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Thweatt JL, Harman CE, Araújo MN, Marlow JJ, Oliver GC, Sabuda MC, Sevgen S, Wilpiszeki RL. Chapter 6: The Breadth and Limits of Life on Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S124-S142. [PMID: 38498824 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0131] [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: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Scientific ideas about the potential existence of life elsewhere in the universe are predominantly informed by knowledge about life on Earth. Over the past ∼4 billion years, life on Earth has evolved into millions of unique species. Life now inhabits nearly every environmental niche on Earth that has been explored. Despite the wide variety of species and diverse biochemistry of modern life, many features, such as energy production mechanisms and nutrient requirements, are conserved across the Tree of Life. Such conserved features help define the operational parameters required by life and therefore help direct the exploration and evaluation of habitability in extraterrestrial environments. As new diversity in the Tree of Life continues to expand, so do the known limits of life on Earth and the range of environments considered habitable elsewhere. The metabolic processes used by organisms living on the edge of habitability provide insights into the types of environments that would be most suitable to hosting extraterrestrial life, crucial for planning and developing future astrobiology missions. This chapter will introduce readers to the breadth and limits of life on Earth and show how the study of life at the extremes can inform the broader field of astrobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Thweatt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA. (Former)
| | - C E Harman
- Planetary Systems Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - M N Araújo
- Biochemistry Department, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Jeffrey J Marlow
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gina C Oliver
- Department of Geology, San Bernardino Valley College, San Bernardino, California, USA
| | - Mary C Sabuda
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Serhat Sevgen
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli, Mersin, Turkey
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Gao L, Liu X, Bai J, Chen B, Wu M, Kong L, Bai Z, Li W. The crucial role of transient tri-coordinated oxygen in the flow of silicate melts. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:7920-7930. [PMID: 38376943 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp06067e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The transport properties of high-temperature silicate melts control magma flow and are crucial for a wide variety of industrial processes involving minerals. However, anomalous melt properties have been observed that cannot be explained by the traditional polymerization degree theory, which was derived based on quenched melts. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations were conducted to investigate the flow mechanism of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 melts under high temperature atmospheric conditions. By analyzing the dynamic structure of melted silicates and employing molecular orbital theory, we gained a fundamental understanding of the flow mechanism from a chemistry perspective. Transient tri-coordinated oxygen (TO) bonded with one Si and two Al atoms (SiOAl2) was found to be a pivotal intermediate in melt flow and atomic diffusion processes. Frequent chemical transition between TO in SiOAl2 and bridging oxygen (BO) dominated the fluidity of melted silicates. The presence of such transitions is facilitated by the unstable nature of [SiAlO2] 4-membered rings, which are susceptible to instability due to the intense repulsion between the O 2p lone pairs and the excessively bent O-Al-O angle. Additionally, the density of SiOAl2 type TO motif could serve as an indicator to determine the relationship between structure and fluidity. Our results challenge the traditional polymerization degree theory and suggest the need to reassess high-temperature liquid properties that govern processes in the Earth and industry by monitoring transient motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longfei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Xingchen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Jin Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, P.R. China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Bo Chen
- Donostia International Physics Center, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal, 4, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Min Wu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Lingxue Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, P.R. China.
| | - Zongqing Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, P.R. China.
| | - Wen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, P.R. China.
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Palma V, González-Pimentel JL, Jimenez-Morillo NT, Sauro F, Gutiérrez-Patricio S, De la Rosa JM, Tomasi I, Massironi M, Onac BP, Tiago I, González-Pérez JA, Laiz L, Caldeira AT, Cubero B, Miller AZ. Connecting molecular biomarkers, mineralogical composition, and microbial diversity from Mars analog lava tubes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169583. [PMID: 38154629 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) is one of the best terrestrial analogs to Martian volcanology. Particularly, Lanzarote lava tubes may offer access to recognizably preserved chemical and morphological biosignatures valuable for astrobiology. By combining microbiological, mineralogical, and organic geochemistry tools, an in-depth characterization of speleothems and associated microbial communities in lava tubes of Lanzarote is provided. The aim is to untangle the underlying factors influencing microbial colonization in Earth's subsurface to gain insight into the possibility of similar subsurface microbial habitats on Mars and to identify biosignatures preserved in lava tubes unequivocally. The microbial communities with relevant representativeness comprise chemoorganotrophic, halophiles, and/or halotolerant bacteria that have evolved as a result of the surrounding oceanic environmental conditions. Many of these bacteria have a fundamental role in reshaping cave deposits due to their carbonatogenic ability, leaving behind an organic record that can provide evidence of past or present life. Based on functional profiling, we infer that Crossiella is involved in fluorapatite precipitation via urea hydrolysis and propose its Ca-rich precipitates as compelling biosignatures valuable for astrobiology. In this sense, analytical pyrolysis, stable isotope analysis, and chemometrics were conducted to characterize the complex organic fraction preserved in the speleothems and find relationships among organic families, microbial taxa, and precipitated minerals. We relate organic compounds with subsurface microbial taxa, showing that organic families drive the microbiota of Lanzarote lava tubes. Our data indicate that bacterial communities are important contributors to biomarker records in volcanic-hosted speleothems. Within them, the lipid fraction primarily consists of low molecular weight n-alkanes, α-alkenes, and branched-alkenes, providing further evidence that microorganisms serve as the origin of organic matter in these formations. The ongoing research in Lanzarote's lava tubes will help develop protocols, routines, and predictive models that could provide guidance on choosing locations and methodologies for searching potential biosignatures on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Palma
- HERCULES Laboratory, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | | | | | - Francesco Sauro
- Department of Earth Sciences and Environmental Geology, University of Bologna, Italy
| | | | - José M De la Rosa
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ilaria Tomasi
- Geosciences Department, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Bogdan P Onac
- Karst Research Group, School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; Emil G. Racoviță Institute, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Igor Tiago
- CFE-Center for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - José A González-Pérez
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Leonila Laiz
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ana T Caldeira
- HERCULES Laboratory, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Cubero
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ana Z Miller
- HERCULES Laboratory, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal; Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
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Mulder SJ, van Ruitenbeek FJA, Foing BH, Sánchez-Román M. Multitechnique characterization of secondary minerals near HI-SEAS, Hawaii, as Martian subsurface analogues. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22603. [PMID: 38114584 PMCID: PMC10730813 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48923-7] [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: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Secondary minerals in lava tubes on Earth provide valuable insight into subsurface processes and the preservation of biosignatures on Mars. Inside lava tubes near the Hawaii-Space Exploration and Analog Simulation (HI-SEAS) habitat on the northeast flank of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, a variety of secondary deposits with distinct morphologies were observed consisting of mainly sodium sulphate powders, gypsum crystalline crusts, and small coralloid speleothems that comprise opal and calcite layers. These secondary deposits formed as a result of hydrological processes shortly after the formation and cooling of the lava tubes and are preserved over long periods of time in relatively dry conditions. The coralloid speleothem layers are likely related to wet and dry periods in which opal and calcite precipitates in cycles. Potential biosignatures seem to have been preserved in the form of porous stromatolite-like layers within the coralloid speleothems. Similar secondary deposits and lava tubes have been observed abundantly on the Martian surface suggesting similar formation mechanisms compared to this study. The origin of secondary minerals from tholeiitic basalts together with potential evidence for microbial processes make the lava tubes near HI-SEAS a relevant analog for Martian surface and subsurface environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian J Mulder
- Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 6, 9746 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
- Earth Sciences Department, Science Faculty, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Frank J A van Ruitenbeek
- Department of Applied Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Bernard H Foing
- LUNEX/ILEWG EuroMoonMars & Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333 CA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mónica Sánchez-Román
- Earth Sciences Department, Science Faculty, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Sánchez-García L, Lezcano MÁ, Carrizo D, Severino R, García-Villadangos M, Cady SL, Warren-Rhodes K, Cabrol NA, Parro V. Assessing siliceous sinter matrices for long-term preservation of lipid biomarkers in opaline sinter deposits analogous to Mars in El Tatio (Chile). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 870:161765. [PMID: 36702265 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Subaerial hydrothermal systems are of great interest for paleobiology and astrobiology as plausible candidate environments to support the origin of life on Earth that offer a unique and interrelated atmosphere-hydrosphere-lithosphere interface. They harbor extensive sinter deposits of high preservation potential that are promising targets in the search for traces of possible extraterrestrial life on Hesperian Mars. However, long-term quality preservation is paramount for recognizing biosignatures in old samples and there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the impact and extent of taphonomy processes on life fingerprints. Here, we propose a study based on lipid biomarkers -highly resistant cell-membrane components- to investigate the effects of silicification on their preservation in hydrothermal opaline sinter. We explore the lipid biomarkers profile in three sinter deposits of up to ~3000 years from El Tatio, one of the best Martian analogs on Earth. The lipid profile in local living biofilms is used as a fresh counterpart of the fossil biomarkers in the centuries-old sinter deposits to qualitatively assess the taphonomy effects of silicification on the lipid's preservation. Despite the geological alteration, the preserved lipids retained a depleted stable-carbon isotopic fingerprint characteristic of biological sources, result highly relevant for astrobiology. The data allowed us to estimate for the first time the degradation rate of lipid biomarkers in sinter deposits from El Tatio, and to assess the time preservation framework of opaline silica. Auxiliary techniques of higher taxonomic resolution (DNA sequencing and metaproteomics) helped in the reconstruction of the paleobiology. The lipids were the best-preserved biomolecules, whereas the detection of DNA and proteins dropped considerably from 5 cm depth. These findings provide new insights into taphonomy processes affecting life fingerprints in hydrothermal deposits and serves as a useful baseline for assessing the time window for recovering unambiguous signs of past life on Earth and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Daniel Carrizo
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
| | - Rita Severino
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain; Dept. of Physics and Mathematics and Automatics, University of Alcalá (UAH), 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | | | - Sherry L Cady
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Kim Warren-Rhodes
- Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute, CA 94043, United States
| | - Nathalie A Cabrol
- Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute, CA 94043, United States
| | - Víctor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
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Rasmussen KL, Stamps BW, Vanzin GF, Ulrich SM, Spear JR. Spatial and temporal dynamics at an actively silicifying hydrothermal system. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1172798. [PMID: 37206339 PMCID: PMC10188993 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1172798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Steep Cone Geyser is a unique geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Wyoming, actively gushing silicon-rich fluids along outflow channels possessing living and actively silicifying microbial biomats. To assess the geomicrobial dynamics occurring temporally and spatially at Steep Cone, samples were collected at discrete locations along one of Steep Cone's outflow channels for both microbial community composition and aqueous geochemistry analysis during field campaigns in 2010, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Geochemical analysis characterized Steep Cone as an oligotrophic, surface boiling, silicious, alkaline-chloride thermal feature with consistent dissolved inorganic carbon and total sulfur concentrations down the outflow channel ranging from 4.59 ± 0.11 to 4.26 ± 0.07 mM and 189.7 ± 7.2 to 204.7 ± 3.55 μM, respectively. Furthermore, geochemistry remained relatively stable temporally with consistently detectable analytes displaying a relative standard deviation <32%. A thermal gradient decrease of ~55°C was observed from the sampled hydrothermal source to the end of the sampled outflow transect (90.34°C ± 3.38 to 35.06°C ± 7.24). The thermal gradient led to temperature-driven divergence and stratification of the microbial community along the outflow channel. The hyperthermophile Thermocrinis dominates the hydrothermal source biofilm community, and the thermophiles Meiothermus and Leptococcus dominate along the outflow before finally giving way to more diverse and even microbial communities at the end of the transect. Beyond the hydrothermal source, phototrophic taxa such as Leptococcus, Chloroflexus, and Chloracidobacterium act as primary producers for the system, supporting heterotrophic growth of taxa such as Raineya, Tepidimonas, and Meiothermus. Community dynamics illustrate large changes yearly driven by abundance shifts of the dominant taxa in the system. Results indicate Steep Cone possesses dynamic outflow microbial communities despite stable geochemistry. These findings improve our understanding of thermal geomicrobiological dynamics and inform how we can interpret the silicified rock record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalen L. Rasmussen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Blake W. Stamps
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Gary F. Vanzin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | | | - John R. Spear
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
- *Correspondence: John R. Spear,
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Nikitczuk MP, Bebout GE, Geiger CA, Ota T, Kunihiro T, Mustard JF, Halldórsson SA, Nakamura E. Nitrogen Incorporation in Potassic and Micro- and Meso-Porous Minerals: Potential Biogeochemical Records and Targets for Mars Sampling. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1293-1309. [PMID: 36074082 PMCID: PMC9618379 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We measured the N concentrations and isotopic compositions of 44 samples of terrestrial potassic and micro- and meso-porous minerals and a small number of whole-rocks to determine the extent to which N is incorporated and stored during weathering and low-temperature hydrothermal alteration in Mars surface/near-surface environments. The selection of these minerals and other materials was partly guided by the study of altered volcanic glass from Antarctica and Iceland, in which the incorporation of N as NH4+ in phyllosilicates is indicated by correlated concentrations of N and the LILEs (i.e., K, Ba, Rb, Cs), with scatter likely related to the presence of exchanged, occluded/trapped, or encapsulated organic/inorganic N occurring within structural cavities (e.g., in zeolites). The phyllosilicates, zeolites, and sulfates analyzed in this study contain between 0 and 99,120 ppm N and have δ15Nair values of -34‰ to +65‰. Most of these minerals, and the few siliceous hydrothermal deposits that were analyzed, have δ15N consistent with the incorporation of biologically processed N during low-temperature hydrothermal or weathering processes. Secondary ion mass spectrometry on altered hyaloclastites demonstrates the residency of N in smectites and zeolites, and silica. We suggest that geological materials known on Earth to incorporate and store N and known to be abundant at, or near, the surface of Mars should be considered targets for upcoming Mars sample return with the intent to identify any signs of ancient or modern life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Nikitczuk
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gray E. Bebout
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Charles A. Geiger
- Universität Salzburg, Fachbereich Chemie und Physik der Materialien, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Tsutomu Ota
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Takuya Kunihiro
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - John F. Mustard
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sæmundur A. Halldórsson
- Nordic Volcanological Center, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Eizo Nakamura
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
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Duhamel S, Hamilton CW, Pálsson S, Björnsdóttir SH. Microbial Response to Increased Temperatures Within a Lava-Induced Hydrothermal System in Iceland: An Analogue for the Habitability of Volcanic Terrains on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1176-1198. [PMID: 35920884 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0124] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fossil hydrothermal systems on Mars are important exploration targets because they may have once been habitable and could still preserve evidence of microbial life. We investigated microbial communities within an active lava-induced hydrothermal system associated with the 2014-2015 eruption of Holuhraun in Iceland as a Mars analogue. In 2016, the microbial composition in the lava-heated water differed substantially from that of the glacial river and spring water sources that fed into the system. Several taxonomic and metabolic groups were confined to the water emerging from the lava and some showed the highest sequence similarities to subsurface ecosystems, including to the predicted thermophilic and deeply branching Candidatus Acetothermum autotrophicum. Measurements show that the communities were affected by temperature and other environmental factors. In particular, comparing glacial river water incubated in situ (5.7°C, control) with glacial water incubated within a lava-heated stream (17.5°C, warm) showed that microbial abundance, richness, and diversity increased in the warm treatment compared with the control, with the predicted major metabolism shifting from lithotrophy toward organotrophy and possibly phototrophy. In addition, thermophilic bacteria isolated from the lava-heated water and a nearby acidic hydrothermal system included the known endospore-formers Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Paenibacillus cisolokensis as well as a potentially novel taxon within the order Hyphomicrobiales. Similar lava-water interactions on Mars could therefore have generated habitable environments for microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solange Duhamel
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Division of Biology and Paleo Environment, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USA
| | | | - Snæbjörn Pálsson
- Department of Biology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
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Hickman-Lewis K, Moore KR, Hollis JJR, Tuite ML, Beegle LW, Bhartia R, Grotzinger JP, Brown AJ, Shkolyar S, Cavalazzi B, Smith CL. In Situ Identification of Paleoarchean Biosignatures Using Colocated Perseverance Rover Analyses: Perspectives for In Situ Mars Science and Sample Return. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1143-1163. [PMID: 35862422 PMCID: PMC9508457 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is currently exploring Jezero crater, a Noachian-Hesperian locality that once hosted a delta-lake system with high habitability and biosignature preservation potential. Perseverance conducts detailed appraisals of rock targets using a synergistic payload capable of geological characterization from kilometer to micron scales. The highest-resolution textural and chemical information will be provided by correlated WATSON (imaging), SHERLOC (deep-UV Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy), and PIXL (X-ray lithochemistry) analyses, enabling the distributions of organic and mineral phases within rock targets to be comprehensively established. Herein, we analyze Paleoarchean microbial mats from the ∼3.42 Ga Buck Reef Chert (Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa)-considered astrobiological analogues for a putative ancient martian biosphere-following a WATSON-SHERLOC-PIXL protocol identical to that conducted by Perseverance on Mars during all sampling activities. Correlating deep-UV Raman and fluorescence spectroscopic mapping with X-ray elemental mapping, we show that the Perseverance payload has the capability to detect thermally and texturally mature organic materials of biogenic origin and can highlight organic-mineral interrelationships and elemental colocation at fine spatial scales. We also show that the Perseverance protocol obtains very similar results to high-performance laboratory imaging, Raman spectroscopy, and μXRF instruments. This is encouraging for the prospect of detecting microscale organic-bearing textural biosignatures on Mars using the correlative micro-analytical approach enabled by WATSON, SHERLOC, and PIXL; indeed, laminated, organic-bearing samples such as those studied herein are considered plausible analogues of biosignatures from a potential Noachian-Hesperian biosphere. Were similar materials discovered at Jezero crater, they would offer opportunities to reconstruct aspects of the early martian carbon cycle and search for potential fossilized traces of life in ancient paleoenvironments. Such samples should be prioritized for caching and eventual return to Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyron Hickman-Lewis
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Kelsey R. Moore
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - John P. Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Svetlana Shkolyar
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
- Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Barbara Cavalazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Caroline L. Smith
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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10
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Muñoz-Iglesias V, Sánchez-García L, Carrizo D, Molina A, Fernández-Sampedro M, Prieto-Ballesteros O. Raman spectroscopic peculiarities of Icelandic poorly crystalline minerals and their implications for Mars exploration. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5640. [PMID: 35379897 PMCID: PMC8979959 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09684-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, we have analyzed natural samples collected at three hydrothermal areas of Iceland by Raman spectroscopy. The studied high-latitude regions are considered environmentally and mineralogically appropriate Martian analogues since they are rich in weathered basalts that have been altered by hydrothermalism to mineral phases such as silica, clay minerals, sulfates, oxides, and sulfur. The main objective of this work was to assess the relation of the spectroscopic signatures of alteration to hydrothermal processes and biomediation, considering previous studies focused on the detection of lipid biomarkers in the same samples. The recorded Raman spectra, taken with optical parameters similar to the ExoMars 2022 Raman spectrometer, showed structural modifications in all secondary minerals in the form of peak shifts (in the case of sulfur and clay minerals), changes in the relative ratio intensity (in anatase) and/or shape broadening (in sulfates and hematite). These results reveal the suitability of Raman spectroscopy to examine areas rich in water-altered minerals, where a mixture of crystalline and amorphous phases can co-exist. The detection of silica is singularly interesting since, on the one hand, it can imply the past existence of hydrothermal hot springs rich in nutrient and redox gradients and, on the other hand, provides excellent matrix for biosignature preservation. The data can be helpful as an astrobiological database for the forthcoming missions to Mars, where potential upwelling groundwater systems could have altered the mineral phases in a similar way to that observed in this work.
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11
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Yang CS, Bower DM, Jin F, Hewagama T, Aslam S, Nixon CA, Kolasinski J, Samuels AC. Raman and UVN+LWIR LIBS Detection System for In-situ Surface Chemical Identification. MethodsX 2022; 9:101647. [PMID: 35308253 PMCID: PMC8924681 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2022.101647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in the Ultra Violet/Visible/Near-IR (UVN) spectral range is a powerful analytical tool that facilitates the interpretation of Raman spectroscopic data by providing additional details in elemental chemistry. To acquire the complete information of molecular vibrations for more accurate and precise chemical bonding and structural analysis, an ideal in situ optical sensing facility should be able to rapidly probe the broad vibrational dipole and polarizability responses of molecules by acquiring both Raman scattering and mid-IR emission spectroscopic signatures. Recently, the research team at Brimrose has developed a novel optical technology, Long-Wave IR (LWIR) LIBS. Critical experimental approaches were made to capture the infrared molecular emission signatures from vibrationally excited intact samples excited by laser-induced plasma in a LIBS event. LWIR LIBS is the only fieldable mid-IR emission spectroscopic technique to-date that that offers the same instrumental and analytical advantages of both UVN LIBS and Raman spectroscopy in in-situ stand-off field applications and can perform rapid and comprehensive molecular structure analysis without any sample-preparation.A single excitation laser pulse is used to trigger both UVN and LWIR spectrometers simultaneously. Time-resolved UVN-LWIR LIBS measurements showed the evolution of both atomic and molecular signature emissions of target compounds in the laser-induced plasma. The technique was applied to the characterization of mineral and organic compounds in planetary analog samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clayton S.C. Yang
- Brimrose Corporation of America, Sparks-Glencoe, MD, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | | | - Feng Jin
- Brimrose Corporation of America, Sparks-Glencoe, MD, USA
| | | | - Shahid Aslam
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Alan C. Samuels
- Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
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12
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Gong J, Munoz-Saez C, Wilmeth DT, Myers KD, Homann M, Arp G, Skok JR, van Zuilen MA. Morphogenesis of digitate structures in hot spring silica sinters of the El Tatio geothermal field, Chile. GEOBIOLOGY 2022. [PMID: 34590770 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.12957797.v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In silica-rich hot spring environments, internally laminated, digitate sinter deposits are often interpreted as bio-mediated structures. The organic components of microbial communities (cell surfaces, sheaths and extracellular polymeric substances) can act as templates for silica precipitation, therefore influencing digitate sinter morphogenesis. In addition to biologic surface-templating effects, various microenvironmental factors (hydrodynamics, local pH and fluctuating wind patterns) can also influence silica precipitation, and therefore the morphology of resulting digitate sinters. Digitate sinter morphology thus depends on the dynamic interplay between microenvironmentally driven silica precipitation and microbial growth, but the relative contributions of both factors are a topic of continuing research. Here we present a detailed study of digitate silica sinters in distal, low-temperature regimes of the El Tatio geothermal field, Chile. This high-altitude geothermal field is extremely arid and windy, and has one of the highest silica precipitation rates found in the world. We find that digitate silica sinters at El Tatio always accrete into the prevailing eastward wind direction and exhibit laminar growth patterns coinciding with day-night cycles of wind- and thermally driven evaporation and rewetting. Subaerial parts of digitate sinters lack preserved organics and sinter textures that would indicate past microbial colonization, while filamentous cyanobacteria with resistant, silicified sheaths only inhabit subaqueous cavities that crosscut the primary laminations. We conclude that, although fragile biofilms of extremophile micro-organisms may have initially been present and templated silica precipitation at the tips of these digitate sinters, the saltation of sand grains and precipitation of silica by recurrent wind- and thermally driven environmental forcing at El Tatio are important, if not dominant factors shaping the morphology of these digitate structures. Our study sheds light on the relative contributions of biogenic and abiogenic factors in sinter formation in geothermal systems, with geobiological implications for the cautious interpretation of stromatolite-like features in ancient silica deposits on Earth and Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Gong
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Dylan T Wilmeth
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Plouzané, France
| | - Kimberly D Myers
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Martin Homann
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gernot Arp
- Geobiology Division, Geoscience Centre, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - John R Skok
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA
| | - Mark A van Zuilen
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France
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13
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Gong J, Munoz‐Saez C, Wilmeth DT, Myers KD, Homann M, Arp G, Skok JR, van Zuilen MA. Morphogenesis of digitate structures in hot spring silica sinters of the El Tatio geothermal field, Chile. GEOBIOLOGY 2022; 20:137-155. [PMID: 34590770 PMCID: PMC9292339 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In silica-rich hot spring environments, internally laminated, digitate sinter deposits are often interpreted as bio-mediated structures. The organic components of microbial communities (cell surfaces, sheaths and extracellular polymeric substances) can act as templates for silica precipitation, therefore influencing digitate sinter morphogenesis. In addition to biologic surface-templating effects, various microenvironmental factors (hydrodynamics, local pH and fluctuating wind patterns) can also influence silica precipitation, and therefore the morphology of resulting digitate sinters. Digitate sinter morphology thus depends on the dynamic interplay between microenvironmentally driven silica precipitation and microbial growth, but the relative contributions of both factors are a topic of continuing research. Here we present a detailed study of digitate silica sinters in distal, low-temperature regimes of the El Tatio geothermal field, Chile. This high-altitude geothermal field is extremely arid and windy, and has one of the highest silica precipitation rates found in the world. We find that digitate silica sinters at El Tatio always accrete into the prevailing eastward wind direction and exhibit laminar growth patterns coinciding with day-night cycles of wind- and thermally driven evaporation and rewetting. Subaerial parts of digitate sinters lack preserved organics and sinter textures that would indicate past microbial colonization, while filamentous cyanobacteria with resistant, silicified sheaths only inhabit subaqueous cavities that crosscut the primary laminations. We conclude that, although fragile biofilms of extremophile micro-organisms may have initially been present and templated silica precipitation at the tips of these digitate sinters, the saltation of sand grains and precipitation of silica by recurrent wind- and thermally driven environmental forcing at El Tatio are important, if not dominant factors shaping the morphology of these digitate structures. Our study sheds light on the relative contributions of biogenic and abiogenic factors in sinter formation in geothermal systems, with geobiological implications for the cautious interpretation of stromatolite-like features in ancient silica deposits on Earth and Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Gong
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRSF‐75005ParisFrance
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Dylan T. Wilmeth
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRSF‐75005ParisFrance
- Equipe GéomicrobiologieInstitut Universitaire Européen de la MerPlouzanéFrance
| | - Kimberly D. Myers
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRSF‐75005ParisFrance
| | - Martin Homann
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Gernot Arp
- Geobiology DivisionGeoscience CentreGeorg‐August‐Universität GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | | | - Mark A. van Zuilen
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRSF‐75005ParisFrance
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14
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Havig JR, Kuether JE, Gangidine AJ, Schroeder S, Hamilton TL. Hot Spring Microbial Community Elemental Composition: Hot Spring and Soil Inputs, and the Transition from Biocumulus to Siliceous Sinter. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:1526-1546. [PMID: 34889663 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Hydrothermal systems host microbial communities that include some of the most deeply branching members of the tree of life, and recent work has suggested that terrestrial hot springs may have provided ideal conditions for the origin of life. Hydrothermal microbial communities are a potential source for biosignatures, and the presence of terrestrial hot spring deposits in 3.48 Ga rocks as well as on the surface of Mars lends weight to a need to better understand the preservation of biosignatures in these systems. Although there are general patterns of elemental enrichment in hydrothermal water dependent on physical and geochemical conditions, the elemental composition of bulk hydrothermal microbial communities (here termed biocumulus, including cellular biomass and accumulated non-cellular material) is largely unexplored. However, recent work has suggested both bulk and spatial trace element enrichment as a potential biosignature in hot spring deposits. To elucidate the elemental composition of hot spring biocumulus samples and explore the sources of those elements, we analyzed a suite of 16 elements in hot spring water samples and corresponding biocumulus from 60 hot springs sinter samples, and rock samples from 8 hydrothermal areas across Yellowstone National Park. We combined these data with values reported in literature to assess the patterns of elemental uptake into biocumulus and retention in associated siliceous sinter. Hot spring biocumuli are of biological origin, but organic carbon comprises a minor percentage of the total mass of both thermophilic chemotrophic and phototrophic biocumulus. Instead, the majority of hot spring biocumulus is inorganic material-largely silica-and the distribution of major and trace elements mimics that of surrounding rock and soil rather than the hot spring fluids. Analyses indicate a systematic loss of biologically associated elements during diagenetic transformation of biocumulus to siliceous sinter, suggesting a potential for silica sinter to preserve a trace element biosignature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff R Havig
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Joshua E Kuether
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Sarah Schroeder
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Trinity L Hamilton
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
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15
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Tarnas JD, Stack KM, Parente M, Koeppel AHD, Mustard JF, Moore KR, Horgan BHN, Seelos FP, Cloutis EA, Kelemen PB, Flannery D, Brown AJ, Frizzell KR, Pinet P. Characteristics, Origins, and Biosignature Preservation Potential of Carbonate-Bearing Rocks Within and Outside of Jezero Crater. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2021; 126:e2021JE006898. [PMID: 34824965 PMCID: PMC8597593 DOI: 10.1029/2021je006898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Carbonate minerals have been detected in Jezero crater, an ancient lake basin that is the landing site of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, and within the regional olivine-bearing (ROB) unit in the Nili Fossae region surrounding this crater. It has been suggested that some carbonates in the margin fractured unit, a rock unit within Jezero crater, formed in a fluviolacustrine environment, which would be conducive to preservation of biosignatures from paleolake-inhabiting lifeforms. Here, we show that carbonate-bearing rocks within and outside of Jezero crater have the same range of visible-to-near-infrared carbonate absorption strengths, carbonate absorption band positions, thermal inertias, and morphologies. Thicknesses of exposed carbonate-bearing rock cross-sections in Jezero crater are ∼75-90 m thicker than typical ROB unit cross-sections in the Nili Fossae region, but have similar thicknesses to ROB unit exposures in Libya Montes. These similarities in carbonate properties within and outside of Jezero crater is consistent with a shared origin for all of the carbonates in the Nili Fossae region. Carbonate absorption minima positions indicate that both Mg- and more Fe-rich carbonates are present in the Nili Fossae region, consistent with the expected products of olivine carbonation. These estimated carbonate chemistries are similar to those in martian meteorites and the Comanche carbonates investigated by the Spirit rover in Columbia Hills. Our results indicate that hydrothermal alteration is the most likely formation mechanism for non-deltaic carbonates within and outside of Jezero crater.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. D. Tarnas
- NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - K. M. Stack
- NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - M. Parente
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Massachusetts at AmherstAmherstMAUSA
| | - A. H. D. Koeppel
- Department of Astronomy and Planetary ScienceNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
| | - J. F. Mustard
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary SciencesBrown UniversityProvidenceRIUSA
| | - K. R. Moore
- NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - B. H. N. Horgan
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary SciencesPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteINUSA
| | - F. P. Seelos
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LabLaurelMDUSA
| | - E. A. Cloutis
- Department of GeographyUniversity of WinnipegWinnipegMBCanada
| | - P. B. Kelemen
- Lahmont‐Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia UniversityPalisadesNYUSA
| | - D. Flannery
- School of Earth and Atmospheric SciencesQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | | | - K. R. Frizzell
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesRutgers UniversityPiscatawayNJUSA
| | - P. Pinet
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et PlanétologieToulouseFrance
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16
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Chemically Oscillating Reactions during the Diagenetic Formation of Ediacaran Siliceous and Carbonate Botryoids. MINERALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/min11101060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Chemically oscillating reactions are abiotic reactions that produce characteristic, periodic patterns during the oxidation of carboxylic acids. They have been proposed to occur during the early diagenesis of sediments that contain organic matter and to partly explain the patterns of some enigmatic spheroids in malachite, phosphorite, jasper chert, and stromatolitic chert from the rock record. In this work, circularly concentric self-similar patterns are shown to form in new chemically oscillating reaction experiments with variable mixtures of carboxylic acids and colloidal silica. This is carried out to best simulate in vitro the diagenetic formation of botryoidal quartz and carbonate in two Ediacaran-age geological formations deposited after the Marinoan–Nantuo snowball Earth event in South China. Experiments performed with alkaline colloidal silica (pH of 12) show that this compound directly participates in pattern formation, whereas those with humic acid particles did not. These experiments are particularly noteworthy since they show that pattern formation is not inhibited by strong pH gradients, since the classical Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction occurs in solution with a pH around 2. Our documentation of hundreds of classical Belousov–Zhabotinsky experiments yields a number of self-similar patterns akin to those in concretionary structures after the Marinoan–Nantuo snowball Earth event. Morphological, compositional, and size dimensional comparisons are thus established between patterns from these experiments and in botryoidal quartz and carbonate from the Doushantuo and Denying formations. Selected specimens exhibit circularly concentric layers and disseminations of organic matter in quartz and carbonate, which also occurs in association with sub-micron-size pyrite and sub-millimetre iron oxides within these patterns. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analyses of organic matter extracted from dolomite concretions in slightly younger, early Cambrian Niutitang Formation reveal the presence of carboxylic and N-bearing molecular functional groups. Such mineral assemblages, patterns, and compositions collectively suggest that diagenetic redox reactions take place during the abiotic decay of biomass, and that they involve Fe, sulphate, and organic matter, similarly to the pattern-forming experiments. It is concluded that chemically oscillating reactions are at least partly responsible for the formation of diagenetic siliceous spheroids and concretionary carbonate, which can relate to various other persistent problems in Earth and planetary sciences.
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17
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Moreras-Marti A, Fox-Powell M, Zerkle AL, Stueeken E, Gazquez F, Brand HEA, Galloway T, Purkamo L, Cousins CR. Volcanic controls on the microbial habitability of Mars-analogue hydrothermal environments. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:489-509. [PMID: 34143931 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Due to their potential to support chemolithotrophic life, relic hydrothermal systems on Mars are a key target for astrobiological exploration. We analysed water and sediments at six geothermal pools from the rhyolitic Kerlingarfjöll and basaltic Kverkfjöll volcanoes in Iceland, to investigate the localised controls on the habitability of these systems in terms of microbial community function. Our results show that host lithology plays a minor role in pool geochemistry and authigenic mineralogy, with the system geochemistry primarily controlled by deep volcanic processes. We find that by dictating pool water pH and redox conditions, deep volcanic processes are the primary control on microbial community structure and function, with water input from the proximal glacier acting as a secondary control by regulating pool temperatures. Kerlingarfjöll pools have reduced, circum-neutral CO2 -rich waters with authigenic calcite-, pyrite- and kaolinite-bearing sediments. The dominant metabolisms inferred from community profiles obtained by 16S rRNA gene sequencing are methanogenesis, respiration of sulphate and sulphur (S0 ) oxidation. In contrast, Kverkfjöll pools have oxidised, acidic (pH < 3) waters with high concentrations of SO42- and high argillic alteration, resulting in Al-phyllosilicate-rich sediments. The prevailing metabolisms here are iron oxidation, sulphur oxidation and nitrification. Where analogous ice-fed hydrothermal systems existed on early Mars, similar volcanic processes would likely have controlled localised metabolic potential and thus habitability. Moreover, such systems offer several habitability advantages, including a localised source of metabolic redox pairs for chemolithotrophic microorganisms and accessible trace metals. Similar pools could have provided transient environments for life on Mars; when paired with surface or near-surface ice, these habitability niches could have persisted into the Amazonian. Additionally, they offer a confined site for biosignature formation and deposition that lends itself well to in situ robotic exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arola Moreras-Marti
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Mark Fox-Powell
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- AstrobiologyOU, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Aubrey L Zerkle
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Eva Stueeken
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Fernando Gazquez
- Water Resources and Environmental Geology Research Group, Department of Biology and Geology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | | | - Toni Galloway
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | | | - Claire R Cousins
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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18
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Tarnas JD, Mustard JF, Sherwood Lollar B, Stamenković V, Cannon KM, Lorand JP, Onstott TC, Michalski JR, Warr O, Palumbo AM, Plesa AC. Earth-like Habitable Environments in the Subsurface of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:741-756. [PMID: 33885329 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In Earth's deep continental subsurface, where groundwaters are often isolated for >106 to 109 years, energy released by radionuclides within rock produces oxidants and reductants that drive metabolisms of non-photosynthetic microorganisms. Similar processes could support past and present life in the martian subsurface. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms are common in Earth's deep subsurface, often using hydrogen derived directly from radiolysis of pore water and sulfate derived from oxidation of rock-matrix-hosted sulfides by radiolytically derived oxidants. Radiolysis thus produces redox energy to support a deep biosphere in groundwaters isolated from surface substrate input for millions to billions of years on Earth. Here, we demonstrate that radiolysis by itself could produce sufficient redox energy to sustain a habitable environment in the subsurface of present-day Mars, one in which Earth-like microorganisms could survive wherever groundwater exists. We show that the source localities for many martian meteorites are capable of producing sufficient redox nutrients to sustain up to millions of sulfate-reducing microbial cells per kilogram rock via radiolysis alone, comparable to cell densities observed in many regions of Earth's deep subsurface. Additionally, we calculate variability in supportable sulfate-reducing cell densities between the martian meteorite source regions. Our results demonstrate that martian subsurface groundwaters, where present, would largely be habitable for sulfate-reducing bacteria from a redox energy perspective via radiolysis alone. We present evidence for crustal regions that could support especially high cell densities, including zones with high sulfide concentrations, which could be targeted by future subsurface exploration missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Tarnas
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J F Mustard
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | - V Stamenković
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - K M Cannon
- Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
- Space Resources Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - J-P Lorand
- Université de Nantes Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - T C Onstott
- Princeton University Department of Geosciences, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - J R Michalski
- University of Hong Kong Division of Earth & Planetary Science, Hong Kong
| | - O Warr
- University of Toronto Department of Earth Sciences, Toronto, Canada
| | - A M Palumbo
- Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - A-C Plesa
- German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany
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19
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Rolling Ironstones from Earth and Mars: Terrestrial Hydrothermal Ooids as a Potential Analogue of Martian Spherules. MINERALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/min11050460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
High-resolution images of Mars from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rovers revealed mm-size loose haematite spherulitic deposits (nicknamed “blueberries”) similar to terrestrial iron-ooids, for which both abiotic and biotic genetic hypotheses have been proposed. Understanding the formation mechanism of these haematite spherules can thus improve our knowledge on the possible geologic evolution and links to life development on Mars. Here, we show that shape, size, fabric and mineralogical composition of the Martian spherules share similarities with corresponding iron spherules currently forming on the Earth over an active submarine hydrothermal system located off Panarea Island (Aeolian Islands, Mediterranean Sea). Hydrothermal fluids associated with volcanic activity enable these terrestrial spheroidal grains to form and grow. The recent exceptional discovery of a still working iron-ooid source on the Earth provides indications that past hydrothermal activity on the Red Planet is a possible scenario to be considered as the cause of formation of these enigmatic iron grains.
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20
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Ghezzi D, Sauro F, Columbu A, Carbone C, Hong PY, Vergara F, De Waele J, Cappelletti M. Transition from unclassified Ktedonobacterales to Actinobacteria during amorphous silica precipitation in a quartzite cave environment. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3921. [PMID: 33594175 PMCID: PMC7887251 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83416-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The orthoquartzite Imawarì Yeuta cave hosts exceptional silica speleothems and represents a unique model system to study the geomicrobiology associated to silica amorphization processes under aphotic and stable physical-chemical conditions. In this study, three consecutive evolution steps in the formation of a peculiar blackish coralloid silica speleothem were studied using a combination of morphological, mineralogical/elemental and microbiological analyses. Microbial communities were characterized using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and clone library analysis of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (coxL) and hydrogenase (hypD) genes involved in atmospheric trace gases utilization. The first stage of the silica amorphization process was dominated by members of a still undescribed microbial lineage belonging to the Ktedonobacterales order, probably involved in the pioneering colonization of quartzitic environments. Actinobacteria of the Pseudonocardiaceae and Acidothermaceae families dominated the intermediate amorphous silica speleothem and the final coralloid silica speleothem, respectively. The atmospheric trace gases oxidizers mostly corresponded to the main bacterial taxa present in each speleothem stage. These results provide novel understanding of the microbial community structure accompanying amorphization processes and of coxL and hypD gene expression possibly driving atmospheric trace gases metabolism in dark oligotrophic caves.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Ghezzi
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy ,grid.419038.70000 0001 2154 6641Laboratory of NanoBiotechnology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - F. Sauro
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy ,La Venta Geographic Explorations Association, 31100 Treviso, Italy ,Teraphosa Exploring Team, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela
| | - A. Columbu
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - C. Carbone
- grid.5606.50000 0001 2151 3065Department of Earth, Environment and Life, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - P.-Y. Hong
- grid.45672.320000 0001 1926 5090Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - F. Vergara
- La Venta Geographic Explorations Association, 31100 Treviso, Italy ,Teraphosa Exploring Team, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela
| | - J. De Waele
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - M. Cappelletti
- grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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21
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Williams AJ, Craft KL, Millan M, Johnson SS, Knudson CA, Juarez Rivera M, McAdam AC, Tobler D, Skok JR. Fatty Acid Preservation in Modern and Relict Hot-Spring Deposits in Iceland, with Implications for Organics Detection on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:60-82. [PMID: 33121252 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Hydrothermal spring deposits host unique microbial ecosystems and have the capacity to preserve microbial communities as biosignatures within siliceous sinter layers. This quality makes terrestrial hot springs appealing natural laboratories to study the preservation of both organic and morphologic biosignatures. The discovery of hydrothermal deposits on Mars has called attention to these hot springs as Mars-analog environments, driving forward the study of biosignature preservation in these settings to help prepare future missions targeting the recovery of biosignatures from martian hot-spring deposits. This study quantifies the fatty acid load in three Icelandic hot-spring deposits ranging from modern and inactive to relict. Samples were collected from both the surface and 2-18 cm in depth to approximate the drilling capabilities of current and upcoming Mars rovers. To determine the preservation potential of organics in siliceous sinter deposits, fatty acid analyses were performed with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) utilizing thermochemolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). This technique is available on both current and upcoming Mars rovers. Results reveal that fatty acids are often degraded in the subsurface relative to surface samples but are preserved and detectable with the TMAH pyrolysis-GC-MS method. Hot-spring mid-to-distal aprons are often the best texturally and geomorphically definable feature in older, degraded terrestrial sinter systems and are therefore most readily detectable on Mars from orbital images. These findings have implications for the detection of organics in martian hydrothermal systems as they suggest that organics might be detectable on Mars in relatively recent hot-spring deposits, but preservation likely deteriorates over geological timescales. Rovers with thermochemolysis pyrolysis-GC-MS instrumentation may be able to detect fatty acids in hot-spring deposits if the organics are relatively young; therefore, martian landing site and sample selection are of paramount importance in the search for organics on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Planetary Environments Laboratory (Code 699), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Kathleen L Craft
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Maëva Millan
- Planetary Environments Laboratory (Code 699), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Sarah Stewart Johnson
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- Science, Technology, and International Affairs Program, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Christine A Knudson
- Planetary Environments Laboratory (Code 699), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- CRESST Center for Research Exploration in Space Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Marisol Juarez Rivera
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Amy C McAdam
- Planetary Environments Laboratory (Code 699), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Dominique Tobler
- Department of Chemistry, Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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22
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Fortney NW, Beard BL, Hutchings JA, Shields MR, Bianchi TS, Boyd ES, Johnson CM, Roden EE. Geochemical and Stable Fe Isotopic Analysis of Dissimilatory Microbial Iron Reduction in Chocolate Pots Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:83-102. [PMID: 32580560 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2058] [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: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Chocolate Pots hot spring (CP) is an Fe-rich, circumneutral-pH geothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park. Relic hydrothermal systems have been identified on Mars, and modern hydrothermal environments such as CP are useful for gaining insight into potential pathways for generation of biosignatures of ancient microbial life on Earth and Mars. Fe isotope fractionation is recognized as a signature of dissimilatory microbial iron oxide reduction (DIR) in both the rock record and modern sedimentary environments. Previous studies in CP have demonstrated the presence of DIR in vent pool deposits and show aqueous-/solid-phase Fe isotope variations along the hot spring flow path that may be linked to this process. In this study, we examined the geochemistry and stable Fe isotopic composition of spring water and sediment core samples collected from the vent pool and along the flow path, with the goal of evaluating whether Fe isotopes can serve as a signature of past or present DIR activity. Bulk sediment Fe redox speciation confirmed that DIR is active within the hot spring vent pool sediments (but not in more distal deposits), and the observed Fe isotope fractionation between Fe(II) and Fe(III) is consistent with previous studies of DIR-driven Fe isotope fractionation. However, modeling of sediment Fe isotope distributions indicates that DIR does not produce a unique Fe isotopic signature of DIR in the vent pool environment. Because of rapid chemical and isotopic communication between the vent pool fluid and sediment, sorption of Fe(II) to Fe(III) oxides would produce an isotopic signature similar to DIR despite DIR-driven generation of large quantities of isotopically light solid-associated Fe(II). The possibility exists, however, for preservation of specific DIR-derived Fe(II) minerals such as siderite (which is present in the vent pool deposits), whose isotopic composition could serve as a long-term signature of DIR in relic hot spring environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel W Fortney
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Brian L Beard
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jack A Hutchings
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Michael R Shields
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Thomas S Bianchi
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Clark M Johnson
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Eric E Roden
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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23
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Van Kranendonk MJ, Baumgartner R, Djokic T, Ota T, Steller L, Garbe U, Nakamura E. Elements for the Origin of Life on Land: A Deep-Time Perspective from the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:39-59. [PMID: 33404294 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
For decades, deep sea hydrothermal vents have been a preferred setting for the Origin of Life, but "The Water Problem" as relates to polymerization of organic molecules, together with a propensity to dilute critical prebiotic elements as well as a number of other crucial factors, suggests that a terrestrial hot spring field with the capacity for wet-dry cycling and element concentration may represent a more likely candidate. Here, we investigate a 3.5 billion-year-old, anoxic hot spring setting from the Pilbara Craton (Australia) and show that its hydrothermal veins and compositionally varied pools and springs concentrated all of the essential elements required for prebiotic chemistry (including B, Zn, Mn, and K, in addition to C, H, N, O, P, and S). Temporal variability (seasonal to decadal), together with the known propensity of hot springs for wet-dry cycling and information exchange, would lead to innovation pools with peaks of fitness for developing molecules. An inference from the chemical complexity of the Pilbara analogue is that life could perhaps get started quickly on planets with volcanoes, silicate rocks, an exposed land surface, and water, ingredients that should form the backbone in the search for life in the Universe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Van Kranendonk
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Raphael Baumgartner
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
| | - Tara Djokic
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
| | - Tsutomu Ota
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Luke Steller
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, Australia
| | - Ulf Garbe
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Kirrawee, Australia
| | - Eizo Nakamura
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
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24
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Murphy RJ, Van Kranendonk MJ, Baumgartner R, Ryan C. Biogenicity of Spicular Geyserite from Te Kopia, New Zealand: Integrated Petrography, High-Resolution Hyperspectral and Elemental Analysis. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:115-135. [PMID: 33085533 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2067] [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: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Hyperspectral and micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) imagery were used to derive maps of mineralogy and elemental chemistry from a sample of a siliceous hot spring deposit, or sinter, collected from a landslide breccia deposit at the base of the Paeroa fault, which bounds the eastern Taupo Rift at Te Kopia, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. The sample is of a known biogenic sinter layer from a paleo-vent area of a recently extinct alkali chloride hot spring. The aim of the study was to distinguish it from other horizons derived from nonbiogenic sources, which is of relevance to early and extraterrestrial life research, specifically to help assess the potential reliability of morphology as an indicator of biology in the geological record. In particular, the distribution of opal, a common mineral in hot springs deposits that is known to preserve microbial features, and the relative abundances of Al-OH clay and water (OH and H2O) were mapped from hyperspectral imagery and element distributions defined by μXRF element mapping. Layers within the sinter sample composed of spicular geyserite-a type of micro-columnar stromatolite-showed contrasting mineralogy and water content in comparison with interspicular clastic sediment. Whereas clay was found to be concentrated in the interspicular sediment, high water contents characterized the spicules. μXRF imagery also showed differences in the composition of the two components of the spicule-bearing layers, with interspicular sediment being enriched in K, Ti, Fe, and Rb relative to the spicules, which are enriched in Ga. The contrasting nature of the mapped components highlights the detailed upward-branching nature of the spicules, identical to those found in living microstromatolites. These discriminants show that the spicular component can be discerned from the geological background through hyperspectral and μXRF mapping and used to define morphological features that may survive burial diagenesis and metamorphism as a biosignature in deep time rocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Murphy
- Australian Centre for Field Robotics, Department of Aerospace, Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Martin J Van Kranendonk
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, and School of Biological and Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Raphael Baumgartner
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, and School of Biological and Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Chris Ryan
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra, Australia
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25
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Sánchez-García L, Carrizo D, Molina A, Muñoz-Iglesias V, Lezcano MÁ, Fernández-Sampedro M, Parro V, Prieto-Ballesteros O. Fingerprinting molecular and isotopic biosignatures on different hydrothermal scenarios of Iceland, an acidic and sulfur-rich Mars analog. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21196. [PMID: 33273669 PMCID: PMC7712778 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78240-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Detecting signs of potential extant/extinct life on Mars is challenging because the presence of organics on that planet is expected to be very low and most likely linked to radiation-protected refugia and/or preservative strategies (e.g., organo-mineral complexes). With scarcity of organics, accounting for biomineralization and potential relationships between biomarkers, mineralogy, and geochemistry is key in the search for extraterrestrial life. Here we explored microbial fingerprints and their associated mineralogy in Icelandic hydrothermal systems analog to Mars (i.e., high sulfur content, or amorphous silica), to identify potentially habitable locations on that planet. The mineralogical assemblage of four hydrothermal substrates (hot springs biofilms, mud pots, and steaming and inactive fumaroles) was analyzed concerning the distribution of biomarkers. Molecular and isotopic composition of lipids revealed quantitative and compositional differences apparently impacted by surface geothermal alteration and environmental factors. pH and water showed an influence (i.e., greatest biomass in circumneutral settings with highest supply and turnover of water), whereas temperature conditioned the mineralogy that supported specific microbial metabolisms related with sulfur. Raman spectra suggested the possible coexistence of abiotic and biomediated sources of minerals (i.e., sulfur or hematite). These findings may help to interpret future Raman or GC-MS signals in forthcoming Martian missions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Carrizo
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Molina
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Madrid, Spain
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26
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Li Y, Li Y, Liu Y, Wu Y, Wu J, Wang B, Ye H, Jia H, Wang X, Li L, Zhu M, Ding H, Lai Y, Wang C, Dick J, Lu A. Photoreduction of inorganic carbon(+IV) by elemental sulfur: Implications for prebiotic synthesis in terrestrial hot springs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/47/eabc3687. [PMID: 33208363 PMCID: PMC7673799 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc3687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial hydrothermal systems have been proposed as alternative birthplaces for early life but lacked reasonable scenarios for the supply of biomolecules. Here, we show that elemental sulfur (S0), as the dominant mineral in terrestrial hot springs, can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) into formic acid (HCOOH) under ultraviolet (UV) light below 280 nm. The semiconducting S0 is indicated to have a direct bandgap of 4.4 eV. The UV-excited S0 produces photoelectrons with a highly negative potential of -2.34 V (versus NHE, pH 7), which could reduce CO2 after accepting electrons from electron donors such as reducing sulfur species. Simultaneously, UV light breaks sulfur bonds, benefiting the adsorption of charged carbonates onto S0 and assisting their photoreduction. Assuming that terrestrial hot springs covered 1% of primitive Earth's surface, S0 at 10 μM could have produced maximal 109 kg/year HCOOH within 10-cm-thick photic zones, underlying its remarkable contributions to the accumulation of prebiotic biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanzhang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Yifu Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Junqi Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Wang
- Sinopec Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry, Beijing 100013, People's Republic of China
| | - Huan Ye
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoning Jia
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Linghui Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Meixiang Zhu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongrui Ding
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong Lai
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Changqiu Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Jeffrey Dick
- The Key Laboratory of Metallogenic Prediction of Nonferrous Metals and Geological Environment Monitoring, School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, People's Republic of China
| | - Anhuai Lu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.
- The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Metallogenic Prediction of Nonferrous Metals and Geological Environment Monitoring, School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, People's Republic of China
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27
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Sriaporn C, Campbell KA, Millan M, Ruff SW, Van Kranendonk MJ, Handley KM. Stromatolitic digitate sinters form under wide-ranging physicochemical conditions with diverse hot spring microbial communities. GEOBIOLOGY 2020; 18:619-640. [PMID: 32336004 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Digitate siliceous hot spring deposits are a form of biomediated sinter that is relatively common in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand, and elsewhere on Earth. Such deposits have gained prominence recently because of their morphological similarity to opaline silica rocks of likely hot spring origin found by the Spirit rover on Mars and the consequent implications for potential biosignatures there. Here, we investigate the possible relationship between microbial community composition and morphological diversity among digitate structures from actively forming siliceous hot spring sinters depositing subaerially in shallow discharge channels and around pool rims at several physicochemically distinct geothermal fields in the TVZ. The TVZ digitate sinters range in morphologic subtype from knobby to spicular, and are shown to be microstromatolites that grow under varied pH ranges, temperatures, and water chemistries. Scanning electron microscopy and molecular analyses revealed that TVZ digitate sinters are intimately associated with a diverse array of bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic micro-organisms, and for most digitate structures the diversity and quantity of prokaryotes was higher than that of eukaryotes. However, microbial community composition was not correlated with morphologic subtypes of digitate sinter, and observations provided limited evidence that pH (acidic versus alkali) affects morphology. Instead, results suggest hydrodynamics may be an important factor influencing variations in morphology, while water chemistry, pH, and temperature are strong drivers of microbial composition and diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanenath Sriaporn
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kathleen A Campbell
- School of Environment & Te Ao Mārama - Centre for Fundamental Inquiry, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Maeva Millan
- Department of Biology & NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Steven W Ruff
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Martin J Van Kranendonk
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kim M Handley
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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28
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Chauviré B, Houadria M, Donini A, Berger BT, Rondeau B, Kritsky G, Lhuissier P. Arthropod entombment in weathering-formed opal: new horizons for recording life in rocks. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10575. [PMID: 32601331 PMCID: PMC7324577 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67412-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal fossils preserved in various geological materials, such as limestone, claystone, or amber, provide detailed information on extinct species that is indispensable for retracing the evolution of terrestrial life. Here, we present the first record of an animal fossil preserved in opal formed by weathering with such high-resolution details that even individual cuticle hairs are observed. The fossil consists of the exoskeleton of a nymphal insect belonging to the order Hemiptera and either the family Tettigarctidae or the Cicadidae. This identification is based on anatomical details such as the tibial and femoral morphology of the forelegs. The exoskeleton of the insect was primarily zeolitized during the alteration of the host rocks and later sealed in opal deposited by silica-rich fluids derived from the continental weathering of the volcanic host rocks. Organic matter is preserved in the form of amorphous carbon. This finding makes opal formed by rocks weathering a new, complementary source of animal fossils, offering new prospects for the search for ancient life in the early history of Earth and possibly other terrestrial planets such as Mars, where weathering-formed opal occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Chauviré
- CNRS, IRD, IFSTTAR, ISTerre, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Mickal Houadria
- Biology Centre of Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | | | - Brian T Berger
- @VelvetBoxSociety, Timberbrook Capital, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin Rondeau
- Laboratoire de Planétologie Et Géodynamique, CNRS UMR 6112, Université de Nantes, BP 92208, 44322, Nantes, France
| | - Gene Kritsky
- School of Behavioral and Natural Sciences, Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Pierre Lhuissier
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, SIMAP, 38000, Grenoble, France
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29
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Longo A, Damer B. Factoring Origin of Life Hypotheses into the Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E52. [PMID: 32349245 PMCID: PMC7281141 DOI: 10.3390/life10050052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Two widely-cited alternative hypotheses propose geological localities and biochemical mechanisms for life's origins. The first states that chemical energy available in submarine hydrothermal vents supported the formation of organic compounds and initiated primitive metabolic pathways which became incorporated in the earliest cells; the second proposes that protocells self-assembled from exogenous and geothermally-delivered monomers in freshwater hot springs. These alternative hypotheses are relevant to the fossil record of early life on Earth, and can be factored into the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. This review summarizes the evidence supporting and challenging these hypotheses, and considers their implications for the search for life on various habitable worlds. It will discuss the relative probability that life could have emerged in environments on early Mars, on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and also the degree to which prebiotic chemistry could have advanced on Titan. These environments will be compared to ancient and modern terrestrial analogs to assess their habitability and biopreservation potential. Origins of life approaches can guide the biosignature detection strategies of the next generation of planetary science missions, which could in turn advance one or both of the leading alternative abiogenesis hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Longo
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Department of Geology, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Bruce Damer
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA or
- Digital Space Research, Boulder Creek, CA 95006, USA
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30
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Gangidine A, Havig JR, Fike DA, Jones C, Hamilton TL, Czaja AD. Trace Element Concentrations in Hydrothermal Silica Deposits as a Potential Biosignature. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:525-536. [PMID: 31859527 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1994] [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: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Uncovering and understanding the chemical and fossil record of ancient life is crucial to understanding how life arose, evolved, and distributed itself across Earth. Potential signs of ancient life, however, are often challenging to establish as definitively biological and require multiple lines of evidence. Hydrothermal silica deposits may preserve some of the most ancient evidence of life on Earth, and such deposits are also suggested to exist on the surface of Mars. Here we use micron-scale elemental mapping by secondary ion mass spectrometry to explore for trace elements that are preferentially sequestered by microbial life and subsequently preserved in hydrothermal deposits. The spatial distributions and concentrations of trace elements associated with life in such hydrothermal silica deposits may have a novel application as a biosignature in constraining ancient life on Earth as well as the search for evidence of past life on Mars. We find that active microbial mats and recent siliceous sinter deposits from an alkaline hot spring in Yellowstone National Park appear to sequester and preserve Ga, Fe, and perhaps Mn through early diagenesis as indicators of the presence of life during formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gangidine
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Jeff R Havig
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - David A Fike
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Clive Jones
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Trinity L Hamilton
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and the Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Sun VZ, Milliken RE. Characterizing the Mineral Assemblages of Hot Spring Environments and Applications to Mars Orbital Data. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:453-474. [PMID: 31545076 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.2003] [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: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Certain martian hydrated silica deposits have been hypothesized to represent ancient hot spring environments, but many environments can produce hydrated silica on Earth. This study compares the mineral assemblages produced in terrestrial hot springs to those observed in silica-producing volcanic fumarolic environments to determine which diagnostic features of hot springs could be remotely sensed on Mars. We find that hot spring environments are more likely to produce geochemically mature silica (i.e., opal-CT and microcrystalline quartz) in addition to opal-A, whereas volcanic fumarolic environments tend to produce only opal-A, potentially reflecting differences in water-to-rock ratios. Neutral/alkaline hot springs contain few accessory minerals (typically calcite and Fe/Mg clays), while acidic hot springs commonly contain accessory kaolinite. By comparison, mineral assemblages at volcanic fumaroles contain protolith igneous minerals and a diversity of alteration minerals indicative of acidic conditions. Based on these terrestrial observations, the presence of opal-CT and/or microcrystalline quartz could be more diagnostic of a hot spring origin rather than a fumarolic origin, and accessory mineralogy could provide information on formation pH. On Mars, we observe that most orbital opal detections in outcrop are opal-A, sometimes accompanied by Fe/Mg clays, suggestive of neutral/alkaline conditions. However, these observations do not uniquely distinguish between hot springs and fumarolic environments, as opal-A can occur in both environments. Many martian silica detections occur in regionally extensive units, and sometimes in association with fluvial landforms suggesting a detrital or lower temperature authigenic origin. Thus, only a few martian opal detections may be mineralogically, spatially, and morphologically consistent with a hot spring origin. However, although it is difficult to unambiguously identify martian hot spring environments from orbital data sets, the orbital data are still valuable for identifying siliceous sites that are consistent with higher biosignature preservation potential, that is, sites with opal-A (not opal-CT), for future in situ investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Z Sun
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Ralph E Milliken
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
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Gong J, Myers KD, Munoz-Saez C, Homann M, Rouillard J, Wirth R, Schreiber A, van Zuilen MA. Formation and Preservation of Microbial Palisade Fabric in Silica Deposits from El Tatio, Chile. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:500-524. [PMID: 31663774 PMCID: PMC7133459 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Palisade fabric is a ubiquitous texture of silica sinter found in low temperature (<40°C) regimes of hot spring environments, and it is formed when populations of filamentous microorganisms act as templates for silica polymerization. Although it is known that postdepositional processes such as biological degradation and dewatering can strongly affect preservation of these fabrics, the impact of extreme aridity has so far not been studied in detail. Here, we report a detailed analysis of recently silicified palisade fabrics from a geyser in El Tatio, Chile, tracing the progressive degradation of microorganisms within the silica matrix. This is complemented by heating experiments of natural sinter samples to assess the role of diagenesis. Sheathed cyanobacteria, identified as Leptolyngbya sp., were found to be incorporated into silica sinter by irregular cycles of wetting, evaporation, and mineral precipitation. Transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed that nanometer-sized silica particles are filling the pore space within individual cyanobacterial sheaths, giving rise to their structural rigidity to sustain a palisade fabric framework. Diagenesis experiments further show that the sheaths of the filaments are preferentially preserved relative to the trichomes, and that the amount of water present within the sinter is an important factor for overall preservation during burial. This study confirms that palisade fabrics are efficiently generated in a highly evaporative geothermal field, and that these biosignatures can be most effectively preserved under dry diagenetic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Gong
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Kimberly D. Myers
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Carolina Munoz-Saez
- Departamento de Geologia, FCFM, Centro de Excelencia en Geotermia de los Andes (CEGA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Martin Homann
- CNRS-UMR6538 Laboratoire Géosciences Océan, European Institute for Marine Studies, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Plouzané, France
| | - Joti Rouillard
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Richard Wirth
- GeoForschungsZentrum, Section 3.5 Interface Geochemistry, D-14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anja Schreiber
- GeoForschungsZentrum, Section 3.5 Interface Geochemistry, D-14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mark A. van Zuilen
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
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Teece BL, George SC, Djokic T, Campbell KA, Ruff SW, Van Kranendonk MJ. Biomolecules from Fossilized Hot Spring Sinters: Implications for the Search for Life on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:537-551. [PMID: 32155343 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hot spring environments are commonly dominated by silica sinters that precipitate by the rapid cooling of silica-saturated fluids and the activity of microbial communities. However, the potential for preservation of organic traces of life in silica sinters back through time is not well understood. This is important for the exploration of early life on Earth and possibly Mars. Most previous studies have focused on physical preservation in samples <900 years old, with only a few focused on organic biomarkers. In this study, we investigate the organic geochemistry of hot spring samples from El Tatio, Chile and the Taupo Volcanic Zone, with ages varying from modern to ∼9.4 ka. Results show that all samples contain opaline silica and contain hydrocarbons that are indicative of a cyanobacterial origin. A ∼3 ka recrystallized, quartz-bearing sample also contains traces of cyanobacterial biomarkers. No aromatic compounds were detected in a ∼9.4 ka opal-A sample or in a modern sinter breccia sample. All other samples contain naphthalene, with one sample also containing other polyaromatic hydrocarbons. These aromatic hydrocarbons have a thermally mature distribution that is perhaps reflective of geothermal fluids migrating from deep, rather than surface, reservoirs. These data show that hot spring sinters can preserve biomolecules from the local microbial community, and that crystallinity rather than age may be the determining factor in their preservation. This research provides support for the exploration for biomolecules in opaline silica deposits on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn L Teece
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) and PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Simon C George
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and MQ Planetary Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tara Djokic
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) and PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kathleen A Campbell
- School of Environment and Te Ao Mārama-Centre for Fundamental Inquiry, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Steven W Ruff
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Martin J Van Kranendonk
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) and PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Ruff SW, Campbell KA, Van Kranendonk MJ, Rice MS, Farmer JD. The Case for Ancient Hot Springs in Gusev Crater, Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:475-499. [PMID: 31621375 PMCID: PMC7133449 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The origin and age of opaline silica deposits discovered by the Spirit rover adjacent to the Home Plate feature in the Columbia Hills of Gusev crater remains debated, in part because of their proximity to sulfur-rich soils. Processes related to fumarolic activity and to hot springs and/or geysers are the leading candidates. Both processes are known to produce opaline silica on Earth, but with differences in composition, morphology, texture, and stratigraphy. Here, we incorporate new and existing observations of the Home Plate region with observations from field and laboratory work to address the competing hypotheses. The results, which include new evidence for a hot spring vent mound, demonstrate that a volcanic hydrothermal system manifesting both hot spring/geyser and fumarolic activity best explains the opaline silica rocks and proximal S-rich materials, respectively. The opaline silica rocks most likely are sinter deposits derived from hot spring activity. Stratigraphic evidence indicates that their deposition occurred before the emplacement of the volcaniclastic deposits comprising Home Plate and nearby ridges. Because sinter deposits throughout geologic history on Earth preserve evidence for microbial life, they are a key target in the search for ancient life on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven W. Ruff
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Address correspondence to: Steven W. Ruff, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Mars Space Flight Facility, Moeur Building Room 131, Tempe, AZ 85287-6305
| | - Kathleen A. Campbell
- School of Environment and Te Ao Mārama—Centre for Fundamental Inquiry, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Martin J. Van Kranendonk
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Melissa S. Rice
- Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington
| | - Jack D. Farmer
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
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Carrizo D, Muñoz-Iglesias V, Fernández-Sampedro MT, Gil-Lozano C, Sánchez-García L, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Medina J, Rull F. Detection of Potential Lipid Biomarkers in Oxidative Environments by Raman Spectroscopy and Implications for the ExoMars 2020-Raman Laser Spectrometer Instrument Performance. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:405-414. [PMID: 31985262 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2100] [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: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the European Space Agency's ExoMars rover mission is to search for potential traces of present or past life in the swallow subsurface (2 m depth) of Mars. The ExoMars rover mission relies on a suite of analytical instruments envisioned to identify organic compounds with biological value (biomarkers) associated with a mineralogical matrix in a highly oxidative environment. We investigated the feasibility of detecting basic organics (linear and branched lipid molecules) with Raman laser spectroscopy, an instrument onboard the ExoMars rover, when exposed to oxidant conditions. We compared the detectability of six lipid molecules (alkanes, alkanols, fatty acid, and isoprenoid) before and after an oxidation treatment (15 days with hydrogen peroxide), with and without mineral matrix support (amorphous silica rich vs. iron rich). Raman and infrared spectrometry was combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine detection limits and technical constraints. We observed different spectral responses to degradation depending on the lipid molecule and mineral substrate, with the silica-rich material showing better preservation of organic signals. These findings will contribute to the interpretation of Raman laser spectroscopy results on cores from the ExoMars rover landing site, the hydrated silica-enriched delta fan on Cogoon Vallis (Oxia Planum).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jesús Medina
- Unidad Asociada UVa-CSIC al Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Fernando Rull
- Unidad Asociada UVa-CSIC al Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
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36
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Taubner RS, Olsson-Francis K, Vance SD, Ramkissoon NK, Postberg F, de Vera JP, Antunes A, Camprubi Casas E, Sekine Y, Noack L, Barge L, Goodman J, Jebbar M, Journaux B, Karatekin Ö, Klenner F, Rabbow E, Rettberg P, Rückriemen-Bez T, Saur J, Shibuya T, Soderlund KM. Experimental and Simulation Efforts in the Astrobiological Exploration of Exooceans. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2020; 216:9. [PMID: 32025060 PMCID: PMC6977147 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-020-0635-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn are perhaps the most promising places in the Solar System regarding habitability. However, the potential habitable environments are hidden underneath km-thick ice shells. The discovery of Enceladus' plume by the Cassini mission has provided vital clues in our understanding of the processes occurring within the interior of exooceans. To interpret these data and to help configure instruments for future missions, controlled laboratory experiments and simulations are needed. This review aims to bring together studies and experimental designs from various scientific fields currently investigating the icy moons, including planetary sciences, chemistry, (micro-)biology, geology, glaciology, etc. This chapter provides an overview of successful in situ, in silico, and in vitro experiments, which explore different regions of interest on icy moons, i.e. a potential plume, surface, icy shell, water and brines, hydrothermal vents, and the rocky core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth-Sophie Taubner
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | - André Antunes
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau SAR, China
| | | | | | - Lena Noack
- Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Elke Rabbow
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Takazo Shibuya
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
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37
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Des Marais DJ, Walter MR. Terrestrial Hot Spring Systems: Introduction. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1419-1432. [PMID: 31424278 PMCID: PMC6918855 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
This report reviews how terrestrial hot spring systems can sustain diverse and abundant microbial communities and preserve their fossil records. Hot springs are dependable water sources, even in arid environments. They deliver reduced chemical species and other solutes to more oxidized surface environments, thereby providing redox energy and nutrients. Spring waters have diverse chemical compositions, and their outflows create thermal gradients and chemical precipitates that sustain diverse microbial communities and entomb their remnants. These environments probably were important habitats for ancient benthic microbial ecosystems, and it has even been postulated that life arose in hydrothermal systems. Thermal spring communities are fossilized in deposits of travertine, siliceous sinter, and iron minerals (among others) that are found throughout the geological record back to the oldest known well-preserved rocks at 3.48 Ga. Very few are known before the Cenozoic, but it is likely that there are many more to be found. They preserve fossils ranging from microbes to trees and macroscopic animals. Features on Mars whose morphological and spectroscopic attributes resemble spring deposits on Earth have been detected in regions where geologic context is consistent with the presence of thermal springs. Such features represent targets in the search for evidence of past life on that planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Des Marais
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Malcolm R. Walter
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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38
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Havig JR, Hamilton TL. Productivity and Community Composition of Low Biomass/High Silica Precipitation Hot Springs: A Possible Window to Earth's Early Biosphere? Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E64. [PMID: 31362401 PMCID: PMC6789502 DOI: 10.3390/life9030064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial hot springs have provided a niche space for microbial communities throughout much of Earth's history, and evidence for hydrothermal deposits on the Martian surface suggest this could have also been the case for the red planet. Prior to the evolution of photosynthesis, life in hot springs on early Earth would have been supported though chemoautotrophy. Today, hot spring geochemical and physical parameters can preclude the occurrence of oxygenic phototrophs, providing an opportunity to characterize the geochemical and microbial components. In the absence of the photo-oxidation of water, chemoautotrophy in these hot springs (and throughout Earth's history) relies on the delivery of exogenous electron acceptors and donors such as H2, H2S, and Fe2+. Thus, systems fueled by chemoautotrophy are likely energy substrate-limited and support low biomass communities compared to those where oxygenic phototrophs are prevalent. Low biomass silica-precipitating systems have implications for preservation, especially over geologic time. Here, we examine and compare the productivity and composition of low biomass chemoautotrophic versus photoautotrophic communities in silica-saturated hot springs. Our results indicate low biomass chemoautotrophic microbial communities in Yellowstone National Park are supported primarily by sulfur redox reactions and, while similar in total biomass, show higher diversity in anoxygenic phototrophic communities compared to chemoautotrophs. Our data suggest productivity in Archean terrestrial hot springs may be directly linked to redox substrate availability, and there may be high potential for geochemical and physical biosignature preservation from these communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff R Havig
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Trinity L Hamilton
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Cavalazzi B, Barbieri R, Gómez F, Capaccioni B, Olsson-Francis K, Pondrelli M, Rossi A, Hickman-Lewis K, Agangi A, Gasparotto G, Glamoclija M, Ori G, Rodriguez N, Hagos M. The Dallol Geothermal Area, Northern Afar (Ethiopia)-An Exceptional Planetary Field Analog on Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:553-578. [PMID: 30653331 PMCID: PMC6459281 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The Dallol volcano and its associated hydrothermal field are located in a remote area of the northern Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, a region only recently appraised after decades of inaccessibility due to severe political instability and the absence of infrastructure. The region is notable for hosting environments at the very edge of natural physical-chemical extremities. It is surrounded by a wide, hyperarid salt plain and is one of the hottest (average annual temperatureDallol: 36-38°C) and most acidic natural systems (pHDallol ≈0) on Earth. Spectacular geomorphologies and mineral deposits produced by supersaturated hydrothermal waters and brines are the result of complex interactions between active and inactive hydrothermal alteration of the bedrock, sulfuric hot springs and pools, fumaroles and geysers, and recrystallization processes driven by hydrothermal waters, degassing, and rapid evaporation. The study of planetary field analog environments plays a crucial role in characterizing the physical and chemical boundaries within which life can exist on Earth and other planets. It is essential for the definition and assessment of the conditions of habitability on other planets, including the possibility for biosignature preservation and in situ testing of technologies for life detection. The Dallol area represents an excellent Mars analog environment given that the active volcanic environment, the associated diffuse hydrothermalism and hydrothermal alteration, and the vast acidic sulfate deposits are reminiscent of past hydrothermal activity on Mars. The work presented in this paper is an overview of the Dallol volcanic area and its hydrothermal field that integrates previous literature with observations and results obtained from field surveys and monitoring coupled with sample characterization. In so doing, we highlight its exceptional potential as a planetary field analog as well as a site for future astrobiological and exploration programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Cavalazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Address correspondence to: Barbara Cavalazzi, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - BiGeA, Università di Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - R. Barbieri
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - F. Gómez
- Centro de Astrobiologia and Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain
| | - B. Capaccioni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - K. Olsson-Francis
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - M. Pondrelli
- Int'l Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio, Chieti Scalo, Italy
| | | | - K. Hickman-Lewis
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- CNRS Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, Orléans, France
| | - A. Agangi
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - G. Gasparotto
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - M. Glamoclija
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - G.G. Ori
- Int'l Research School of Planetary Sciences, Università d'Annunzio, Chieti Scalo, Italy
| | - N. Rodriguez
- Centro de Astrobiologia and Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Hagos
- Department of Earth Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia
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Lim DS, Abercromby AF, Kobs Nawotniak SE, Lees DS, Miller MJ, Brady AL, Miller MJ, Mirmalek Z, Sehlke A, Payler SJ, Stevens AH, Haberle CW, Beaton KH, Chappell SP, Hughes SS, Cockell CS, Elphic RC, Downs MT, Heldmann JL. The BASALT Research Program: Designing and Developing Mission Elements in Support of Human Scientific Exploration of Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:245-259. [PMID: 30840510 PMCID: PMC6442272 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The articles associated with this Special Collection focus on the NASA BASALT (Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains) Research Program, which aims at answering the question, "How do we support and enable scientific exploration during human Mars missions?" To answer this the BASALT team conducted scientific field studies under simulated Mars mission conditions to both broaden our understanding of the habitability potential of basalt-rich terrains on Mars and examine the effects of science on current Mars mission concepts of operations. This article provides an overview of the BASALT research project, from the science, to the operational concepts that were tested and developed, to the technical capabilities that supported all elements of the team's research. Further, this article introduces the 12 articles that are included in this Special Collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darlene S.S. Lim
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI), NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, California
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | | | | | - David S. Lees
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | | | - Allyson L. Brady
- School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | | | - Zara Mirmalek
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI), NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, California
| | | | - Samuel J. Payler
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Adam H. Stevens
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher W. Haberle
- Mars Space Flight Facility, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Kara H. Beaton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
- KBRwyle, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Scott S. Hughes
- Deparment of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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41
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Hughes SS, Haberle CW, Kobs Nawotniak SE, Sehlke A, Garry WB, Elphic RC, Payler SJ, Stevens AH, Cockell CS, Brady AL, Heldmann JL, Lim DS. Basaltic Terrains in Idaho and Hawai'i as Planetary Analogs for Mars Geology and Astrobiology. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:260-283. [PMID: 30339033 PMCID: PMC6442300 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Field research target regions within two basaltic geologic provinces are described as Earth analogs to Mars. Regions within the eastern Snake River Plain of Idaho and the Big Island of Hawai'i, the United States, provinces that represent analogs of present-day and early Mars, respectively, were evaluated on the basis of geologic settings, rock lithology and geochemistry, rock alteration, and climate. Each of these factors provides rationale for the selection of specific targets for field research in five analog target regions: (1) Big Craters and (2) Highway lava flows at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, and (3) Mauna Ulu low shield, (4) Kīlauea Iki lava lake, and (5) Kīlauea caldera in the Kīlauea Volcano summit region and the East Rift Zone of Hawai'i. Our evaluation of compositional and textural attributes, as well as the effects of syn- and posteruptive rock alteration, shows that basaltic terrains in Idaho and Hawai'i provide a way to characterize the geology and major geologic substrates that host biological activity of relevance to Mars exploration. This work provides the foundation to better understand the scientific questions related to the habitability of basaltic terrains, the rationale behind selecting analog field targets, and their applicability as analogs to Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott S. Hughes
- Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho
| | - Christopher W. Haberle
- Mars Space Flight Facility, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | | | | | | | | | - Samuel J. Payler
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Adam H. Stevens
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Allyson L. Brady
- School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer L. Heldmann
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Darlene S.S. Lim
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
- BAER Institute, Moffett Field, California
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Croissant JG, Brinker CJ. Biodegradable Silica-Based Nanoparticles: Dissolution Kinetics and Selective Bond Cleavage. Enzymes 2018; 43:181-214. [PMID: 30244807 DOI: 10.1016/bs.enz.2018.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Silica-based nanomaterials are extensively used in industrial applications and academic biomedical research, thus properly assessing their toxicity and biodegradability is essential for their safe and effective formulation and use. Unfortunately, there is often a lot of confusion in the literature with respect to the toxicity and biodegradability of silica since various studies have yielded contradictory results. In this contribution, we first endeavor to underscore that the simplistic model of silica should be discarded in favor of a more realistic model recognizing that all silicas are not created equal and should thus be considered in the plural as silicas and silica hybrids, which indeed hold various biocompatibility and biodegradability profiles. We then demonstrated that all silicas are-as displayed in Nature-degradable in water by dissolution, as governed by the laws of kinetics. Lastly, we explore the vast potential of tuning the degradability of silica by materials design using various silica hybrids for redox-, pH-, enzymatic-, and biochelation-mediated lysis mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas G Croissant
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Center for Micro-Engineered Materials, Advanced Materials Laboratory, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
| | - C Jeffrey Brinker
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Center for Micro-Engineered Materials, Advanced Materials Laboratory, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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43
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Fortney NW, He S, Converse BJ, Boyd ES, Roden EE. Investigating the Composition and Metabolic Potential of Microbial Communities in Chocolate Pots Hot Springs. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2075. [PMID: 30245673 PMCID: PMC6137239 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Iron (Fe) redox-based metabolisms likely supported life on early Earth and may support life on other Fe-rich rocky planets such as Mars. Modern systems that support active Fe redox cycling such as Chocolate Pots (CP) hot springs provide insight into how life could have functioned in such environments. Previous research demonstrated that Fe- and Si-rich and slightly acidic to circumneutral-pH springs at CP host active dissimilatory Fe(III) reducing microorganisms. However, the abundance and distribution of Fe(III)-reducing communities at CP is not well-understood, especially as they exist in situ. In addition, the potential for direct Fe(II) oxidation by lithotrophs in CP springs is understudied, in particular when compared to indirect oxidation promoted by oxygen producing Cyanobacteria. Here, a culture-independent approach, including 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing, was used to determine the distribution of putative Fe cycling microorganisms in vent fluids and sediment cores collected along the outflow channel of CP. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of organisms native to sediment and planktonic microbial communities were screened for extracellular electron transfer (EET) systems putatively involved in Fe redox cycling and for CO2 fixation pathways. Abundant MAGs containing putative EET systems were identified as part of the sediment community at locations where Fe(III) reduction activity has previously been documented. MAGs encoding both putative EET systems and CO2 fixation pathways, inferred to be FeOB, were also present, but were less abundant components of the communities. These results suggest that the majority of the Fe(III) oxides that support in situ Fe(III) reduction are derived from abiotic oxidation. This study provides new insights into the interplay between Fe redox cycling and CO2 fixation in sustaining chemotrophic communities in CP with attendant implications for other neutral-pH hot springs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel W. Fortney
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Shaomei He
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Brandon J. Converse
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Eric S. Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States
| | - Eric E. Roden
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Dzaugis M, Spivack AJ, D'Hondt S. Radiolytic H 2 Production in Martian Environments. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1137-1146. [PMID: 30048152 PMCID: PMC6150936 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen, produced by water radiolysis, has been suggested to support microbial communities on Mars. We quantitatively assess the potential magnitude of radiolytic H2 production in wet martian environments (the ancient surface and the present subsurface) based on the radionuclide compositions of (1) eight proposed Mars 2020 landing sites, and (2) three sites that individually yield the highest or lowest calculated radiolytic H2 production rates on Mars. For the proposed landing sites, calculated H2 production rates vary by a factor of ∼1.6, while the three comparison sites differ by a factor of ∼6. Rates in wet martian sediment and microfractured rock are comparable with rates in terrestrial environments that harbor low concentrations of microbial life (e.g., subseafloor basalt). Calculated H2 production rates for low-porosity (<35%), fine-grained martian sediment (0.12-1.2 nM/year) are mostly higher than rates for South Pacific subseafloor basalt (∼0.02-0.6 nM/year). Production rates in martian high-porosity sediment (>35%) and microfractured (1 μm) hard rock (0.03 to <0.71 nM/year) are generally similar to rates in South Pacific basalt, while yields for larger martian fractures (1 and 10 cm) are one to two orders of magnitude lower (<0.01 nM/year). If minerals or brine that amplify radiolytic H2 production rates are present, H2 yields exceed the calculated rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Dzaugis
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island
| | - Arthur J. Spivack
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island
| | - Steven D'Hondt
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island
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Thompson DR, Candela A, Wettergreen DS, Dobrea EN, Swayze GA, Clark RN, Greenberger R. Spatial Spectroscopic Models for Remote Exploration. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:934-954. [PMID: 30035643 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1782] [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
Ancient hydrothermal systems are a high-priority target for a future Mars sample return mission because they contain energy sources for microbes and can preserve organic materials (Farmer, 2000 ; MEPAG Next Decade Science Analysis Group, 2008 ; McLennan et al., 2012 ; Michalski et al., 2017 ). Characterizing these large, heterogeneous systems with a remote explorer is difficult due to communications bandwidth and latency; such a mission will require significant advances in spacecraft autonomy. Science autonomy uses intelligent sensor platforms that analyze data in real-time, setting measurement and downlink priorities to provide the best information toward investigation goals. Such automation must relate abstract science hypotheses to the measurable quantities available to the robot. This study captures these relationships by formalizing traditional "science traceability matrices" into probabilistic models. This permits experimental design techniques to optimize future measurements and maximize information value toward the investigation objectives, directing remote explorers that respond appropriately to new data. Such models are a rich new language for commanding informed robotic decision making in physically grounded terms. We apply these models to quantify the information content of different rover traverses providing profiling spectroscopy of Cuprite Hills, Nevada. We also develop two methods of representing spatial correlations using human-defined maps and remote sensing data. Model unit classifications are broadly consistent with prior maps of the site's alteration mineralogy, indicating that the model has successfully represented critical spatial and mineralogical relationships at Cuprite. Key Words: Autonomous science-Imaging spectroscopy-Alteration mineralogy-Field geology-Cuprite-AVIRIS-NG-Robotic exploration. Astrobiology 18, 934-954.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Thompson
- 1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California
| | - Alberto Candela
- 2 The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - David S Wettergreen
- 2 The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Hynek BM, Rogers KL, Antunovich M, Avard G, Alvarado GE. Lack of Microbial Diversity in an Extreme Mars Analog Setting: Poás Volcano, Costa Rica. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:923-933. [PMID: 29688767 PMCID: PMC6067093 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The Poás volcano in Costa Rica has been studied as a Mars geochemical analog environment, since both the style of hydrothermal alteration present and the alteration mineralogy are consistent with Mars' relict hydrothermal systems. The site hosts an active volcano, with high-temperature fumaroles (up to 980°C) and an ultra-acidic lake. This lake, Laguna Caliente, is one of the most dynamic environments on Earth, with frequent phreatic eruptions, temperatures ranging from near-ambient to almost boiling, a pH range of -1 to 1.5, and a wide range of chemistries and redox potential. Martian acid-sulfate hydrothermal systems were likely similarly dynamic and equally challenging to life. The microbiology existing within Laguna Caliente was characterized for the first time, with sampling taking place in November, 2013. The diversity of the microbial community was surveyed via extraction of environmental DNA from fluid and sediment samples followed by Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbial diversity was limited to a single species of the bacterial genus Acidiphilium. This organism likely gets its energy from oxidation of reduced sulfur in the lake, including elemental sulfur. Given Mars' propensity for sulfur and acid-sulfate environments, this type of organism is of significant interest to the search for past or present life on the Red Planet. Key Words: Mars astrobiology-Acid-sulfate hydrothermal systems-Extremophiles-Acidic-High temperature-Acidiphilium bacteria. Astrobiology 18, 923-933.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Hynek
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Address correspondence to:Brian M. HynekLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space PhysicsUniversity of Colorado3665 Discovery Dr.Boulder, CO 80303
| | - Karyn L. Rogers
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Monique Antunovich
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Geoffroy Avard
- OVSICORI, National University of Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Guillermo E. Alvarado
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, Red Sismológica Nacional, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
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Abstract
Silica polymorphs, such as quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, coesite, stishovite, seifertite, baddeleyite-type SiO2, high-pressure silica glass, moganite, and opal, have been found in lunar and/or martian rocks by macro-microanalyses of the samples and remote-sensing observations on the celestial bodies. Because each silica polymorph is stable or metastable at different pressure and temperature conditions, its appearance is variable depending on the occurrence of the lunar and martian rocks. In other words, types of silica polymorphs provide valuable information on the igneous process (e.g., crystallization temperature and cooling rate), shock metamorphism (e.g., shock pressure and temperature), and hydrothermal fluid activity (e.g., pH and water content), implying their importance in planetary science. Therefore, this article focused on reviewing and summarizing the representative and important investigations of lunar and martian silica from the viewpoints of its discovery from lunar and martian materials, the formation processes, the implications for planetary science, and the future prospects in the field of “micro-mineralogy”.
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Kraus EA, Beeler SR, Mors RA, Floyd JG, Stamps BW, Nunn HS, Stevenson BS, Johnson HA, Shapiro RS, Loyd SJ, Spear JR, Corsetti FA. Microscale Biosignatures and Abiotic Mineral Authigenesis in Little Hot Creek, California. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:997. [PMID: 29887837 PMCID: PMC5981138 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hot spring environments can create physical and chemical gradients favorable for unique microbial life. They can also include authigenic mineral precipitates that may preserve signs of biological activity on Earth and possibly other planets. The abiogenic or biogenic origins of such precipitates can be difficult to discern, therefore a better understanding of mineral formation processes is critical for the accurate interpretation of biosignatures from hot springs. Little Hot Creek (LHC) is a hot spring complex located in the Long Valley Caldera, California, that contains mineral precipitates composed of a carbonate base (largely submerged) topped by amorphous silica (largely emergent). The precipitates occur in close association with microbial mats and biofilms. Geological, geochemical, and microbiological data are consistent with mineral formation via degassing and evaporation rather than direct microbial involvement. However, the microfabric of the silica portion is stromatolitic in nature (i.e., wavy and finely laminated), suggesting that abiogenic mineralization has the potential to preserve textural biosignatures. Although geochemical and petrographic evidence suggests the calcite base was precipitated via abiogenic processes, endolithic microbial communities modified the structure of the calcite crystals, producing a textural biosignature. Our results reveal that even when mineral precipitation is largely abiogenic, the potential to preserve biosignatures in hot spring settings is high. The features found in the LHC structures may provide insight into the biogenicity of ancient Earth and extraterrestrial rocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Kraus
- Geo- Environmental- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Scott R Beeler
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - R Agustin Mors
- Laboratorio de Paleobiología y Geomicrobiología Experimental, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - James G Floyd
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | | | - Blake W Stamps
- Geo- Environmental- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Heather S Nunn
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Bradley S Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Hope A Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, United States
| | - Russell S Shapiro
- Geological and Environmental Sciences, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA, United States
| | - Sean J Loyd
- Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, United States
| | - John R Spear
- Geo- Environmental- Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Frank A Corsetti
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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McMahon S, Bosak T, Grotzinger JP, Milliken RE, Summons RE, Daye M, Newman SA, Fraeman A, Williford KH, Briggs DEG. A Field Guide to Finding Fossils on Mars. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2018; 123:1012-1040. [PMID: 30034979 PMCID: PMC6049883 DOI: 10.1029/2017je005478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The Martian surface is cold, dry, exposed to biologically harmful radiation and apparently barren today. Nevertheless, there is clear geological evidence for warmer, wetter intervals in the past that could have supported life at or near the surface. This evidence has motivated National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency to prioritize the search for any remains or traces of organisms from early Mars in forthcoming missions. Informed by (1) stratigraphic, mineralogical and geochemical data collected by previous and current missions, (2) Earth's fossil record, and (3) experimental studies of organic decay and preservation, we here consider whether, how, and where fossils and isotopic biosignatures could have been preserved in the depositional environments and mineralizing media thought to have been present in habitable settings on early Mars. We conclude that Noachian-Hesperian Fe-bearing clay-rich fluvio-lacustrine siliciclastic deposits, especially where enriched in silica, currently represent the most promising and best understood astropaleontological targets. Siliceous sinters would also be an excellent target, but their presence on Mars awaits confirmation. More work is needed to improve our understanding of fossil preservation in the context of other environments specific to Mars, particularly within evaporative salts and pore/fracture-filling subsurface minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. McMahon
- Department of Geology and GeophysicsYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and AstronomyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - T. Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - J. P. Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary SciencesCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - R. E. Milliken
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary SciencesBrown UniversityProvidenceRIUSA
| | - R. E. Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - M. Daye
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - S. A. Newman
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - A. Fraeman
- Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - K. H. Williford
- Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - D. E. G. Briggs
- Department of Geology and GeophysicsYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
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50
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Fairén AG, Parro V, Schulze-Makuch D, Whyte L. Searching for Life on Mars Before It Is Too Late. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:962-970. [PMID: 28885042 PMCID: PMC5655416 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Decades of robotic exploration have confirmed that in the distant past, Mars was warmer and wetter and its surface was habitable. However, none of the spacecraft missions to Mars have included among their scientific objectives the exploration of Special Regions, those places on the planet that could be inhabited by extant martian life or where terrestrial microorganisms might replicate. A major reason for this is because of Planetary Protection constraints, which are implemented to protect Mars from terrestrial biological contamination. At the same time, plans are being drafted to send humans to Mars during the 2030 decade, both from international space agencies and the private sector. We argue here that these two parallel strategies for the exploration of Mars (i.e., delaying any efforts for the biological reconnaissance of Mars during the next two or three decades and then directly sending human missions to the planet) demand reconsideration because once an astronaut sets foot on Mars, Planetary Protection policies as we conceive them today will no longer be valid as human arrival will inevitably increase the introduction of terrestrial and organic contaminants and that could jeopardize the identification of indigenous martian life. In this study, we advocate for reassessment over the relationships between robotic searches, paying increased attention to proactive astrobiological investigation and sampling of areas more likely to host indigenous life, and fundamentally doing this in advance of manned missions. Key Words: Contamination-Earth Mars-Planetary Protection-Search for life (biosignatures). Astrobiology 17, 962-970.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto G. Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
| | - Dirk Schulze-Makuch
- Center of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, California
| | - Lyle Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Québec, Canada
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