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Aguzzi J, Cuadros J, Dartnell L, Costa C, Violino S, Canfora L, Danovaro R, Robinson NJ, Giovannelli D, Flögel S, Stefanni S, Chatzievangelou D, Marini S, Picardi G, Foing B. Marine Science Can Contribute to the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:676. [PMID: 38929660 PMCID: PMC11205085 DOI: 10.3390/life14060676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Life on our planet likely evolved in the ocean, and thus exo-oceans are key habitats to search for extraterrestrial life. We conducted a data-driven bibliographic survey on the astrobiology literature to identify emerging research trends with marine science for future synergies in the exploration for extraterrestrial life in exo-oceans. Based on search queries, we identified 2592 published items since 1963. The current literature falls into three major groups of terms focusing on (1) the search for life on Mars, (2) astrobiology within our Solar System with reference to icy moons and their exo-oceans, and (3) astronomical and biological parameters for planetary habitability. We also identified that the most prominent research keywords form three key-groups focusing on (1) using terrestrial environments as proxies for Martian environments, centred on extremophiles and biosignatures, (2) habitable zones outside of "Goldilocks" orbital ranges, centred on ice planets, and (3) the atmosphere, magnetic field, and geology in relation to planets' habitable conditions, centred on water-based oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Aguzzi
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM)—CSIC, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (N.J.R.); (D.C.); (G.P.)
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy; (S.S.); (S.M.)
| | - Javier Cuadros
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5D, UK;
| | - Lewis Dartnell
- School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish St, London W1W 6UW, UK;
| | - Corrado Costa
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi Dell’Economia Agraria—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy; (C.C.); (S.V.)
| | - Simona Violino
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi Dell’Economia Agraria—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy; (C.C.); (S.V.)
| | - Loredana Canfora
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’economia Agraria—Centro di Ricerca Agricoltura e Ambiente, 00182 Roma, Italy;
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marcs (UNIVPM), 60131 Ancona, Italy;
| | - Nathan Jack Robinson
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM)—CSIC, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (N.J.R.); (D.C.); (G.P.)
| | - Donato Giovannelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy;
- National Research Council—Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies (CNR-IRBIM), 60125 Ancona, Italy
- Department of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
- Marine Chemistry, Geochemistry Department—Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Sascha Flögel
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24106 Kiel, Germany;
| | - Sergio Stefanni
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy; (S.S.); (S.M.)
| | | | - Simone Marini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy; (S.S.); (S.M.)
- Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISMAR), 19032 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Picardi
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM)—CSIC, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (N.J.R.); (D.C.); (G.P.)
| | - Bernard Foing
- Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081-1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
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Dannenmann M, Klenner F, Bönigk J, Pavlista M, Napoleoni M, Hillier J, Khawaja N, Olsson-Francis K, Cable ML, Malaska MJ, Abel B, Postberg F. Toward Detecting Biosignatures of DNA, Lipids, and Metabolic Intermediates from Bacteria in Ice Grains Emitted by Enceladus and Europa. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:60-75. [PMID: 36454287 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0063] [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: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The reliable identification of biosignatures is key to the search for life elsewhere. On ocean worlds like Enceladus or Europa, this can be achieved by impact ionization mass spectrometers, such as the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) on board NASA's upcoming Europa Clipper mission. During spacecraft flybys, these instruments can sample ice grains formed from subsurface water and emitted by these moons. Previous laboratory analog experiments have demonstrated that SUDA-type instruments could identify amino acids, fatty acids, and peptides in ice grains and discriminate between their abiotic and biotic origins. Here, we report experiments simulating impact ionization mass spectra of ice grains containing DNA, lipids, and metabolic intermediates extracted from two bacterial cultures: Escherichia coli and Sphingopyxis alaskensis. Salty Enceladan or Europan ocean waters were simulated using matrices with different NaCl concentrations. Characteristic mass spectral signals, such as DNA nucleobases, are clearly identifiable at part-per-million-level concentrations. Mass spectra of all substances exhibit unambiguous biogenic patterns, which in some cases show significant differences between the two bacterial species. Sensitivity to the biosignatures decreases with increasing matrix salinity. The experimental parameters indicate that future impact ionization mass spectrometers will be most sensitive to the investigated biosignatures for ice grain encounter speeds of 4-6 km/s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Dannenmann
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fabian Klenner
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Janine Bönigk
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Pavlista
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maryse Napoleoni
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jon Hillier
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nozair Khawaja
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karen Olsson-Francis
- AstrobiologyOU, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Morgan L Cable
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Michael J Malaska
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Bernd Abel
- Leibniz-Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM), Leipzig, Germany
- Wilhelm-Ostwald-Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frank Postberg
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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MacKenzie SM, Neveu M, Davila AF, Lunine JI, Cable ML, Phillips-Lander CM, Eigenbrode JL, Waite JH, Craft KL, Hofgartner JD, McKay CP, Glein CR, Burton D, Kounaves SP, Mathies RA, Vance SD, Malaska MJ, Gold R, German CR, Soderlund KM, Willis P, Freissinet C, McEwen AS, Brucato JR, de Vera JPP, Hoehler TM, Heldmann J. Science Objectives for Flagship-Class Mission Concepts for the Search for Evidence of Life at Enceladus. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:685-712. [PMID: 35290745 PMCID: PMC9233532 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Cassini revealed that Saturn's Moon Enceladus hosts a subsurface ocean that meets the accepted criteria for habitability with bio-essential elements and compounds, liquid water, and energy sources available in the environment. Whether these conditions are sufficiently abundant and collocated to support life remains unknown and cannot be determined from Cassini data. However, thanks to the plume of oceanic material emanating from Enceladus' south pole, a new mission to Enceladus could search for evidence of life without having to descend through kilometers of ice. In this article, we outline the science motivations for such a successor to Cassini, choosing the primary science goal to be determining whether Enceladus is inhabited and assuming a resource level equivalent to NASA's Flagship-class missions. We selected a set of potential biosignature measurements that are complementary and orthogonal to build a robust case for any life detection result. This result would be further informed by quantifications of the habitability of the environment through geochemical and geophysical investigations into the ocean and ice shell crust. This study demonstrates that Enceladus' plume offers an unparalleled opportunity for in situ exploration of an Ocean World and that the planetary science and astrobiology community is well equipped to take full advantage of it in the coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M. MacKenzie
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
- Address correspondence to: Shannon M. MacKenzie, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - Marc Neveu
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Alfonso F. Davila
- Division of Space Science and Astrobiology, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Jonathan I. Lunine
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Morgan L. Cable
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Jennifer L. Eigenbrode
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - J. Hunter Waite
- Space Science and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Kate L. Craft
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Jason D. Hofgartner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Chris P. McKay
- Division of Space Science and Astrobiology, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Christopher R. Glein
- Space Science and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Dana Burton
- Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Richard A. Mathies
- Chemistry Department and Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Steven D. Vance
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Michael J. Malaska
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Robert Gold
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher R. German
- Department of Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Krista M. Soderlund
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Peter Willis
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Alfred S. McEwen
- Lunar and Planetary Lab, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Jean-Pierre P. de Vera
- Space Operations and Astronaut Training, MUSC, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Tori M. Hoehler
- Division of Space Science and Astrobiology, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Jennifer Heldmann
- Division of Space Science and Astrobiology, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
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