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Godin PJ, Moore CA, Smith C, Moores JE. Absorption and Scattering of UV and Visible Light Through Simulated Martian Regoliths and Rock Samples. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:280-290. [PMID: 36724478 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ultraviolet shielding materials are potential ecological niches for biosignatures. Finding such materials on Mars would narrow the search for potentially habitable regions. A mini-goniometer was built to collect transmission spectra as a function of scattering angle for Mars analog regoliths (JSC Mars-1, basalt, cheto bentonite, and kieserite) and crystalline rock samples from the Haughton impact structure on Devon Island, Nunavut, in the Canadian High Arctic Archipelago. The transmission through the materials was assessed at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths and at different scattering angles. From the results, it is possible to classify the samples into UV transmitters and UV quenchers. UV transmitters are materials that favor transmittance of UV wavelengths compared to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), while the UV quenchers are materials that effectively block UV radiation from propagating into the subsurface. Additionally, samples that are effective UV quenchers tend to have more isotropic scattering profiles, whereas UV transmitters tend to favor forward scattering profiles. Samples with greater porosity had greater overall transmission. The depths at which radioresistant microorganisms can exist on present-day Mars are estimated by modeling the transmission for regoliths and crystalline rocks under martian insolation. The depth at which LD90 occurs is found to range down to 0.3 mm, while still allowing up to 1000 kJ/m2 of PAR at those depths. Due to the exceptionally protective nature of JSC Mars-1, intimate mixtures of organisms and regolith will result in some organisms experiencing orders of magnitude less UV flux than others, even when protected by only a single grain of simulant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Godin
- Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Casey A Moore
- Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Christina Smith
- Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - John E Moores
- Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
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Singh D, Sinha RK, Singh P, Roy N, Mukherjee S. Astrobiological Potential of Fe/Mg Smectites with Special Emphasis on Jezero Crater, Mars 2020 Landing Site. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:579-597. [PMID: 35171004 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Life is known to adapt in accordance with its surrounding environment and sustainable resources available to it. Since harsh conditions would have precluded any possible aerobic evolution of life at the martian surface, it is plausible that martian life, should it exist, would have evolved in such a way as to derive energy from more optimum resources. Iron is one of the most abundant elements present in the martian crust and occurs at about twice the amount present on Earth. Clay minerals contribute to about half the iron found in soils and sediments. On Earth, clay acts as an electron donor as well as an acceptor in the carbon cycles and thereby supports a wide variety of metabolic reactions. In this context, we consider the potential of Fe/Mg smectites, one of the most widely reported hydrated minerals on Mars, for preservation of macro- and microscopic biosignatures. We proceed by understanding the environmental conditions during the formation of smectites and various microbes and metabolic processes associated with them as indicated in Earth-based studies. We also explore the possibility of biosignatures and their identification within the Mars 2020 landing site (Jezero Crater) by using the astrobiological payloads on board the Perseverance rover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepali Singh
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Priyadarshini Singh
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Nidhi Roy
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Saumitra Mukherjee
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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Cockell CS, Schaefer B, Wuchter C, Coolen MJL, Grice K, Schnieders L, Morgan JV, Gulick SPS, Wittmann A, Lofi J, Christeson GL, Kring DA, Whalen MT, Bralower TJ, Osinski GR, Claeys P, Kaskes P, de Graaff SJ, Déhais T, Goderis S, Hernandez Becerra N, Nixon S. Shaping of the Present-Day Deep Biosphere at Chicxulub by the Impact Catastrophe That Ended the Cretaceous. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:668240. [PMID: 34248877 PMCID: PMC8264514 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.668240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We report on the effect of the end-Cretaceous impact event on the present-day deep microbial biosphere at the impact site. IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater, México, allowing us to investigate the microbial communities within this structure. Increased cell biomass was found in the impact suevite, which was deposited within the first few hours of the Cenozoic, demonstrating that the impact produced a new lithological horizon that caused a long-term improvement in deep subsurface colonization potential. In the biologically impoverished granitic rocks, we observed increased cell abundances at impact-induced geological interfaces, that can be attributed to the nutritionally diverse substrates and/or elevated fluid flow. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed taxonomically distinct microbial communities in each crater lithology. These observations show that the impact caused geological deformation that continues to shape the deep subsurface biosphere at Chicxulub in the present day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Bettina Schaefer
- WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Cornelia Wuchter
- WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Marco J L Coolen
- WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Kliti Grice
- WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Luzie Schnieders
- MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Joanna V Morgan
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sean P S Gulick
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Center for Planetary Systems Habitability, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Axel Wittmann
- Arizona State University, Eyring Materials Center, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Johanna Lofi
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Gail L Christeson
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - David A Kring
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Michael T Whalen
- Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States
| | - Timothy J Bralower
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Gordon R Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Philippe Claeys
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pim Kaskes
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sietze J de Graaff
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thomas Déhais
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Steven Goderis
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Natali Hernandez Becerra
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, IN, United States
| | - Sophie Nixon
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, IN, United States
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Osinski G, Cockell C, Pontefract A, Sapers H. The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1121-1149. [PMID: 32876492 PMCID: PMC7499892 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The conditions, timing, and setting for the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system and beyond represent some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time. Although the bombardment of planets and satellites by asteroids and comets has long been viewed as a destructive process that would have presented a barrier to the emergence of life and frustrated or extinguished life, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of data and observations on the beneficial role of impacts in a wide range of prebiotic and biological processes. In the context of previously proposed environments for the origin of life on Earth, we discuss how meteorite impacts can generate both subaerial and submarine hydrothermal vents, abundant hydrothermal-sedimentary settings, and impact analogues for volcanic pumice rafts and splash pools. Impact events can also deliver and/or generate many of the necessary chemical ingredients for life and catalytic substrates such as clays as well. The role that impact cratering plays in fracturing planetary crusts and its effects on deep subsurface habitats for life are also discussed. In summary, we propose that meteorite impact events are a fundamental geobiological process in planetary evolution that played an important role in the origin of life on Earth. We conclude with the recommendation that impact craters should be considered prime sites in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Furthermore, unlike other geological processes such as volcanism or plate tectonics, impact cratering is ubiquitous on planetary bodies throughout the Universe and is independent of size, composition, and distance from the host star. Impact events thus provide a mechanism with the potential to generate habitable planets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- G.R. Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Department of Earth Sciences, 1151 Richmond Street, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - C.S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A. Pontefract
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - H.M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Tait AW, Gagen EJ, Wilson SA, Tomkins AG, Southam G. Eukaryotic Colonization of Micrometer-Scale Cracks in Rocks: A "Microfluidics" Experiment Using Naturally Weathered Meteorites from the Nullarbor Plain, Australia. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:364-374. [PMID: 31873039 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The advent of microfluidics has revolutionized the way we understand how microorganisms propagate through microporous spaces. Here, we apply this understanding to the study of how endolithic environmental microorganisms colonize the interiors of sterile rock. The substrates used for our study are stony meteorites from the Nullarbor Plain, Australia; a semiarid limestone karst that provides an ideal setting for preserving meteorites. Periodic flooding of the Nullarbor provides a mechanism by which microorganisms and exogenous nutrients may infiltrate meteorites. Our laboratory experiments show that environmental microorganisms reach depths greater than 400 μm by propagating through existing brecciation, passing through cracks no wider than the diameter of a resident cell (i.e., ∼5 μm). Our observations are consistent with the propagation of these eukaryotic cells via growth and cell division rather than motility. The morphology of the microorganisms changed as a result of propagation through micrometer-scale cracks, as has been observed previously for bacteria on microfluidic chips. It has been suggested that meteorites could have served as preferred habitats for microorganisms on ancient Mars. Based on our results, the depths reached by terrestrial microorganisms within meteorites would be sufficient to mitigate against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation, such as UV light, in Earth's deserts and potentially on Mars, if similar processes of microbial colonization had once been active there. Thus, meteorites landing in ancient lakes on Mars, that later dried out, could have been some of the last inhabited locations on the surface, serving as refugia before the planet's surface became inhospitable. Finally, our observations suggest that terrestrial microorganisms can colonize very fine cracks within meteorites (and potentially spaceships and rovers) on unexpectedly short timescales, with important implications for both recognition of extraterrestrial life in returned geological samples and planetary protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alastair W Tait
- School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
| | - Emma J Gagen
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Siobhan A Wilson
- School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Andrew G Tomkins
- School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gordon Southam
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
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Cockell CS, Biller B, Bryce C, Cousins C, Direito S, Forgan D, Fox-Powell M, Harrison J, Landenmark H, Nixon S, Payler SJ, Rice K, Samuels T, Schwendner P, Stevens A, Nicholson N, Wadsworth J. The UK Centre for Astrobiology: A Virtual Astrobiology Centre. Accomplishments and Lessons Learned, 2011-2016. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:224-243. [PMID: 29377716 PMCID: PMC5820684 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The UK Centre for Astrobiology (UKCA) was set up in 2011 as a virtual center to contribute to astrobiology research, education, and outreach. After 5 years, we describe this center and its work in each of these areas. Its research has focused on studying life in extreme environments, the limits of life on Earth, and implications for habitability elsewhere. Among its research infrastructure projects, UKCA has assembled an underground astrobiology laboratory that has hosted a deep subsurface planetary analog program, and it has developed new flow-through systems to study extraterrestrial aqueous environments. UKCA has used this research backdrop to develop education programs in astrobiology, including a massive open online course in astrobiology that has attracted over 120,000 students, a teacher training program, and an initiative to take astrobiology into prisons. In this paper, we review these activities and others with a particular focus on providing lessons to others who may consider setting up an astrobiology center, institute, or science facility. We discuss experience in integrating astrobiology research into teaching and education activities. Key Words: Astrobiology-Centre-Education-Subsurface-Analog research. Astrobiology 18, 224-243.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Beth Biller
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Casey Bryce
- Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Center for Applied Geoscience (ZAG), Geomicrobiology, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Claire Cousins
- Centre for Exoplanet Science, SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Susana Direito
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Duncan Forgan
- Centre for Exoplanet Science, SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Mark Fox-Powell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jesse Harrison
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry Meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hanna Landenmark
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sophie Nixon
- Geomicrobiology Research Group, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Samuel J. Payler
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ken Rice
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Toby Samuels
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Petra Schwendner
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Adam Stevens
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Natasha Nicholson
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jennifer Wadsworth
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Pontefract A, Osinski GR, Cockell CS, Southam G, McCausland PJA, Umoh J, Holdsworth DW. Microbial Diversity of Impact-Generated Habitats. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:775-786. [PMID: 27732069 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Impact-generated lithologies have recently been identified as viable and important microbial habitats, especially within cold and arid regions such as the polar deserts on Earth. These unique habitats provide protection from environmental stressors, such as freeze-thaw events, desiccation, and UV radiation, and act to trap aerially deposited detritus within the fissures and pore spaces, providing necessary nutrients for endoliths. This study provides the first culture-independent analysis of the microbial community structure within impact-generated lithologies in a Mars analog environment, involving the analysis of 44,534 16S rRNA sequences from an assemblage of 21 rock samples that comprises three shock metamorphism categories. We find that species diversity increases (H = 2.4-4.6) with exposure to higher shock pressures, which leads to the development of three distinct populations. In each population, Actinobacteria were the most abundant (41%, 65%, and 59%), and the dominant phototrophic taxa came from the Chloroflexi. Calculated porosity (a function of shock metamorphism) for these samples correlates (R2 = 0.62) with inverse Simpson indices, accounting for overlap in populations in the higher shock levels. The results of our study show that microbial diversity is tied to the amount of porosity in the target substrate (as a function of shock metamorphism), resulting in the formation of distinct microbial populations. Key Words: Microbial diversity-Endoliths-Impact melt-rocks-Mars-Astrobiology. Astrobiology 16, 775-786.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Pontefract
- 1 Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - Gordon R Osinski
- 1 Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
- 2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - Charles S Cockell
- 3 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, UK
| | - Gordon Southam
- 4 School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland , St. Lucia-Brisbane, Australia
| | - Phil J A McCausland
- 1 Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration/Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - Joseph Umoh
- 5 Preclinical Imaging Research Centre, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - David W Holdsworth
- 5 Preclinical Imaging Research Centre, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
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