Astrobiology最新文献

{"title":"Recent Advances in Lipidomics of Extremophiles: A Review on Organic Biosignatures.","authors":"Gaurav Yadav, Bronwyn L Teece, Roohi Roohi","doi":"10.1177/15311074261442661","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261442661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Extreme environments on Earth are often studied as analog environments on other planetary bodies, since other planetary bodies in our solar system have extreme conditions for life as we know it. Extremophiles are commonly studied in astrobiology given that these microorganisms can survive in extreme conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, pH). Omics aims to characterize and quantify biological molecules that regulate the structure, function, and dynamics of organisms hence these methods can improve our understanding of their adaption strategies. The properties of the membranes of extremophiles, for example, which are amphiphilic molecules like lipids and fatty acids, play a key role in their adaptation to extreme conditions. Lipidomics of contemporary extremophiles offer a way to study the composition of their lipids exposed to a variety of stress conditions. Lipids are geostable biomolecules that can retain information about their biological origin for more than a billion years. Therefore, the ability of these molecular fossils to become preserved in extreme environments and assist in the reconstruction of early life on Earth indicate that they are likely to survive if preserved in extreme environments elsewhere. This review article highlights the importance of lipidomics in astrobiology and connects contemporary extremophilic lipids with the lipid fossils to outline approaches to detect extraterrestrial microbial life.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261442661"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147833037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Astrobiological Implications of Lava Flows Superposed on Martian Glaciers: Assessment of Formation and Fate of Meltwater, Moulin Formation, Induced Transition to Wet-Based Glacial Conditions, and Ice-Flow Velocity Enhancements.","authors":"James L Fastook, James W Head","doi":"10.1177/15311074261446502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261446502","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Volcanic eruptions and glacial ice have occurred at virtually all latitudes and altitudes throughout Mars history. To assess the astrobiological potential of processes and microenvironments associated with lava flows onto glacial ice, we explore: (1) the influence of lava flow loading on the flow behavior of underlying ice, (2) whether, and for how long, wet-based conditions might occur and be sustained in otherwise cold-based glacial environments, and (3) the immediate fate of the meltwater generated, whether moulins can be generated, and whether and for how long wet-based conditions are generated by such processes. We employ a 1D time-dependent solution of the heat-flow equation to solve for the transient temperature field within a column of ice subjected to instantaneous deposition of a hot lava layer, exploring the parameter space by examining six different initial surface temperatures and three potential geothermal fluxes to characterize a range of past climates/geological regimes. We observe an <i>initial pulse</i> of accelerated flow due to the increased loading by the lava and consequent increase in the driving stress. A <i>secondary pulse</i> of acceleration occurs as the temperature wave from the lava penetrates the ice and reaches the bed, where the bulk of the deformation occurs in response to the warmer, softer ice. We observe basal melting as the bed briefly reaches the melting point and characterize the amounts of water produced during such brief basal melting intervals. Examination of the meltwater generated below, and in moats adjacent to the superposed lava, shows that completely full moats can propagate cracks through km-thick ice, and such crevasses can remain open (moulins) if they are at least 90% full. The greatest volume of drained water is produced by thin lava over thick ice, but the longest duration draining events occur for moderate lava thicknesses over thinner ice. Locally wet-based glacial conditions could persist below the superposed lava flow for durations well over ∼10³ years. We explore the detailed consequences of lava flow/ice interaction, highlighting those most important for the formation and dispersal of potential cryophilic microbiota on Mars, opening new windows of Mars history for astrobiological research and exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261446502"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detecting Fundamental Chiral Biosignatures in the Ultraviolet Polarization Spectrum.","authors":"William B Sparks, Thomas A Germer, Frank T Robb, Kevin P Hand, Michael S Bramble, George Cooper, Hiroshi Imanaka","doi":"10.1177/15311074261444204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261444204","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chiral molecules are ubiquitous and necessary for life as we know it. In extant life, the amino acid and sugar constituents of proteins and biopolymers consist of only one enantiomer. This \"homochirality\" is plausibly generic to any biochemical life and therefore may represent a pure, agnostic biosignature. The ultraviolet (UV) circular polarization spectrum offers a practical method for detecting chirality for generic biomass and hence can be a powerful tool for detecting such biosignatures in an extraterrestrial setting. Here, we demonstrate distinctive UV chiral signatures from astrobiology mission-relevant chemoautotrophic microbes when measured in transmission spectroscopy. Polarization and spectral absorption features are strongly evident at wavelengths expected for protein secondary structures and other chiral molecules, even though the microbial samples are not expected to have survived the study environment. When measured with reflection spectropolarimetry, which would be required for a remote sensing observation, we obtained only null results. Following 10 keV electron irradiation in the Minos chamber at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Ocean Worlds Laboratory, which is equivalent to exposure of approximately 1 month on the Europan surface in a region where radiation is most intense, chiral signatures persisted to a degree dependent on sample thickness and composition. A control measurement of a Murchison meteorite sample was also undertaken.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261444204"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lipid Biomarkers in Microbialites from a Maar Lake: An Astrobiological Study of Biomarker Preservation under Mars Analog Conditions.","authors":"Pável U Martínez-Pabello, María Colín-García, María-Paz Zorzano, Alberto G Fairén, Erik E Aguilar, Laura Sánchez-García, Javier Martin-Torres, Jyothi Basapathi Raghavendra, Gimell Benítez-Irigoyen, Alejandra Izquierdo-León, Daniel Carrizo","doi":"10.1177/15311074261443811","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261443811","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lipids constitute resistant biomarkers that have been proposed as pacemakers in the search for possible microbial life-forms in Mars' past. The extreme conditions on the surface of Mars-such as high levels of radiation and the presence of brines and/or perchlorates-must be taken into account when considering the preservation of hypothetical biomarkers. On Earth, alkaline lakes that are rich in microbialites and that have a high saturation index of carbonates have been proposed as analogs of the martian Noachian era. Here, we describe for the first time the lipid biomarker profile of stromatolites from the Alchichica soda lake in Mexico (<i>n</i>-alkanes, alkenes, fatty acids, and <i>n</i>-alkanols). Additionally, DNA sequencing was conducted to taxonomically characterize the Alchichica microbialites, while mineralogical analyses showed typical morphologies associated with aragonite. Microbialite samples were exposed to high doses of gamma (0.87 and 10.52 MGy) and UV (250 W/m² for 140 h) radiation. Another experiment used salt solutions {brine conditions (NaCl + Na₂SO₄) and perchlorates [Mg(ClO₄)₂]} to explore the resilience of biomarkers to simulated martian primitive and present-day conditions. Our results suggest that different types and doses of radiation significantly degrade indigenous lipid biomarkers in microbialites (94% for 0.87 MGy, 99.5% for 10.52 MGy, and 93.5% for UV), with <i>n</i>-alkanes and fatty acids the best-preserved compounds even at higher radiation doses. While the presence of salts such as chloride and sulfate brines did not modify the preservation of fatty acids and alcohols, the presence of perchlorates alone favored their degradation. Our findings support the idea that remnants of past or present life on Mars may be better preserved in ancient chloride or sulfate saline environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261443811"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying Amino Acid Isomers with Mass Spectrometry on Icy Ocean Moons.","authors":"Janine Bönigk, Maryse Napoleoni, Fabian Klenner, Thomas R O'Sullivan, Lucía Hortal Sánchez, Nozair Khawaja, Partha P Bera, Michael J Malaska, Morgan L Cable, Frank Postberg","doi":"10.1177/15311074261443835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261443835","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enceladus and Europa are compelling targets for astrobiology investigations due to their potentially habitable subsurface oceans connected to the icy surface by geological processes. Both moons emit ice grains either ejected via micrometeoroid surface impacts or erupted from their interiors through plume activity. These grains can be sampled by spacecraft flybys, and their composition can be analyzed by impact ionization mass spectrometers, such as the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) onboard Europa Clipper, or similar instruments proposed for future Enceladus missions. These instruments can identify potential biomolecules, such as amino acids, down to nanomolar concentrations, as demonstrated through previous laboratory experiments. However, the identical masses of isomeric compounds could hinder the mass spectrometric identification and assignment of molecular biosignatures. Here, we investigate the general capability of impact ionization mass spectrometry to distinguish between isomeric compounds, validated with a test case of eight amino acid isomers with an identical molecular mass of 131.173 u and formula C₆H₁₃NO₂, using quantum chemical calculations. We show that the amino acid isomers (including diastereoisomers) can be uniquely identified due to their distinct mass spectral features and fragmentation patterns, explained through intramolecular hydrogen bonding and other structural specificities of the individual isomers. Importantly, α-amino acids can be clearly differentiated from non-α-amino acids owing to several major mass spectral features. We show that SUDA-type instruments have sufficient capabilities to differentiate certain isomers and to identify biosignatures from ocean worlds with high confidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261443835"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Lipidome of a Mars Analog Poly-Extreme Community in Atacama Halite Endolith: Chemotaxonomy, Lipid Adaptation, and Implications for the Search for Extraplanetary Biosignatures.","authors":"Stephanie Kusch, Florence Schubotz, Julio Sepúlveda, Thorsten Bauersachs","doi":"10.1177/15311074261441383","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261441383","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We analyzed the lipidome of the endolithic community in halite nodules from Salar Grande in the hyperarid Atacama Desert, which is considered an analog for martian subsurface environments. We tested the utility of complex functionalized lipids to trace possible extraterrestrial biosignatures under poly-extreme conditions (high osmolarity, desiccation, and irradiance) and evaluated their chemotaxonomic potential for space applications. We identified a total of 269 compounds in the Mars analog community. The complex functionalized lipid pool includes 150 bacterial bilayer-forming intact ester and ether lipids, 15 membrane-regulating bacteriohopanepolyols, and 9 heterocyte glycolipids, as well as 34 archaeal diether membrane lipids and 8 eukaryotic sterols. Thirteen pigments and quinones were also detected. The complex functionalized lipid pool carries the diagnostic fingerprints of cyanobacteria (including N₂-fixing cyanobacteria), <i>Salinibacter</i>, Planctomycetes, and archaeal Halobacteria; each showed core lipid and headgroup adaptation to the multistress environment. We also compared the complex functionalized lipid fingerprints with the lipid fingerprint obtained following base hydrolysis. Our results show that lipid assemblages differ at the compound class level (e.g., absence of hopanoids) as well as core lipid structure level (e.g., degree of unsaturation). Much of the diagnostic information contained in the complex functionalized lipid pool is lost when analyzing gas chromatography-amenable biomarkers only. These results should guide future analysis of Mars return samples as well as ongoing technological developments for <i>in situ</i> detection of mineral-associated lipids.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261441383"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147687807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Earth as a Star: Reframing the Copernican Revolution in <i>A Universe of Earths</i> by Dennis Danielson and Christopher M. Graney.","authors":"Jacob Haqq-Misra","doi":"10.1177/15311074261441369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15311074261441369","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"15311074261441369"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147627147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nanopore Sequencing: A Way to Explore Life's Origins.","authors":"David Deamer","doi":"10.1177/15311074261428674","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15311074261428674","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In future years, it seems likely that someone will claim they have discovered a process that allows a mixture of simple molecules to assemble into structures and systems with the fundamental properties of life. A useful exercise for researchers is to imagine what those properties might be and then design experiments to test ideas about how those properties could emerge on early Earth and other habitable planets. A variety of polymers play key roles in living systems, and we now have powerful analytical tools to analyze their structure and functions. One of these tools is the ability to determine base sequences of nucleic acids by gel electrophoresis, which led to the publication of the human genome in 2001 by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. Another is nanopore sequencing, which has the unique ability to sequence not just fragments from a purified source of DNA but also individual molecules in mixed populations of nucleic acid polymers. Here, I will describe how we are using nanopore sequencing to explore processes by which nucleic acids could have emerged on early Earth 4 billion years ago, before life began.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"294-301"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147389141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revisiting Darwin's Warm Little Pond in the 21st Century: Land-Based Scenarios for Life's Origins.","authors":"Bruce Damer, David Deamer","doi":"10.1177/15311074261434368","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15311074261434368","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"167-169"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147580379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Role of Fatty Acid Vesicles in the Origin of Polymer Function.","authors":"Roy A Black","doi":"10.1177/15311074261427262","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15311074261427262","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The three signature structures of cells are membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids. These structures differ markedly in their composition, so how did they first come together in one unit? And how were peptides and oligonucleotides with functions benefiting the unit selected from random sequences? I review evidence for the following scheme: The first membranes were composed of fatty acids that self-assembled in shallow bodies of fresh water into dynamic, metastable vesicles. The vesicles encapsulated peptides and oligonucleotides during cycles of dehydration and rehydration. Alternatively, polymer formation from membrane-associated monomers yielded peptide and oligonucleotide-containing vesicles. In either case, the polymer-bearing vesicles then became enriched for specific polymers due to the dynamic character of fatty acid membranes. Vesicles bearing peptides that increased vesicle stability and growth would have increased in frequency. Vesicles bearing oligonucleotides that increased the concentration of beneficial peptides would have been further favored. Complementary oligonucleotides could have stabilized peptides and reduced their diffusion out of the vesicles. They could also have directed <i>de novo</i>, templated peptide synthesis, which would have opened the path to the generation of novel peptides.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"260-271"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147353593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}