1
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Chen C, Yi R, Igisu M, Sakaguchi C, Afrin R, Potiszil C, Kunihiro T, Kobayashi K, Nakamura E, Ueno Y, Antunes A, Wang A, Chandru K, Hao J, Jia TZ. Spectroscopic and Biophysical Methods to Determine Differential Salt-Uptake by Primitive Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets. SMALL METHODS 2023; 7:e2300119. [PMID: 37203261 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202300119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
α-Hydroxy acids are prebiotic monomers that undergo dehydration synthesis to form polyester gels, which assemble into membraneless microdroplets upon aqueous rehydration. These microdroplets are proposed as protocells that can segregate and compartmentalize primitive molecules/reactions. Different primitive aqueous environments with a variety of salts could have hosted chemistries that formed polyester microdroplets. These salts could be essential cofactors of compartmentalized prebiotic reactions or even directly affect protocell structure. However, fully understanding polyester-salt interactions remains elusive, partially due to technical challenges of quantitative measurements in condensed phases. Here, spectroscopic and biophysical methods are applied to analyze salt uptake by polyester microdroplets. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is applied to measure the cation concentration within polyester microdroplets after addition of chloride salts. Combined with methods to determine the effects of salt uptake on droplet turbidity, size, surface potential and internal water distribution, it was observed that polyester microdroplets can selectively partition salt cations, leading to differential microdroplet coalescence due to ionic screening effects reducing electrostatic repulsion forces between microdroplets. Through applying existing techniques to novel analyses related to primitive compartment chemistry and biophysics, this study suggests that even minor differences in analyte uptake can lead to significant protocellular structural change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Ruiqin Yi
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Motoko Igisu
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Chie Sakaguchi
- The Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan
| | - Rehana Afrin
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Christian Potiszil
- The Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan
| | - Tak Kunihiro
- The Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan
| | - Katsura Kobayashi
- The Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan
| | - Eizo Nakamura
- The Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Ueno
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan
| | - André Antunes
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), Taipa, Macau, SAR, China
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Anna Wang
- School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- RNA Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Synthetic Biology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kuhan Chandru
- Space Science Center (ANGKASA), Institute of Climate Change, National University of Malaysia, Selangor, 43650, Malaysia
| | - Jihua Hao
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/CAS Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Tony Z Jia
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
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2
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Thompson SP, Kennedy H, Butler BM, Day SJ, Safi E, Evans A. Laboratory exploration of mineral precipitates from Europa's subsurface ocean. J Appl Crystallogr 2021; 54:1455-1479. [PMID: 34667451 PMCID: PMC8493616 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576721008554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The precipitation of hydrated phases from a chondrite-like Na-Mg-Ca-SO4-Cl solution is studied using in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, under rapid- (360 K h-1, T = 250-80 K, t = 3 h) and ultra-slow-freezing (0.3 K day-1, T = 273-245 K, t = 242 days) conditions. The precipitation sequence under slow cooling initially follows the predictions of equilibrium thermodynamics models. However, after ∼50 days at 245 K, the formation of the highly hydrated sulfate phase Na2Mg(SO4)2·16H2O, a relatively recent discovery in the Na2Mg(SO4)2-H2O system, was observed. Rapid freezing, on the other hand, produced an assemblage of multiple phases which formed within a very short timescale (≤4 min, ΔT = 2 K) and, although remaining present throughout, varied in their relative proportions with decreasing temperature. Mirabilite and meridianiite were the major phases, with pentahydrite, epsomite, hydrohalite, gypsum, blödite, konyaite and loweite also observed. Na2Mg(SO4)2·16H2O was again found to be present and increased in proportion relative to other phases as the temperature decreased. The results are discussed in relation to possible implications for life on Europa and application to other icy ocean worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P. Thompson
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Hilary Kennedy
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin M. Butler
- Environmental and Biochemical Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J. Day
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Emmal Safi
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Aneurin Evans
- Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
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3
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Aguzzi J, Flexas MM, Flögel S, Lo Iacono C, Tangherlini M, Costa C, Marini S, Bahamon N, Martini S, Fanelli E, Danovaro R, Stefanni S, Thomsen L, Riccobene G, Hildebrandt M, Masmitja I, Del Rio J, Clark EB, Branch A, Weiss P, Klesh AT, Schodlok MP. Exo-Ocean Exploration with Deep-Sea Sensor and Platform Technologies. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:897-915. [PMID: 32267735 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
One of Saturn's largest moons, Enceladus, possesses a vast extraterrestrial ocean (i.e., exo-ocean) that is increasingly becoming the hotspot of future research initiatives dedicated to the exploration of putative life. Here, a new bio-exploration concept design for Enceladus' exo-ocean is proposed, focusing on the potential presence of organisms across a wide range of sizes (i.e., from uni- to multicellular and animal-like), according to state-of-the-art sensor and robotic platform technologies used in terrestrial deep-sea research. In particular, we focus on combined direct and indirect life-detection capabilities, based on optoacoustic imaging and passive acoustics, as well as molecular approaches. Such biologically oriented sampling can be accompanied by concomitant geochemical and oceanographic measurements to provide data relevant to exo-ocean exploration and understanding. Finally, we describe how this multidisciplinary monitoring approach is currently enabled in terrestrial oceans through cabled (fixed) observatories and their related mobile multiparametric platforms (i.e., Autonomous Underwater and Remotely Operated Vehicles, as well as crawlers, rovers, and biomimetic robots) and how their modified design can be used for exo-ocean exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Aguzzi
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - M M Flexas
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - S Flögel
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - C Lo Iacono
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- National Oceanographic Center (NOC), University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | - C Costa
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA)-Centro di ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni agroalimentari - Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - S Marini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Institute of Marine Sciences, La Spezia, Italy
| | - N Bahamon
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Blanes, Spain
| | - S Martini
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - E Fanelli
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - R Danovaro
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - S Stefanni
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | | | - G Riccobene
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania, Italy
| | - M Hildebrandt
- German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Bremen, Germany
| | - I Masmitja
- SARTI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Del Rio
- SARTI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - E B Clark
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - A Branch
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - A T Klesh
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - M P Schodlok
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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4
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Royle SH, Watson JS, Zhang Y, Chatzitheoklitos G, Sephton MA. Solid Phase Micro Extraction: Potential for Organic Contamination Control for Planetary Protection of Life-Detection Missions to the Icy Moons of the Outer Solar System. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1153-1166. [PMID: 31216175 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1968] [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: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Conclusively detecting, or ruling out the possibility of, life on the icy moons of the outer Solar System will require spacecraft missions to undergo rigorous planetary protection and contamination control procedures to achieve extremely low levels of organic terrestrial contamination. Contamination control is necessary to avoid forward contamination of the body of interest and to avoid the detection of false-positive signals, which could either mask indigenous organic chemistry of interest or cause an astrobiological false alarm. Here we test a new method for rapidly and inexpensively assessing the organic cleanliness of spaceflight hardware surfaces using solid phase micro extraction (SPME) fibers to directly swab surfaces. The results suggest that the method is both time and cost efficient. The SPME-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) method is sensitive to common midweight, nonpolar contaminant compounds, for example, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, which are common contaminants in laboratory settings. While we demonstrate the potential of SPME for surface sampling, the GC-MS instrumentation restricts the SPME-GC-MS technique's sensitivity to larger polar and nonvolatile compounds. Although not used in this study, to increase the potential range of detectable compounds, SPME can also be used in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry systems suitable for polar analytes (Kataoka et al., 2000). Thus, our SPME method presents an opportunity to monitor organic contamination in a relatively rapid and routine way that produces information-rich data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel H Royle
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Earth Science and Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jonathan S Watson
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Earth Science and Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Yuting Zhang
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Earth Science and Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Georgios Chatzitheoklitos
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Earth Science and Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mark A Sephton
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Earth Science and Engineering, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
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5
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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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6
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Rettberg P, Antunes A, Brucato J, Cabezas P, Collins G, Haddaji A, Kminek G, Leuko S, McKenna-Lawlor S, Moissl-Eichinger C, Fellous JL, Olsson-Francis K, Pearce D, Rabbow E, Royle S, Saunders M, Sephton M, Spry A, Walter N, Wimmer Schweingruber R, Treuet JC. Biological Contamination Prevention for Outer Solar System Moons of Astrobiological Interest: What Do We Need to Know? ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:951-974. [PMID: 30762429 PMCID: PMC6767865 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
To ensure that scientific investments in space exploration are not compromised by terrestrial contamination of celestial bodies, special care needs to be taken to preserve planetary conditions for future astrobiological exploration. Significant effort has been made and is being taken to address planetary protection in the context of inner Solar System exploration. In particular for missions to Mars, detailed internationally accepted guidelines have been established. For missions to the icy moons in the outer Solar System, Europa and Enceladus, the planetary protection requirements are so far based on a probabilistic approach and a conservative estimate of poorly known parameters. One objective of the European Commission-funded project, Planetary Protection of Outer Solar System, was to assess the existing planetary protection approach, to identify inherent knowledge gaps, and to recommend scientific investigations necessary to update the requirements for missions to the icy moons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Rettberg
- Research Group Astrobiology, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Köln, Germany
- Address correspondence to: Petra Rettberg, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Research Group Astrobiology, Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln, Germany
| | - André Antunes
- GEMM—Group for Extreme and Marine Microbiology, Department of Biology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
| | - John Brucato
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Florence, Italy
| | - Patricia Cabezas
- Science Connect–European Science Foundation (ESF), Strasbourg, France
| | - Geoffrey Collins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wheaton College, Massachusetts, Norton, Massachusetts
| | - Alissa Haddaji
- Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Montpellier, France
| | - Gerhard Kminek
- Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Montpellier, France
| | - Stefan Leuko
- Research Group Astrobiology, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Köln, Germany
| | | | | | - Jean-Louis Fellous
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wheaton College, Massachusetts, Norton, Massachusetts
| | - Karen Olsson-Francis
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - David Pearce
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, United Kingdom
| | - Elke Rabbow
- Research Group Astrobiology, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Köln, Germany
| | - Samuel Royle
- Faculty of Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Saunders
- Independent Consultant for the US National Academies of Sciences (NAS), Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Mark Sephton
- Faculty of Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Spry
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI, Mountain View, California
| | - Nicolas Walter
- Science Connect–European Science Foundation (ESF), Strasbourg, France
| | - Robert Wimmer Schweingruber
- Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Abteilung Extraterrestrische Physik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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7
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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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8
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Hao J, Giovenco E, Pedreira-Segade U, Montagnac G, Daniel I. Compatibility of Amino Acids in Ice Ih: Implications for the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:381-392. [PMID: 29620923 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Icy environments may have been common on early Earth due to the faint young sun. Previous studies have proposed that the formation of large icy bodies in the early ocean could concentrate the building blocks of life in eutectic fluids and, therefore, facilitate the polymerization of monomers. This hypothesis is based on the untested assumption that organic molecules are virtually incompatible in ice Ih (hexagonal ice). In this study, we conducted freezing experiments to explore the partitioning behavior of selected amino acids (AAs; glycine, l-alanine, l-proline, and l-phenylalanine) between ice Ih and aqueous solutions analogous to seawater. We allowed ice crystals to grow slowly from a few seeds in equilibrium with the solution and used Raman spectroscopy to analyze in situ the relative concentrations of AAs in the ice and aqueous solution. During freezing, there was no precipitation of AA crystals, indicating that the concentrations in solution never reached their solubility limit, even when the droplet was mostly frozen. Analyses of the Raman spectra of the ice and eutectic solution suggested that considerable amounts of AAs existed in the ice phase with partition coefficients varying between 0.2 and 0.5. These observations imply little incompatibility of AAs in ice Ih during the freezing of the solutions, rendering the concentration hypothesis in a eutectic system unwarranted. However, incorporation into ice Ih could protect AAs from decomposition or racemization and significantly improve the efficiency of extraterrestrial transport of small organics. Therefore, this study supports the hypothesis of extraterrestrial delivery of organic molecules in icy comets and asteroids to the primitive Earth as suggested by an increasing number of independent observations. Key Words: Ice Ih-Partition coefficient-Amino acids-Polymerization-Extraterrestrial transport of organics. Astrobiology 18, 381-392.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihua Hao
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1 , Ens de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Elena Giovenco
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1 , Ens de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Ulysse Pedreira-Segade
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1 , Ens de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gilles Montagnac
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1 , Ens de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Isabelle Daniel
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1 , Ens de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne, France
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9
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Deamer D, Damer B. Can Life Begin on Enceladus? A Perspective from Hydrothermal Chemistry. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:834-839. [PMID: 28682665 PMCID: PMC5610390 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Enceladus is a target of future missions designed to search for existing life or its precursors. Recent flybys of Enceladus by the Cassini probe have confirmed the existence of a long-lived global ocean laced with organic compounds and biologically available nitrogen. This immediately suggests the possibility that life could have begun and may still exist on Enceladus. Here we will compare the properties of two proposed sites for the origin of life on Earth-hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor and hydrothermal volcanic fields at the surface-and ask whether similar conditions could have fostered the origin of life on Enceladus. The answer depends on which of the two sites would be more conducive for the chemical evolution leading to life's origin. A hydrothermal vent origin would allow life to begin in the Enceladus ocean, but if the origin of life requires freshwater hydrothermal pools undergoing wet-dry cycles, the Enceladus ocean could be habitable but lifeless. These arguments also apply directly to Europa and indirectly to early Mars. Key Words: Enceladus-Hydrothermal vents-Hydrothermal fields-Origin of life. Astrobiology 17, 834-839.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Deamer
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Baskin School of Engineering, University of California , Santa Cruz, California
| | - Bruce Damer
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Baskin School of Engineering, University of California , Santa Cruz, California
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10
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Fortes AD, Howard CM, Wood IG, Gutmann MJ. Glycine zinc sulfate penta-hydrate: redetermination at 10 K from time-of-flight neutron Laue diffraction. Acta Crystallogr E Crystallogr Commun 2016; 72:1438-1445. [PMID: 27746937 PMCID: PMC5050772 DOI: 10.1107/s2056989016014304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Single crystals of glycine zinc sulfate penta-hydrate [systematic name: hexa-aqua-zinc tetra-aquadiglycinezinc bis-(sulfate)], [Zn(H2O)6][Zn(C2H5NO2)2(H2O)4](SO4)2, have been grown by isothermal evaporation from aqueous solution at room temperature and characterized by single-crystal neutron diffraction. The unit cell contains two unique ZnO6 octa-hedra on sites of symmetry -1 and two SO4 tetra-hedra with site symmetry 1; the octa-hedra comprise one [tetra-aqua-diglycine zinc]2+ ion (centred on one Zn atom) and one [hexa-aqua-zinc]2+ ion (centred on the other Zn atom); the glycine zwitterion, NH3+CH2COO-, adopts a monodentate coordination to the first Zn atom. All other atoms sit on general positions of site symmetry 1. Glycine forms centrosymmetric closed cyclic dimers due to N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the amine and carboxyl-ate groups of adjacent zwitterions and exhibits torsion angles varying from ideal planarity by no more than 1.2°, the smallest values for any known glycine zwitterion not otherwise constrained by a mirror plane. This work confirms the H-atom locations estimated in three earlier single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies with the addition of independently refined fractional coordinates and Uij parameters, which provide accurate inter-nuclear X-H (X = N, O) bond lengths and consequently a more accurate and precise depiction of the hydrogen-bond framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Dominic Fortes
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation, Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, England
| | - Christopher M. Howard
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, England
| | - Ian G. Wood
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, England
| | - Matthias J. Gutmann
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation, Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, England
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