Astrobiology最新文献

{"title":"Life Detection on Icy Moons Using Flow Cytometry and Intrinsically Fluorescent Biomolecules.","authors":"Matthew L Wallace, Nicholas Tallarida, Wayne W Schubert, James Lambert","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2023.0050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a previous experiment, we demonstrated the capability of flow cytometry as a potential life detection technology for icy moons using exogenous fluorescent stains (Wallace et al., 2023). In this companion experiment, we demonstrated the capability of flow cytometry to detect life using intrinsically fluorescent biomolecules in addition to exogenous stains. We used a method similar to our previous work to positively identify six classes of intrinsically fluorescent biomolecules: flavins, carotenoids, chlorophyll, tryptophan, NAD+, and NAD(P)H. We demonstrated the effectiveness of this method with six known organisms and known abiotic material and showed that the cytometer is easily able to distinguish the known organisms and the known abiotic material by using the intrinsic fluorescence of these six biomolecules. To simulate a life detection experiment on an icy moon lander, we used six natural samples with unknown biotic and abiotic content. We showed that flow cytometry can identify all six intrinsically fluorescent biomolecules and can separate the biotic material from the known abiotic material on scatter plots. The use of intrinsically fluorescent biomolecules in addition to exogenous stains will potentially cast a wider net for life detection on icy moons using flow cytometry.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":"24 7","pages":"710-720"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141632511","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":"Variable and Large Losses of Diagnostic Biomarkers After Simulated Cosmic Radiation Exposure in Clay- and Carbonate-Rich Mars Analog Samples.","authors":"Anaïs Roussel, Amy C McAdam, Alex A Pavlov, Christine A Knudson, Cherie N Achilles, Dionysis I Foustoukos, Jason P Dworkin, S Andrejkovičová, Dina M Bower, Sarah Stewart Johnson","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0123","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ast.2023.0123","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mars has been exposed to ionizing radiation for several billion years, and as part of the search for life on the Red Planet, it is crucial to understand the impact of radiation on biosignature preservation. Several NASA and ESA missions are looking for evidence of ancient life in samples collected at depths shallow enough that they have been impacted by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). In this study, we exposed a diverse set of Mars analog samples to 0.9 Megagray (MGy) of gamma radiation to mimic 15 million years of exposure on the Martian surface. We measured no significant impact of GCRs on the total organic carbon (TOC) and bulk stable C isotopes in samples with initial TOC concentration > 0.1 wt. %; however, diagnostic molecular biosignatures presented a wide range of degradation that didn't correlate to factors like mineralogy, TOC, water content, and surface area. Exposure dating suggests that the surface of Gale crater has been irradiated at more than five times our dose, yet using this relatively low dose and \"best-case scenario\" geologically recalcitrant biomarkers, large and variable losses were nevertheless evident. Our results empasize the importance of selecting sampling sites at depth or recently exposed at the Martian surface.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"669-683"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141557934","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":"Unveiling Challenging Microbial Fossil Biosignatures from Rio Tinto with Micro-to-Nanoscale Chemical and Ultrastructural Imaging.","authors":"Lara Maldanis, David Fernandez-Remolar, Laurence Lemelle, Andrew H Knoll, Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, Mirko Holler, Francisco Mateus Cirilo da Silva, Valérie Magnin, Michel Mermoux, Alexandre Simionovici","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0127","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ast.2023.0127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the nature and preservation of microbial traces in extreme environments is crucial for reconstructing Earth's early biosphere and for the search for life on other planets or moons. At Rio Tinto, southwestern Spain, ferric oxide and sulfate deposits similar to those discovered at Meridiani Planum, Mars, entomb a diversity of fossilized organisms, despite chemical conditions commonly thought to be challenging for life and fossil preservation. Investigating this unique fossil microbiota can elucidate ancient extremophile communities and the preservation of biosignatures in acidic environments on Earth and, potentially, Mars. In this study, we use an innovative multiscale approach that combines the state-of-the-art synchrotron X-ray nanoimaging methods of ptychographic X-ray computed laminography and nano-X-ray fluorescence to reveal Rio Tinto's microfossils at subcellular resolution. The unprecedented nanoscale views of several different specimens within their geological and geochemical contexts reveal novel intricacies of preserved microbial communities. Different morphotypes, ecological interactions, and possible taxonomic affinities were inferred based on qualitative and quantitative 3D ultrastructural information, whereas diagenetic processes and metabolic affinities were inferred from complementary chemical information. Our integrated nano-to-microscale analytical approach revealed previously invisible microbial and mineral interactions, which complemented and filled a gap of spatial resolution in conventional methods. Ultimately, this study contributes to the challenge of deciphering the faint chemical and morphological biosignatures that can indicate life's presence on the early Earth and on distant worlds.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"721-733"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141578884","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 Preservation and Spectral Detection of Historic Museum Specimen Microbial Mat Biosignatures Within Martian Dust: Lessons Learned for Mars Exploration and Sample Return.","authors":"Louisa J Preston, Anne D Jungblut, Wren Montgomery, Connor J Ballard, Jo Wilbraham","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0118","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ast.2023.0118","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The key building blocks for life on Mars could be preserved within potentially habitable paleo-depositional settings with their detection possible by utilizing mid-infrared spectroscopy; however, a definite identification and confirmation of organic or even biological origin will require the samples to be returned to Earth. In the present study, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize both mineralogical and organic materials within Mars dust simulant JSC Mars-1 and ancient Antarctic cyanobacterial microbial mats from 1901 to 1904 Discovery Expedition. When FTIR spectroscopy is applied to cyanobacterial microbial mat communities, the resulting spectra will reflect the average biochemical composition of the mats rather than taxa-specific spectral patterns of the individual organisms and can thus be considered as a total chemical analysis of the mat colony. This study also highlights the potential difficulties in the detection of these communities on Mars and which spectral biosignatures will be most detectable within geological substrates. Through the creation and analysis of a suite of dried microbial mat material and Martian dust simulant mixtures, the spectral signatures and wavenumber positions of CH_x aliphatic hydrocarbons and the C-O and O-H bands of polysaccharides remained detectable and may be detectable within sample mixtures obtained through Mars Sample Return activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"684-697"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141557933","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":"Radiolytic Effects on Biological and Abiotic Amino Acids in Shallow Subsurface Ices on Europa and Enceladus.","authors":"Alexander A Pavlov, Hannah McLain, Daniel P Glavin, Jamie E Elsila, Jason Dworkin, Christopher H House, Zhidan Zhang","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2023.0120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Europa and Enceladus are key targets to search for evidence of life in our solar system. However, the surface and shallow subsurface of both airless icy moons are constantly bombarded by ionizing radiation that could degrade chemical biosignatures. Therefore, sampling of icy surfaces in future life detection missions to Europa and Enceladus requires a clear understanding of the necessary ice depth where unaltered organic biomolecules might be present. We conducted radiolysis experiments by exposing individual amino acids in ices and amino acids from dead microorganisms in ices to gamma radiation to simulate conditions on these icy worlds. In the pure amino acid samples, glycine did not show a detectable decrease in abundance, whereas the abundance of isovaline decreased by 40% after 4 MGy of exposure. Amino acids in dead <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) organic matter exhibited a gradual decline in abundances with the increase of exposure dosage, although at much slower rates than individual amino acids. The majority of amino acids in dead <i>A. woodii</i> samples demonstrated a step function decline as opposed to a gradual decline. After the initial drop in abundance with 1 MGy of exposure, those amino acids did not display further decreases in abundance after exposure up to 4 MGy. New radiolysis constants for isolated amino acids and amino acids in dead <i>E. coli</i> material for Europa/Enceladus-like conditions have been derived. Slow rates of amino acid destruction in biological samples under Europa and Enceladus-like surface conditions bolster the case for future life detection measurements by Europa and Enceladus lander missions. Based on our measurements, the \"safe\" sampling depth on Europa is ∼20 cm at high latitudes of the trailing hemisphere in the area of little impact gardening. Subsurface sampling is not required for the detection of amino acids on Enceladus-these molecules will survive radiolysis at any location on the Enceladus surface. If the stability of amino acids observed in <i>A. woodii</i> organic materials is confirmed in other microorganisms, then the survival of amino acids from a potential biosphere in Europa ice would be significantly increased.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":"24 7","pages":"698-709"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141632512","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":"Microbial Ecology of an Arctic Travertine Geothermal Spring: Implications for Biosignature Preservation and Astrobiology.","authors":"Ifeoma R Ugwuanyi, Andrew Steele, Mihaela Glamoclija","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0130","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ast.2023.0130","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Jotun springs in Svalbard, Norway, is a rare warm environment in the Arctic that actively forms travertine. In this study, we assessed the microbial ecology of Jotun's active (aquatic) spring and dry spring transects. We evaluated the microbial preservation potential and mode, as well as the astrobiological relevance of the travertines to marginal carbonates mapped at Jezero Crater on Mars (the Mars 2020 landing site). Our results revealed that microbial communities exhibited spatial dynamics controlled by temperature, fluid availability, and geochemistry. Amorphous carbonates and silica precipitated within biofilm and on the surface of filamentous microorganisms. The water discharged at the source is warm, with near neutral pH, and undersaturated in silica. Hence, silicification possibly occurred through cooling, dehydration, and partially by a microbial presence or activities that promote silica precipitation. CO₂ degassing and possible microbial contributions induced calcite precipitation and travertine formation. Jotun revealed that warm systems that are not very productive in carbonate formation may still produce significant carbonate buildups and provide settings favorable for fossilization through silicification and calcification. Our findings suggest that the potential for amorphous silica precipitation may be essential for Jezero Crater's marginal carbonates because it significantly increases the preservation potential of putative martian organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"734-753"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141578883","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":"In Memoriam: David Hochberg (1957-2023).","authors":"Celia Blanco, Thomas Buhse, Pedro Cintas, Isabel Herreros, Jean-Claude Micheau, Federico Morán, Juan Pérez-Mercader, Josep M Ribó, Michael Stich, Cristóbal Viedma","doi":"10.1089/ast.2024.0030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2024.0030","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141454954","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 Concept of Life on Venus Informs the Concept of Habitability.","authors":"Charles S Cockell, John E Hallsworth, Sean McMahon, Stephen R Kane, Peter M Higgins","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0106","DOIUrl":"10.1089/ast.2023.0106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An enduring question in astrobiology is how we assess extraterrestrial environments as being suitable for life. We suggest that the most reliable assessments of the habitability of extraterrestrial environments are made with respect to the empirically determined limits to known life. We discuss qualitatively distinct categories of habitability: <i>empirical habitability</i> that is constrained by the observed limits to biological activity; <i>habitability</i> sensu stricto, which is defined with reference to the known or unknown limits to the activity of all known organisms; and <i>habitability</i> sensu lato (habitability in the broadest sense), which is circumscribed by the limit of all possible life in the universe, which is the most difficult (and perhaps impossible) to determine. We use the cloud deck of Venus, which is temperate but incompatible with known life, as an example to elaborate and hypothesize on these limits.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":" ","pages":"628-634"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141154912","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":"Astrobiology by Gavriil Tikhov.","authors":"Charles S Cockell","doi":"10.1089/ast.2024.0036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2024.0036","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":"24 6","pages":"643-668"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141449503","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":"Exploiting the Unique Biology of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> to Launch Neurodegeneration Studies in Space.","authors":"Tatyana Itkin, Ksenia Unger, Yair Barak, Amit Yovel, Liya Stekolshchik, Linoy Ego, Yana Aydinov, Yoram Gerchman, Amir Sapir","doi":"10.1089/ast.2023.0096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2023.0096","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 21st century is likely to be the first century in which large-scale short- and long-term space missions become common. Accordingly, an ever-increasing body of research is focusing on understanding the effects of current and future space expeditions on human physiology in health and disease. Yet the complex experimental environment, the small number of participants, and the high cost of space missions are among the primary factors that hinder a better understanding of the impact of space missions on human physiology. The goal of our research was to develop a cost-effective, compact, and easy-to-manipulate system to address questions related to human health and disease in space. This initiative was part of the Ramon SpaceLab program, an annual research-based learning program designed to cultivate high school students' involvement in space exploration by facilitating experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In the present study, we used the nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>), a well-suited model organism, to investigate the effect of space missions on neurodegeneration-related processes. Our study specifically focused on the level of aggregation of Huntington's disease-causing polyglutamine stretch-containing (PolyQ) proteins in <i>C. elegans</i> muscles, the canonical system for studying neurodegeneration in this organism. We compared animals expressing PolyQ proteins grown onboard the ISS with their genetically identical siblings grown on Earth and observed a significant difference in the number of aggregates between the two populations. Currently, it is challenging to determine whether this effect stems from developmental or morphological differences between the cultures or is a result of life in space. Nevertheless, our results serve as a proof of concept and open a new avenue for utilizing <i>C. elegans</i> to address various open questions in space studies, including the effects of space conditions on the onset and development of neurodegenerative diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":8645,"journal":{"name":"Astrobiology","volume":"24 6","pages":"579-589"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141449504","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}