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Buckner DK, Anderson MJ, Wisnosky S, Alvarado W, Nuevo M, Williams AJ, Ricco AJ, Anamika, Debic S, Friend L, Hoac T, Jahnke L, Radosevich L, Williams R, Wilhelm MB. Quantifying Global Origin-Diagnostic Features and Patterns in Biotic and Abiotic Acyclic Lipids for Life Detection. Astrobiology 2024; 24:1-35. [PMID: 38150549 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Lipids are a geologically robust class of organics ubiquitous to life as we know it. Lipid-like soluble organics are synthesized abiotically and have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites and on Mars. Ascertaining the origin of lipids on Mars would be a profound astrobiological achievement. We enumerate origin-diagnostic features and patterns in two acyclic lipid classes, fatty acids (i.e., carboxylic acids) and acyclic hydrocarbons, by collecting and analyzing molecular data reported in over 1500 samples from previously published studies of terrestrial and meteoritic organics. We identify 27 combined (15 for fatty acids, 12 for acyclic hydrocarbons) molecular patterns and structural features that can aid in distinguishing biotic from abiotic synthesis. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrates that multivariate analyses of molecular features (16 for fatty acids, 14 for acyclic hydrocarbons) can potentially indicate sample origin. Terrestrial lipids are dominated by longer straight-chain molecules (C4-C34 fatty acids, C14-C46 acyclic hydrocarbons), with predominance for specific branched and unsaturated isomers. Lipid-like meteoritic soluble organics are shorter, with random configurations. Organic solvent-extraction techniques are most commonly reported, motivating the design of our novel instrument, the Extractor for Chemical Analysis of Lipid Biomarkers in Regolith (ExCALiBR), which extracts lipids while preserving origin-diagnostic features that can indicate biogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise K Buckner
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Morgan J Anderson
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Axient Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
| | - Sydney Wisnosky
- Axient Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Walter Alvarado
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Michel Nuevo
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Amy J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Antonio J Ricco
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Electrical Engineering-Integrated Circuits Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Anamika
- Department of Space Studies, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - Sara Debic
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Trinh Hoac
- Axient Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
| | - Linda Jahnke
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | | | - Ross Williams
- Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Mary Beth Wilhelm
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
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