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Naz N, Harandi BF, Newmark J, Kounaves SP. Microbial growth in actual martian regolith in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001. COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 4:381. [PMID: 38665180 PMCID: PMC11041791 DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01042-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Studies to understand the growth of organisms on Mars are hampered by the use of simulants to duplicate martian mineralogy and chemistry. Even though such materials are improving, no terrestrial simulant can replace a real martian sample. Here we report the use of actual martian regolith, in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001 sawdust, to demonstrate its ability to support the growth of four microorganisms, E. coli. Eucapsis sp., Chr20-20201027-1, and P. halocryophilus, for up to 23 days under terrestrial conditions using regolith:water ratios from 4:1 to 1:10. If the EETA79001 sawdust is widely representative of regolith on the martian surface, our results imply that microbial life under appropriate conditions could have been present on Mars in the past and/or today in the subsurface, and that the regolith does not contain any bactericidal agents. The results of our study have implications not only for putative martian microbial life but also for building bio-sustainable human habitats on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neveda Naz
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 USA
| | - Bijan F. Harandi
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 USA
| | - Jacob Newmark
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 USA
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2
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Westall F, Brack A, Fairén AG, Schulte MD. Setting the geological scene for the origin of life and continuing open questions about its emergence. FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 2023; 9:1095701. [PMID: 38274407 PMCID: PMC7615569 DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.1095701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The origin of life is one of the most fundamental questions of humanity. It has been and is still being addressed by a wide range of researchers from different fields, with different approaches and ideas as to how it came about. What is still incomplete is constrained information about the environment and the conditions reigning on the Hadean Earth, particularly on the inorganic ingredients available, and the stability and longevity of the various environments suggested as locations for the emergence of life, as well as on the kinetics and rates of the prebiotic steps leading to life. This contribution reviews our current understanding of the geological scene in which life originated on Earth, zooming in specifically on details regarding the environments and timescales available for prebiotic reactions, with the aim of providing experimenters with more specific constraints. Having set the scene, we evoke the still open questions about the origin of life: did life start organically or in mineralogical form? If organically, what was the origin of the organic constituents of life? What came first, metabolism or replication? What was the time-scale for the emergence of life? We conclude that the way forward for prebiotic chemistry is an approach merging geology and chemistry, i.e., far-from-equilibrium, wet-dry cycling (either subaerial exposure or dehydration through chelation to mineral surfaces) of organic reactions occurring repeatedly and iteratively at mineral surfaces under hydrothermal-like conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - André Brack
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France
| | - Alberto G. Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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3
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Price A, Macey MC, Pearson VK, Schwenzer SP, Ramkissoon NK, Olsson-Francis K. Oligotrophic Growth of Nitrate-Dependent Fe 2+-Oxidising Microorganisms Under Simulated Early Martian Conditions. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:800219. [PMID: 35418959 PMCID: PMC8997339 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.800219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrate-dependent Fe2+ oxidation (NDFO) is a microbially mediated process observed in many anaerobic, low-nutrient (oligotrophic) neutral-alkaline environments on Earth, which describes oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ in tandem with microbial nitrate reduction. Evidence suggests that similar environments existed on Mars during the Noachian epoch (4.1-3.7 Ga) and in periodic, localised environments more recently, indicating that NDFO metabolism could have played a role in a potential early martian biosphere. In this paper, three NDFO microorganisms, Acidovorax sp. strain BoFeN1, Pseudogulbenkiania sp. strain 2002 and Paracoccus sp. strain KS1, were assessed for their ability to grow oligotrophically in simulated martian brines and in a minimal medium with olivine as a solid Fe2+ source. These simulant-derived media were developed from modelled fluids based on the geochemistry of Mars sample locations at Rocknest (contemporary Mars soil), Paso Robles (sulphur-rich soil), Haematite Slope (haematite-rich soil) and a Shergottite meteorite (common basalt). The Shergottite medium was able to support growth of all three organisms, while the contemporary Mars medium supported growth of Acidovorax sp. strain BoFeN1 and Pseudogulbenkiania sp. strain 2002; however, growth was not accompanied by significant Fe2+ oxidation. Each of the strains was also able to grow in oligotrophic minimal media with olivine as the sole Fe2+ source. Biomineralised cells of Pseudogulbenkiania sp. strain 2002 were identified on the surface of the olivine, representing a potential biosignature for NDFO microorganisms in martian samples. The results suggest that NDFO microorganisms could have thrived in early martian groundwaters under oligotrophic conditions, depending on the local lithology. This can guide missions in identifying palaeoenvironments of interest for biosignature detection. Indeed, biomineralised cells identified on the olivine surface provide a previously unexplored mechanism for the preservation of morphological biosignatures in the martian geological record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Price
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Michael C. Macey
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria K. Pearson
- School of Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Susanne P. Schwenzer
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Nisha K. Ramkissoon
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Olsson-Francis
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
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Kloprogge JT(T, Hartman H. Clays and the Origin of Life: The Experiments. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12020259. [PMID: 35207546 PMCID: PMC8880559 DOI: 10.3390/life12020259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There are three groups of scientists dominating the search for the origin of life: the organic chemists (the Soup), the molecular biologists (RNA world), and the inorganic chemists (metabolism and transient-state metal ions), all of which have experimental adjuncts. It is time for Clays and the Origin of Life to have its experimental adjunct. The clay data coming from Mars and carbonaceous chondrites have necessitated a review of the role that clays played in the origin of life on Earth. The data from Mars have suggested that Fe-clays such as nontronite, ferrous saponites, and several other clays were formed on early Mars when it had sufficient water. This raised the question of the possible role that these clays may have played in the origin of life on Mars. This has put clays front and center in the studies on the origin of life not only on Mars but also here on Earth. One of the major questions is: What was the catalytic role of Fe-clays in the origin and development of metabolism here on Earth? First, there is the recent finding of a chiral amino acid (isovaline) that formed on the surface of a clay mineral on several carbonaceous chondrites. This points to the formation of amino acids on the surface of clay minerals on carbonaceous chondrites from simpler molecules, e.g., CO2, NH3, and HCN. Additionally, there is the catalytic role of small organic molecules, such as dicarboxylic acids and amino acids found on carbonaceous chondrites, in the formation of Fe-clays themselves. Amino acids and nucleotides adsorb on clay surfaces on Earth and subsequently polymerize. All of these observations and more must be subjected to strict experimental analysis. This review provides an overview of what has happened and is now happening in the experimental clay world related to the origin of life. The emphasis is on smectite-group clay minerals, such as montmorillonite and nontronite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Teunis (Theo) Kloprogge
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao 5023, Philippines
- Correspondence: (J.T.K.); (H.H.)
| | - Hyman Hartman
- Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Correspondence: (J.T.K.); (H.H.)
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5
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Touchette D, Altshuler I, Raymond-Bouchard I, Fernández-Martínez MÁ, Bourdages LJ, O'Connor B, Ricco AJ, Whyte LG. Microfluidics Microbial Activity MicroAssay: An Automated In Situ Microbial Metabolic Detection System. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:158-170. [PMID: 35049343 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
With no direct extant-life detection instrumentation included in a space mission since the 1970s, the advancement of new technologies to be included in future space missions is imperative. We developed, optimized, and tested a semi-automated prototype, the microfluidics Microbial Activity MicroAssay (μMAMA). This system metabolically characterizes and detects extant microbial life by way of metabolism-indicator redox dyes. We first evaluated the robustness and sensitivity of six redox dye/buffer combinations, and we then tested their responses to metabolic activity in astrobiological analog high-Arctic samples. We determined that the Biolog Inoculating Fluid (IF)-C and AlamarBlue buffered in IF-0a (aB-IF0a) dye/buffer combinations were optimal, as they detected metabolic activity from the fewest microbial cells (102 cells/mL) while maintaining efficacy over a broad physiochemical range of pH (0-13), temperature (-10°C to 37°C), salinity and perchlorate (tested up to 30%), and in the presence of a Mars regolith simulant (MMS-2). The μMAMA, which incorporated these redox dyes, detected extant active cold-adapted microbial life from high Arctic analog sites, including samples amended with substrates targeting chemolithoautotrophic metabolisms. Given μMAMA's small size (we estimate a complete planetary instrument could occupy as little as 3 L) and potential for automation, it could easily be incorporated into almost any landed platform for life detection missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Touchette
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- Department of Animal and Aquaculture Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Isabelle Raymond-Bouchard
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Louis-Jacques Bourdages
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Brady O'Connor
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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6
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de Alwis C, Trought M, Lundeen J, Perrine KA. Effect of Cations on the Oxidation and Atmospheric Corrosion of Iron Interfaces to Minerals. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:8047-8063. [PMID: 34491752 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c06451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Surface corrosion involves a series of redox reactions that are catalyzed by the presence of ions. On infrastructure surfaces and in complex and natural environments, iron surfaces readily undergo redox reactions, impacting chemical processes. In this study, the effect of how cations influence the formation of the mineral scale on iron surfaces and its connection to surface corrosion was investigated in CaCl2(aq) and NaCl(aq) electrolytes. Polarized modulated-infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) measurements were used to measure the oxidation and formation of carbonates at the air/electrolyte/iron interface, which confirmed that the iron surface oxidized faster in CaCl2(aq) than in NaCl(aq). PM-IRRAS, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy show that after the adsorption of atmospheric O2 and CO2, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of calcite and aragonite was produced on iron in the presence of CaCl2(aq), whereas siderite (FeCO3) was produced on the surface of iron in the presence of NaCl(aq). However, in either solution without gradual O2 and CO2 exposure, a heterogeneous mixture of lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) and an iron hydroxy carbonate (Fex(OH)yCO3) was grown on the iron surface. In situ liquid AFM was used to measure the surface roughness in CaCl2(aq) and NaCl(aq), as an estimation of the corrosion rate. In CaCl2(aq), Fe was found to corrode faster than Fe in NaCl(aq) due to more ions at equimolar concentrations. Surface physical changes, as measured by ex situ AFM, confirmed the presence of a heterogeneous mixture of γ-FeOOH and an Fex(OH)yCO3 in the submerged region. This indicates that the cation does not affect the type of mineral grown on the Fe surface in the region completely submerged in the electrolyte. These results suggest that the cations play a unique role in the initial stages of corrosion at the interface region, influencing the uptake of atmospheric CO2 and mineral nucleation. The knowledge gained from these interfacial reactions are important for understanding the connection between surface corrosion, mineral grown, and CO2 capture for sequestration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chathura de Alwis
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Mikhail Trought
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Julia Lundeen
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Kathryn A Perrine
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
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7
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de Alwis C, Perrine KA. In Situ PM-IRRAS at the Air/Electrolyte/Solid Interface Reveals Oxidation of Iron to Distinct Minerals. J Phys Chem A 2020; 124:6735-6744. [PMID: 32701285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c03592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Iron interfaces undergo redox and catalytic processes in various environments, on the surface of soils, dust, minerals, and materials that comprise industrial infrastructure. Measuring reactions at interfaces in complex environments is challenging, where adsorption of gases and interaction of aqueous species occur at the surface. This is due to the presence of several ionic species in solutions that catalyze surface oxidation and undergo ion exchange between the solution and the surface and from the influx of oxygen and other gases. Corrosion is an electrochemical redox reaction that is affected by the presence of oxygen and water, but accelerated by dissolved ions. Polarized modulated-infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy was used to measure in situ surface oxidation at the air/electrolyte/iron interface in semineutral NaCl(aq) and acidic HCl(aq) solutions using the meniscus method under ambient conditions. The iron interface was exposed to air, primarily oxygen, allowing for surface oxidation, where metallic iron was found to transform to siderite in NaCl(aq) and lepidocrocite in HCl(aq). Mechanisms are suggested for the transformation of iron to these corrosion products, which significantly impact our understanding of redox processes in the water cycle, material degradation, and energy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chathura de Alwis
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Kathryn A Perrine
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
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8
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Abstract
The question whether organic compounds occur on Mars remained unanswered for decades. However, the recent discovery of various classes of organic matter in martian sediments by the Curiosity rover seems to strongly suggest that indigenous organic compounds exist on Mars. One intriguing group of detected organic compounds were thiophenes, which typically occur on Earth in kerogen, coal, and crude oil as well as in stromatolites and microfossils. Here we provide a brief synopsis of conceivable pathways for the generation and degradation of thiophenes on Mars. We show that the origin of thiophene derivatives can either be biotic or abiotic, for example, through sulfur incorporation in organic matter during early diagenesis. The potential of thiophenes to represent martian biomarkers is discussed as well as a correlation between abundances of thiophenes and sulfate-bearing minerals. Finally, this study provides suggestions for future investigations on Mars and in Earth-based laboratories to answer the question whether the martian thiophenes are of biological origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Heinz
- Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ZAA), Astrobiology Research Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Schulze-Makuch
- Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ZAA), Astrobiology Research Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Section Geomicrobiology, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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9
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Fukushi K, Sekine Y, Sakuma H, Morida K, Wordsworth R. Semiarid climate and hyposaline lake on early Mars inferred from reconstructed water chemistry at Gale. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4896. [PMID: 31653859 PMCID: PMC6814795 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12871-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Salinity, pH, and redox states are fundamental properties that characterize natural waters. These properties of surface waters on early Mars reflect palaeoenvironments, and thus provide clues on the palaeoclimate and habitability. Here we constrain these properties of pore water within lacustrine sediments of Gale Crater, Mars, using smectite interlayer compositions. Regardless of formation conditions of smectite, the pore water that last interacted with the sediments was of Na-Cl type with mild salinity (~0.1-0.5 mol/kg) and circumneutral pH. To interpret this, multiple scenarios for post-depositional alterations are considered. The estimated Na-Cl concentrations would reflect hyposaline, early lakes developed in 104-106-year-long semiarid climates. Assuming that post-depositional sulfate-rich fluids interacted with the sediments, the redox disequilibria in secondary minerals suggest infiltration of oxidizing fluids into reducing sediments. Assuming no interactions, the redox disequilibria could have been generated by interactions of upwelling groundwater with oxidized sediments in early post-depositional stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Fukushi
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
| | - Yasuhito Sekine
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sakuma
- National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Koki Morida
- Division of Natural System, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Robin Wordsworth
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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10
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Merino N, Aronson HS, Bojanova DP, Feyhl-Buska J, Wong ML, Zhang S, Giovannelli D. Corrigendum: Living at the Extremes: Extremophiles and the Limits of Life in a Planetary Context. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1785. [PMID: 31456760 PMCID: PMC6700686 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Merino
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Diana P Bojanova
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jayme Feyhl-Buska
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Michael L Wong
- Department of Astronomy - Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shu Zhang
- Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Donato Giovannelli
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.,Department of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.,Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, National Research Council of Italy, Ancona, Italy
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11
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Merino N, Aronson HS, Bojanova DP, Feyhl-Buska J, Wong ML, Zhang S, Giovannelli D. Living at the Extremes: Extremophiles and the Limits of Life in a Planetary Context. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:780. [PMID: 31037068 PMCID: PMC6476344 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic life has dominated most of the evolutionary history of our planet, evolving to occupy virtually all available environmental niches. Extremophiles, especially those thriving under multiple extremes, represent a key area of research for multiple disciplines, spanning from the study of adaptations to harsh conditions, to the biogeochemical cycling of elements. Extremophile research also has implications for origin of life studies and the search for life on other planetary and celestial bodies. In this article, we will review the current state of knowledge for the biospace in which life operates on Earth and will discuss it in a planetary context, highlighting knowledge gaps and areas of opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Merino
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Diana P Bojanova
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jayme Feyhl-Buska
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Michael L Wong
- Department of Astronomy - Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shu Zhang
- Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Donato Giovannelli
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.,Department of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.,Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, National Research Council of Italy, Ancona, Italy
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12
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Yoshida H, Hasegawa H, Katsuta N, Maruyama I, Sirono S, Minami M, Asahara Y, Nishimoto S, Yamaguchi Y, Ichinnorov N, Metcalfe R. Fe-oxide concretions formed by interacting carbonate and acidic waters on Earth and Mars. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaau0872. [PMID: 30525103 PMCID: PMC6281427 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau0872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Spherical Fe-oxide concretions on Earth, especially in Utah, USA, have been investigated as an analog of hematite spherules found in Meridiani Planum on Mars to support interpretations of water-rock interactions in early Mars. Although several formation mechanisms have been proposed for the Fe-oxide concretions on Earth, it is still unclear whether these mechanisms are viable because a precise formation process and precursor of the concretions are missing. This paper presents evidence that Fe-oxide concretions in Utah and newly found Fe-oxide concretions in Mongolia had spherical calcite concretions as precursors. Different formation stages of calcite and Fe-oxide concretions observed, both in Utah and Mongolia, indicate that calcite concretions initially formed within eolian sandstone strata and were dissolved by infiltrating Fe-rich acidic waters to form spherical FeO(OH) crusts due to pH buffering. The similarity between these Fe-oxide concretions on Earth and the hematite spherule occurrences in Meridiani Planum, combined with evidence of acid sulfate water influences on Mars, suggest that the hematite spherules also formed from dissolution of preexisting carbonate spherules possibly formed under a dense carbon dioxide early martian atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Yoshida
- Material Research Section, Nagoya University, University Museum, Nagoya, Japan
| | - H. Hasegawa
- Material Research Section, Nagoya University, University Museum, Nagoya, Japan
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan
| | - N. Katsuta
- Faculty of Education, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - I. Maruyama
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - S. Sirono
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - M. Minami
- Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Y. Asahara
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | | | - Y. Yamaguchi
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - N. Ichinnorov
- Institute of Paleontology and Geology, Mongolian Academy of Science, Mongolia
| | - R. Metcalfe
- Quintessa Limited, The Hub, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK
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13
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Peretyazhko TS, Niles PB, Sutter B, Morris RV, Agresti DG, Le L, Ming DW. Smectite formation in the presence of sulfuric acid: Implications for acidic smectite formation on early Mars. GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA 2018; 220:248-260. [PMID: 32801388 PMCID: PMC7427815 DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The excess of orbital detection of smectite deposits compared to carbonate deposits on the martian surface presents an enigma because smectite and carbonate formations are both favored alteration products of basalt under neutral to alkaline conditions. We propose that Mars experienced acidic events caused by sulfuric acid (H2SO4) that permitted phyllosilicate, but inhibited carbonate, formation. To experimentally verify this hypothesis, we report the first synthesis of smectite from Mars-analogue glass-rich basalt simulant (66 wt% glass, 32 wt% olivine, 2 wt% chromite) in the presence of H2SO4 under hydrothermal conditions (~200 °C). Smectites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, visible and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and electron microprobe to characterize mineralogy and chemical composition. Solution chemistry was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Basalt simulant suspensions in 11-42 mM H2SO4 were acidic with pH ≤ 2 at the beginning of incubation and varied from acidic (pH 1.8) to mildly alkaline (pH 8.4) at the end of incubation. Alteration of glass phase during reaction of the basalt simulant with H2SO4 led to formation of the dioctahedral smectite at final pH ~3 and trioctahedral smectite saponite at final pH ~4 and higher. Anhydrite and hematite formed in the final pH range from 1.8 to 8.4 while natroalunite was detected at pH 1.8. Hematite was precipitated as a result of oxidative dissolution of olivine present in Adirondack basalt simulant. Formation of secondary phases, including smectite, resulted in release of variable amounts of Si, Mg, Na and Ca while solubilization of Al and Fe was low. Comparison of mineralogical and solution chemistry data indicated that the type of smectite (i.e., dioctahedral vs trioctahedral) was likely controlled by Mg leaching from altering basalt and substantial Mg loss created favorable conditions for formation of dioctahedral smectite. We present a model for global-scale smectite formation on Mars via acid-sulfate conditions created by the volcanic outgassing of SO2 in the Noachian and early Hesperian.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - P B Niles
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
| | - B Sutter
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
| | - R V Morris
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
| | - D G Agresti
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294
| | - L Le
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
| | - D W Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
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Fairén AG, Gil‐Lozano C, Uceda ER, Losa‐Adams E, Davila AF, Gago‐Duport L. Mineral paragenesis on Mars: The roles of reactive surface area and diffusion. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2017; 122:1855-1879. [PMID: 29104844 PMCID: PMC5656915 DOI: 10.1002/2016je005229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Geochemical models of secondary mineral precipitation on Mars generally assume semiopen systems (open to the atmosphere but closed at the water-sediment interface) and equilibrium conditions. However, in natural multicomponent systems, the reactive surface area of primary minerals controls the dissolution rate and affects the precipitation sequences of secondary phases, and simultaneously, the transport of dissolved species may occur through the atmosphere-water and water-sediment interfaces. Here we present a suite of geochemical models designed to analyze the formation of secondary minerals in basaltic sediments on Mars, evaluating the role of (i) reactive surface areas and (ii) the transport of ions through a basalt sediment column. We consider fully open conditions, both to the atmosphere and to the sediment, and a kinetic approach for mineral dissolution and precipitation. Our models consider a geochemical scenario constituted by a basin (i.e., a shallow lake) where supersaturation is generated by evaporation/cooling and the starting point is a solution in equilibrium with basaltic sediments. Our results show that cation removal by diffusion, along with the input of atmospheric volatiles and the influence of the reactive surface area of primary minerals, plays a central role in the evolution of the secondary mineral sequences formed. We conclude that precipitation of evaporites finds more restrictions in basaltic sediments of small grain size than in basaltic sediments of greater grain size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto G. Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC‐INTA)MadridSpain
- Department of AstronomyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Esther R. Uceda
- Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
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15
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Low Hesperian PCO2 constrained from in situ mineralogical analysis at Gale Crater, Mars. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:2166-2170. [PMID: 28167765 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1616649114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon dioxide is an essential atmospheric component in martian climate models that attempt to reconcile a faint young sun with planetwide evidence of liquid water in the Noachian and Early Hesperian. In this study, we use mineral and contextual sedimentary environmental data measured by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover Curiosity to estimate the atmospheric partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) coinciding with a long-lived lake system in Gale Crater at ∼3.5 Ga. A reaction-transport model that simulates mineralogy observed within the Sheepbed member at Yellowknife Bay (YKB), by coupling mineral equilibria with carbonate precipitation kinetics and rates of sedimentation, indicates atmospheric PCO2 levels in the 10s mbar range. At such low PCO2 levels, existing climate models are unable to warm Hesperian Mars anywhere near the freezing point of water, and other gases are required to raise atmospheric pressure to prevent lake waters from being lost to the atmosphere. Thus, either lacustrine features of Gale formed in a cold environment by a mechanism yet to be determined, or the climate models still lack an essential component that would serve to elevate surface temperatures, at least locally, on Hesperian Mars. Our results also impose restrictions on the potential role of atmospheric CO2 in inferred warmer conditions and valley network formation of the late Noachian.
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16
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Fairén AG, Dohm JM, Rodríguez JAP, Uceda ER, Kargel J, Soare R, Cleaves HJ, Oehler D, Schulze-Makuch D, Essefi E, Banks ME, Komatsu G, Fink W, Robbins S, Yan J, Miyamoto H, Maruyama S, Baker VR. The Argyre Region as a Prime Target for in situ Astrobiological Exploration of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:143-158. [PMID: 26836592 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto G Fairén
- 1 Department of Planetology and Habitability, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) , Madrid, Spain
- 2 Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - James M Dohm
- 3 The University Museum, The University of Tokyo , Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Esther R Uceda
- 5 Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid , Madrid, Spain
| | - Jeffrey Kargel
- 6 Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Richard Soare
- 7 Department of Geography, Dawson College , Montreal, Canada
| | - H James Cleaves
- 8 Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology , Tokyo, Japan
- 9 The Institute for Advanced Study , Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Dorothy Oehler
- 10 Jacobs/LZ Technology, JETS Contract, NASA Johnson Space Center , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Dirk Schulze-Makuch
- 11 Center of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technical University Berlin , Berlin, Germany
- 12 School of the Environment, Washington State University , Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Elhoucine Essefi
- 13 Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Gabes , Gabes, Tunisia
| | - Maria E Banks
- 4 Planetary Science Institute , Tucson, Arizona, USA
- 14 Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies , Washington, DC, USA
| | - Goro Komatsu
- 15 International Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio , Pescara, Italy
| | - Wolfgang Fink
- 16 College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona, USA
- 17 Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Stuart Robbins
- 18 Southwest Research Institute , Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Jianguo Yan
- 19 RISE Project Office, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , Oshu, Japan
| | | | - Shigenori Maruyama
- 8 Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Victor R Baker
- 6 Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona, USA
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17
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Sánchez-Román M, Puente-Sánchez F, Parro V, Amils R. Nucleation of Fe-rich phosphates and carbonates on microbial cells and exopolymeric substances. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1024. [PMID: 26441946 PMCID: PMC4585095 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Although phosphate and carbonate are important constituents in ancient and modern environments, it is not yet clear their biogeochemical relationships and their mechanisms of formation. Microbially mediated carbonate formation has been widely studied whereas little is known about the formation of phosphate minerals. Here we report that a new bacterial strain, Tessarococcus lapidicaptus, isolated from the subsurface of Rio Tinto basin (Huelva, SW Spain), is capable of precipitating Fe-rich phosphate and carbonate minerals. We observed morphological differences between phosphate and carbonate, which may help us to recognize these minerals in terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. Finally, considering the scarcity and the unequal distribution and preservation patterns of phosphate and carbonates, respectively, in the geological record and the biomineralization process that produces those minerals, we propose a hypothesis for the lack of Fe-phosphates in natural environments and ancient rocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Sánchez-Román
- Department of Planetology and Habitability, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Víctor Parro
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Amils
- Department of Planetology and Habitability, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Madrid, Spain ; Department of Virology and Microbiology, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa Madrid, Spain
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18
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Fairén AG, Losa-Adams E, Gil-Lozano C, Gago-Duport L, Uceda ER, Squyres SW, Rodríguez JAP, Davila AF, McKay CP. Tracking the weathering of basalts on Mars using lithium isotope fractionation models. GEOCHEMISTRY, GEOPHYSICS, GEOSYSTEMS : G(3) 2015; 16:1172-1197. [PMID: 27642264 PMCID: PMC5008203 DOI: 10.1002/2015gc005748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Lithium (Li), the lightest of the alkali elements, has geochemical properties that include high aqueous solubility (Li is the most fluid mobile element) and high relative abundance in basalt-forming minerals (values ranking between 0.2 and 12 ppm). Li isotopes are particularly subject to fractionation because the two stable isotopes of lithium-7Li and 6Li-have a large relative mass difference (∼15%) that results in significant fractionation between water and solid phases. The extent of Li isotope fractionation during aqueous alteration of basalt depends on the dissolution rate of primary minerals-the source of Li-and on the precipitation kinetics, leading to formation of secondary phases. Consequently, a detailed analysis of Li isotopic ratios in both solution and secondary mineral lattices could provide clues about past Martian weathering conditions, including weathering extent, temperature, pH, supersaturation, and evaporation rate of the initial solutions in contact with basalt rocks. In this paper, we discuss ways in which Martian aqueous processes could have lead to Li isotope fractionation. We show that Li isotopic data obtained by future exploration of Mars could be relevant to highlighting different processes of Li isotopic fractionation in the past, and therefore to understanding basalt weathering and environmental conditions early in the planet's history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto G Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología Madrid Spain; Department of Astronomy Cornell University Ithaca New York USA
| | | | | | - Luis Gago-Duport
- Departamento de Geociencias Marinas Universidad de Vigo Vigo Spain
| | - Esther R Uceda
- Departamento de Biología Molecular Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | | | - J Alexis P Rodríguez
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division NASA Ames Research Center Mountain View California USA
| | | | - Christopher P McKay
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division NASA Ames Research Center Mountain View California USA
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19
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Martin D, Cockell CS. PELS (Planetary Environmental Liquid Simulator): a new type of simulation facility to study extraterrestrial aqueous environments. ASTROBIOLOGY 2015; 15:111-118. [PMID: 25651097 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2014.1240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Investigations of other planetary bodies, including Mars and icy moons such as Enceladus and Europa, show that they may have hosted aqueous environments in the past and may do so even today. Therefore, a major challenge in astrobiology is to build facilities that will allow us to study the geochemistry and habitability of these extraterrestrial environments. Here, we describe a simulation facility (PELS: Planetary Environmental Liquid Simulator) with the capability for liquid input and output that allows for the study of such environments. The facility, containing six separate sample vessels, allows for statistical replication of samples. Control of pressure, gas composition, UV irradiation conditions, and temperature allows for the precise replication of aqueous conditions, including subzero brines under martian atmospheric conditions. A sample acquisition system allows for the collection of both liquid and solid samples from within the chamber without breaking the atmospheric conditions, enabling detailed studies of the geochemical evolution and habitability of past and present extraterrestrial environments. The facility we describe represents a new frontier in planetary simulation-continuous flow-through simulation of extraterrestrial aqueous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Martin
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, UK
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20
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Río tinto: a geochemical and mineralogical terrestrial analogue of Mars. Life (Basel) 2014; 4:511-34. [PMID: 25370383 PMCID: PMC4206857 DOI: 10.3390/life4030511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 08/22/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The geomicrobiological characterization of the water column and sediments of Río Tinto (Huelva, Southwestern Spain) have proven the importance of the iron and the sulfur cycles, not only in generating the extreme conditions of the habitat (low pH, high concentration of toxic heavy metals), but also in maintaining the high level of microbial diversity detected in the basin. It has been proven that the extreme acidic conditions of Río Tinto basin are not the product of 5000 years of mining activity in the area, but the consequence of an active underground bioreactor that obtains its energy from the massive sulfidic minerals existing in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Two drilling projects, MARTE (Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment) (2003–2006) and IPBSL (Iberian Pyrite Belt Subsurface Life Detection) (2011–2015), were developed and carried out to provide evidence of subsurface microbial activity and the potential resources that support these activities. The reduced substrates and the oxidants that drive the system appear to come from the rock matrix. These resources need only groundwater to launch diverse microbial metabolisms. The similarities between the vast sulfate and iron oxide deposits on Mars and the main sulfide bioleaching products found in the Tinto basin have given Río Tinto the status of a geochemical and mineralogical Mars terrestrial analogue.
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Models of formation and activity of spring mounds in the mechertate-chrita-sidi el hani system, eastern Tunisia: implications for the habitability of Mars. Life (Basel) 2014; 4:386-432. [PMID: 25370379 PMCID: PMC4206853 DOI: 10.3390/life4030386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Spring mounds on Earth and on Mars could represent optimal niches of life development. If life ever occurred on Mars, ancient spring deposits would be excellent localities to search for morphological or chemical remnants of an ancient biosphere. In this work, we investigate models of formation and activity of well-exposed spring mounds in the Mechertate-Chrita-Sidi El Hani (MCSH) system, eastern Tunisia. We then use these models to explore possible spring mound formation on Mars. In the MCSH system, the genesis of the spring mounds is a direct consequence of groundwater upwelling, triggered by tectonics and/or hydraulics. As they are oriented preferentially along faults, they can be considered as fault spring mounds, implying a tectonic influence in their formation process. However, the hydraulic pressure generated by the convergence of aquifers towards the surface of the system also allows consideration of an origin as artesian spring mounds. In the case of the MCSH system, our geologic data presented here show that both models are valid, and we propose a combined hydro-tectonic model as the likely formation mechanism of artesian-fault spring mounds. During their evolution from the embryonic (early) to the islet (“island”) stages, spring mounds are also shaped by eolian accumulations and induration processes. Similarly, spring mounds have been suggested to be relatively common in certain provinces on the Martian surface, but their mode of formation is still a matter of debate. We propose that the tectonic, hydraulic, and combined hydro-tectonic models describing the spring mounds at MCSH could be relevant as Martian analogs because: (i) the Martian subsurface may be over pressured, potentially expelling mineral-enriched waters as spring mounds on the surface; (ii) the Martian subsurface may be fractured, causing alignment of the spring mounds in preferential orientations; and (iii) indurated eolian sedimentation and erosional remnants are common features on Mars. The spring mounds further bear diagnostic mineralogic and magnetic properties, in comparison with their immediate surroundings. Consequently, remote sensing techniques can be very useful to identify similar spring mounds on Mars. The mechanisms (tectonic and/or hydraulic) of formation and evolution of spring mounds at the MCSH system are suitable for the proliferation and protection of life respectively. Similarly, life or its resulting biomarkers on Mars may have been protected or preserved under the spring mounds.
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Das S, Souliman B, Stone D, Neithalath N. Synthesis and properties of a novel structural binder utilizing the chemistry of iron carbonation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2014; 6:8295-8304. [PMID: 24840162 DOI: 10.1021/am5011145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores, for the first time, the possibility of carbonating waste metallic iron powder to develop sustainable binder systems for concrete. The fundamental premise of this work is that metallic iron will react with aqueous CO2 under controlled conditions to form complex iron carbonates which have binding capabilities. Chosen additives containing silica and alumina are added to facilitate iron dissolution and to obtain beneficial rheological and later-age properties. Water is generally only a medium for mass transfer in these systems thereby making the common reaction schemes in portland cement concretes inapplicable. The compressive and flexural strengths of the chosen iron-based binder systems increase with carbonation duration and the specimens carbonated for 4 days exhibit mechanical properties that are comparable to those of companion ordinary portland cement systems that are most commonly used as the binder in building and infrastructural construction. The influence of the additives, carbonation duration, and the air curing duration after carbonation are explored in detail. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrate the presence of an organic carbonate complex (the dissolution agent used to dissolve iron is organic), the amount of which increases with carbonation duration. Thermal analysis also confirms the participation of some amount of limestone powder in the reaction product formation. The viability of this binder type for concrete applications is proved in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumanta Das
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, ‡School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and §School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85004, United States
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23
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Microbial mediated formation of Fe-carbonate minerals under extreme acidic conditions. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4767. [PMID: 24755961 PMCID: PMC3996482 DOI: 10.1038/srep04767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovery of Fe-carbonate precipitation in Rio Tinto, a shallow river with very acidic waters, situated in Huelva, South-western Spain, adds a new dimension to our understanding of carbonate formation. Sediment samples from this low-pH system indicate that carbonates are formed in physico-chemical conditions ranging from acid to neutral pH. Evidence for microbial mediation is observed in secondary electron images (Fig. 1), which reveal rod-shaped bacteria embedded in the surface of siderite nanocrystals. The formation of carbonates in Rio Tinto is related to the microbial reduction of ferric iron coupled to the oxidation of organic compounds. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time, that Acidiphilium sp. PM, an iron-reducing bacterium isolated from Rio Tinto, mediates the precipitation of siderite (FeCO3) under acidic conditions and at a low temperature (30°C). We describe nucleation of siderite on nanoglobules in intimate association with the bacteria cell surface. This study has major implications for understanding carbonate formation on the ancient Earth or extraterrestrial planets.
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25
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Amils R, González-Toril E, Aguilera A, Rodríguez N, Fernández-Remolar D, Gómez F, García-Moyano A, Malki M, Oggerin M, Sánchez-Andrea I, Sanz J. From Río Tinto to Mars: the terrestrial and extraterrestrial ecology of acidophiles. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2011; 77:41-70. [PMID: 22050821 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-387044-5.00002-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The recent geomicrobiological characterization of Río Tinto, Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), has proven the importance of the iron cycle, not only in generating the extreme conditions of the habitat (low pH, high concentration of toxic heavy metals) but also in maintaining the high level of microbial diversity, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, detected in the water column and the sediments. The extreme conditions of the Tinto basin are not the product of industrial contamination but the consequence of the presence of an underground bioreactor that obtains its energy from the massive sulfide minerals of the IPB. To test this hypothesis, a drilling project was carried out to intersect ground waters that interact with the mineral ore in order to provide evidence of subsurface microbial activities and the potential resources to support these activities. The oxidants that drive the system appear to come from the rock matrix, contradicting conventional acid mine drainage models. These resources need only groundwater to launch microbial metabolism. There are several similarities between the vast deposits of sulfates and iron oxides on Mars and the main sulfide-containing iron bioleaching products found in the Tinto. Firstly, the short-lived methane detected both in Mars' atmosphere and in the sediments and subsurface of the IPB and secondly, the abundance of iron, common to both. The physicochemical properties of iron make it a source of energy, a shield against radiation and oxidative stress as well as a natural pH controller. These similarities have led to Río Tinto's status as a Mars terrestrial analogue.
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Fairén AG, Davila AF, Lim D, Bramall N, Bonaccorsi R, Zavaleta J, Uceda ER, Stoker C, Wierzchos J, Dohm JM, Amils R, Andersen D, McKay CP. Astrobiology through the ages of Mars: the study of terrestrial analogues to understand the habitability of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:821-843. [PMID: 21087162 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Mars has undergone three main climatic stages throughout its geological history, beginning with a water-rich epoch, followed by a cold and semi-arid era, and transitioning into present-day arid and very cold desert conditions. These global climatic eras also represent three different stages of planetary habitability: an early, potentially habitable stage when the basic requisites for life as we know it were present (liquid water and energy); an intermediate extreme stage, when liquid solutions became scarce or very challenging for life; and the most recent stage during which conditions on the surface have been largely uninhabitable, except perhaps in some isolated niches. Our understanding of the evolution of Mars is now sufficient to assign specific terrestrial environments to each of these periods. Through the study of Mars terrestrial analogues, we have assessed and constrained the habitability conditions for each of these stages, the geochemistry of the surface, and the likelihood for the preservation of organic and inorganic biosignatures. The study of these analog environments provides important information to better understand past and current mission results as well as to support the design and selection of instruments and the planning for future exploratory missions to Mars.
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27
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph P. Harvey
- Department of Geological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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28
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Davila AF, Duport LG, Melchiorri R, Jänchen J, Valea S, de Los Rios A, Fairén AG, Möhlmann D, McKay CP, Ascaso C, Wierzchos J. Hygroscopic salts and the potential for life on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:617-628. [PMID: 20735252 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Hygroscopic salts have been detected in soils in the northern latitudes of Mars, and widespread chloride-bearing evaporitic deposits have been detected in the southern highlands. The deliquescence of hygroscopic minerals such as chloride salts could provide a local and transient source of liquid water that would be available for microorganisms on the surface. This is known to occur in the Atacama Desert, where massive halite evaporites have become a habitat for photosynthetic and heterotrophic microorganisms that take advantage of the deliquescence of the salt at certain relative humidity (RH) levels. We modeled the climate conditions (RH and temperature) in a region on Mars with chloride-bearing evaporites, and modeled the evolution of the water activity (a(w)) of the deliquescence solutions of three possible chloride salts (sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride) as a function of temperature. We also studied the water absorption properties of the same salts as a function of RH. Our climate model results show that the RH in the region with chloride-bearing deposits on Mars often reaches the deliquescence points of all three salts, and the temperature reaches levels above their eutectic points seasonally, in the course of a martian year. The a(w) of the deliquescence solutions increases with decreasing temperature due mainly to the precipitation of unstable phases, which removes ions from the solution. The deliquescence of sodium chloride results in transient solutions with a(w) compatible with growth of terrestrial microorganisms down to 252 K, whereas for calcium chloride and magnesium chloride it results in solutions with a(w) below the known limits for growth at all temperatures. However, taking the limits of a(w) used to define special regions on Mars, the deliquescence of calcium chloride deposits would allow for the propagation of terrestrial microorganisms at temperatures between 265 and 253 K, and for metabolic activity (no growth) at temperatures between 253 and 233 K.
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de Vera JP, Möhlmann D, Butina F, Lorek A, Wernecke R, Ott S. Survival potential and photosynthetic activity of lichens under Mars-like conditions: a laboratory study. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:215-227. [PMID: 20402583 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Lichens were repetitively exposed over 22 days to thermophysical Mars-like conditions at low-and mid-latitudes. The simulated parameters and the experimental setup are described. Natural samples of the lichen Xanthoria elegans were used to investigate their ability to survive the applied Mars-like conditions. The effects of atmospheric pressure, CO(2) concentration, low temperature, water availability, and light on Mars were also studied. The results of these experiments indicate that no significant decrease in the vitality of the lichen occurred after exposure to simulated martian conditions, which was demonstrated by confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis, and a 95% CO(2) atmosphere with 100% humidity, low pressure (partial pressure of CO(2) was 600 Pa), and low temperature has a balancing effect on photosynthetic activity as a function of temperature. This means a starting low photosynthetic activity at high CO(2) concentrations with Earth-like pressure has a reduction of 60%. But, if the simulated atmospheric pressure is reduced to Mars-like conditions with the maintenance of the same Mars-like 95% CO(2) concentration, the photosynthetic activity increases and again reaches similar values as those exhibited under terrestrial atmospheric pressure and concentration. Based on these results, we presume that, in any region on Mars where liquid water might be available, even for short periods of time, a eukaryotic symbiotic organism would have the ability to survive, at least over weeks, and to temporarily photosynthesize.
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Murchie SL, Mustard JF, Ehlmann BL, Milliken RE, Bishop JL, McKeown NK, Noe Dobrea EZ, Seelos FP, Buczkowski DL, Wiseman SM, Arvidson RE, Wray JJ, Swayze G, Clark RN, Des Marais DJ, McEwen AS, Bibring JP. A synthesis of Martian aqueous mineralogy after 1 Mars year of observations from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1029/2009je003342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 356] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Ehlmann BL, Mustard JF, Murchie SL, Poulet F, Bishop JL, Brown AJ, Calvin WM, Clark RN, Marais DJD, Milliken RE, Roach LH, Roush TL, Swayze GA, Wray JJ. Orbital identification of carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars. Science 2009; 322:1828-32. [PMID: 19095939 DOI: 10.1126/science.1164759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Geochemical models for Mars predict carbonate formation during aqueous alteration. Carbonate-bearing rocks had not previously been detected on Mars' surface, but Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapping reveals a regional rock layer with near-infrared spectral characteristics that are consistent with the presence of magnesium carbonate in the Nili Fossae region. The carbonate is closely associated with both phyllosilicate-bearing and olivine-rich rock units and probably formed during the Noachian or early Hesperian era from the alteration of olivine by either hydrothermal fluids or near-surface water. The presence of carbonate as well as accompanying clays suggests that waters were neutral to alkaline at the time of its formation and that acidic weathering, proposed to be characteristic of Hesperian Mars, did not destroy these carbonates and thus did not dominate all aqueous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany L. Ehlmann
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - John F. Mustard
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Scott L. Murchie
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Francois Poulet
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Janice L. Bishop
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Adrian J. Brown
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Wendy M. Calvin
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Roger N. Clark
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - David J. Des Marais
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Ralph E. Milliken
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Leah H. Roach
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Ted L. Roush
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Gregg A. Swayze
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - James J. Wray
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912, USA
- Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris Sud 11, 91405 Orsay, France
- SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, 515 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, MS 172, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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Parro V, Fernández-Calvo P, Rodríguez Manfredi JA, Moreno-Paz M, Rivas LA, García-Villadangos M, Bonaccorsi R, González-Pastor JE, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Schuerger AC, Davidson M, Gómez-Elvira J, Stoker CR. SOLID2: an antibody array-based life-detector instrument in a Mars Drilling Simulation Experiment (MARTE). ASTROBIOLOGY 2008; 8:987-999. [PMID: 19105755 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2007.0126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
A field prototype of an antibody array-based life-detector instrument, Signs Of LIfe Detector (SOLID2), has been tested in a Mars drilling mission simulation called MARTE (Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment). As one of the analytical instruments on the MARTE robotic drilling rig, SOLID2 performed automatic sample processing and analysis of ground core samples (0.5 g) with protein microarrays that contained 157 different antibodies. Core samples from different depths (down to 5.5 m) were analyzed, and positive reactions were obtained in antibodies raised against the Gram-negative bacterium Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, a species of the genus Acidithiobacillus (both common microorganisms in the Río Tinto area), and extracts from biofilms and other natural samples from the Río Tinto area. These positive reactions were absent when the samples were previously subjected to a high-temperature treatment, which indicates the biological origin and structural dependency of the antibody-antigen reactions. We conclude that an antibody array-based life-detector instrument like SOLID2 can detect complex biological material, and it should be considered as a potential analytical instrument for future planetary missions that search for life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itay Halevy
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Maria T. Zuber
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Daniel P. Schrag
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Boynton WV, Taylor GJ, Evans LG, Reedy RC, Starr R, Janes DM, Kerry KE, Drake DM, Kim KJ, Williams RMS, Crombie MK, Dohm JM, Baker V, Metzger AE, Karunatillake S, Keller JM, Newsom HE, Arnold JR, Brückner J, Englert PAJ, Gasnault O, Sprague AL, Mitrofanov I, Squyres SW, Trombka JI, d'Uston L, Wänke H, Hamara DK. Concentration of H, Si, Cl, K, Fe, and Th in the low- and mid-latitude regions of Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2007je002887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Fishbaugh KE, Poulet F, Chevrier V, Langevin Y, Bibring JP. On the origin of gypsum in the Mars north polar region. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Chevrier V, Poulet F, Bibring JP. Early geochemical environment of Mars as determined from thermodynamics of phyllosilicates. Nature 2007; 448:60-3. [PMID: 17611538 DOI: 10.1038/nature05961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2006] [Accepted: 05/22/2007] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Images of geomorphological features that seem to have been produced by the action of liquid water have been considered evidence for wet surface conditions on early Mars. Moreover, the recent identification of large deposits of phyllosilicates, associated with the ancient Noachian terrains suggests long-timescale weathering of the primary basaltic crust by liquid water. It has been proposed that a greenhouse effect resulting from a carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere sustained the temperate climate required to maintain liquid water on the martian surface during the Noachian. The apparent absence of carbonates and the low escape rates of carbon dioxide, however, are indicative of an early martian atmosphere with low levels of carbon dioxide. Here we investigate the geochemical conditions prevailing on the surface of Mars during the Noachian period using calculations of the aqueous equilibria of phyllosilicates. Our results show that Fe3+-rich phyllosilicates probably precipitated under weakly acidic to alkaline pH, an environment different from that of the following period, which was dominated by strongly acid weathering that led to the sulphate deposits identified on Mars. Thermodynamic calculations demonstrate that the oxidation state of the martian surface was already high, supporting early escape of hydrogen. Finally, equilibrium with carbonates implies that phyllosilicate precipitation occurs preferentially at a very low partial pressure of carbon dioxide. We suggest that the possible absence of Noachian carbonates more probably resulted from low levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, rather than primary acidic conditions. Other greenhouse gases may therefore have played a part in sustaining a warm and wet climate on the early Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Chevrier
- W. M. Keck Laboratory for Space Simulation, Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, MUSE 202, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.
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Hahn BC, McLennan SM, Taylor GJ, Boynton WV, Dohm JM, Finch MJ, Hamara DK, Janes DM, Karunatillake S, Keller JM, Kerry KE, Metzger AE, Williams RMS. Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer elemental abundances and apparent relative surface age: Implications for Martian crustal evolution. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Aguilera A, Amaral-Zettler L, Souza-Egipsy V, Zettler E, Amils R. Eukaryotic Community Structure from Río Tinto (SW, Spain), a Highly Acidic River. CELLULAR ORIGIN, LIFE IN EXTREME HABITATS AND ASTROBIOLOGY 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-6112-7_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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41
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Taylor GJ, Stopar JD, Boynton WV, Karunatillake S, Keller JM, Brückner J, Wänke H, Dreibus G, Kerry KE, Reedy RC, Evans LG, Starr RD, Martel LMV, Squyres SW, Gasnault O, Maurice S, d'Uston C, Englert P, Dohm JM, Baker VR, Hamara D, Janes D, Sprague AL, Kim KJ, Drake DM, McLennan SM, Hahn BC. Variations in K/Th on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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42
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Karunatillake S, Squyres SW, Taylor GJ, Keller JM, Gasnault O, Evans LG, Reedy RC, Starr R, Boynton W, Janes DM, Kerry KE, Dohm JM, Sprague AL, Hahn BC, Hamara D. Composition of northern low-albedo regions of Mars: Insights from the Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2006je002675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Souza-Egipsy V, Ormö J, Beitler Bowen B, Chan MA, Komatsu G. Ultrastructural study of iron oxide precipitates: implications for the search for biosignatures in the Meridiani hematite concretions, Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2006; 6:527-45. [PMID: 16916280 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2006.6.527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Two terrestrial environments that have been proposed as analogs for the iron oxide precipitation in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars include the Rio Tinto precipitates and southern Utah marble concretions. Samples of two typical Utah iron oxide concretions and iron oxide precipitates in contact with biofilms from Rio Tinto have been studied to determine whether evidence could be found for biomediation in the precipitation process and to identify likely locations for fossil microorganisms. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to search for biosignatures in the Utah marbles. The precipitation of iron oxides resembles known biosignatures, though organic compounds could not be confirmed with GC-MS analysis. In contrast, textural variations induced by biological activity are abundant in the modern Rio Tinto samples. Although no compelling evidence of direct or indirect biomediation was found in the Utah marbles, the ultrastructure of the iron oxide cement in the concretion suggests an inward growth during concretion precipitation from an initially spherical redox front. No indication for growth from a physical nucleus was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Souza-Egipsy
- Centro de Astrobiología, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
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Prieto-Ballesteros O, Fernández-Remolar DC, Rodríguez-Manfredi JA, Selsis F, Manrubia SC. Spiders: water-driven erosive structures in the southern hemisphere of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2006; 6:651-67. [PMID: 16916289 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2006.6.651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent data from space missions reveal that there are ongoing climatic changes and erosive processes that continuously modify surface features of Mars. We have investigated the seasonal dynamics of a number of morphological features located at Inca City, a representative area at high southern latitude that has undergone seasonal processes. By integrating visual information from the Mars Orbiter Camera on board the Mars Global Surveyor and climatic cycles from a Mars' General Circulation Model, and considering the recently reported evidence for the presence of water-ice and aqueous precipitates on Mars, we propose that a number of the erosive features identified in Inca City, among them spiders, result from the seasonal melting of aqueous salty solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Prieto-Ballesteros
- Centro de Astrobiología, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ctra. Ajalvir km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
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Hurowitz JA, McLennan SM, Tosca NJ, Arvidson RE, Michalski JR, Ming DW, Schröder C, Squyres SW. In situ and experimental evidence for acidic weathering of rocks and soils on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. A. Hurowitz
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - S. M. McLennan
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - N. J. Tosca
- Department of Geosciences; State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook New York USA
| | - R. E. Arvidson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Washington University; St. Louis Missouri USA
| | - J. R. Michalski
- Department of Geological Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona USA
| | - D. W. Ming
- NASA Johnson Space Center; Houston Texas USA
| | - C. Schröder
- Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität; Mainz Germany
| | - S. W. Squyres
- Department of Astronomy; Cornell University; Ithaca New York USA
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Javaux EJ. Extreme life on Earth—past, present and possibly beyond. Res Microbiol 2006; 157:37-48. [PMID: 16376523 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2005.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2005] [Revised: 07/18/2005] [Accepted: 07/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Life may have been present on Earth since about 3.8 billion years ago or earlier. Multidisciplinary research, especially on the paleobiology and evolution of early microorganisms on Earth and the microbiology of extremophiles in the Earth's environments and under space conditions, enables the defining of strategies for the detection of potential extraterrestrial life by determining biosignatures and the environmental envelope of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle J Javaux
- Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août, 17, B5c, 4000 Liège Sart-Tilman, Belgium.
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Schulze-Makuch D, Dohm JM, Fairén AG, Baker VR, Fink W, Strom RG. Venus, Mars, and the ices on Mercury and the moon: astrobiological implications and proposed mission designs. ASTROBIOLOGY 2005; 5:778-95. [PMID: 16379531 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2005.5.778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Gendrin A, Mangold N, Bibring JP, Langevin Y, Gondet B, Poulet F, Bonello G, Quantin C, Mustard J, Arvidson R, LeMouélic S. Sulfates in Martian Layered Terrains: The OMEGA/Mars Express View. Science 2005; 307:1587-91. [PMID: 15718429 DOI: 10.1126/science.1109087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The OMEGA/Mars Express hyperspectral imager identified hydrated sulfates on light-toned layered terrains on Mars. Outcrops in Valles Marineris, Margaritifer Sinus, and Terra Meridiani show evidence for kieserite, gypsum, and polyhydrated sulfates. This identification has its basis in vibrational absorptions between 1.3 and 2.5 micrometers. These minerals constitute direct records of the past aqueous activity on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Gendrin
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), Bâtiment 121, 91405 Orsay Campus, France.
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King PL, McSween HY. Effects of H2O, pH, and oxidation state on the stability of Fe minerals on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Schulze-Makuch D, Irwin LN, Lipps JH, LeMone D, Dohm JM, Fairén AG. Scenarios for the evolution of life on Mars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2005je002430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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