover and stationary such as lander or sensor), and subsurface (e.g., ground-penetrating radar, drilling, etc.) agents working in concert to allow for sufficient mission safety and redundancy, to perform extensive and challenging reconnaissance, and to lead to a thorough search for evidence of life and habitability.