Published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Europa is an established high-priority astrobiology target where identifying chemical signatures of life is one of NASA’s highest-priority goals. Remote sensing techniques are powerful tools for extraterrestrial exploration, but in situ data through analyses of subsurface materials is necessary for ground-truthing these habitability investigations....
Published in Frontiers in Microbiology
Hydrothermal systems and their deposits are primary targets in the search for fossil evidence of life beyond Earth. However, to learn how to decode fossil biomarker records in ancient hydrothermal deposits, we must first be able to interpret unambiguously modern biosignatures, their distribution patterns, and their association with physicochemical ...
Published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
One of the greatest and most long-lived scientific pursuits of humankind has been to discover and study the planetary objects comprising our solar system. Information gained from solar system observations, via both remote sensing and in situ measurements, is inherently constrained by the analytical (often chemical) techniques we employ in these end...
Published in Frontiers in Microbiology
Marinobacter spp. are cosmopolitan in saline environments, displaying a diverse set of metabolisms that allow them to competitively occupy these environments, some of which can be extreme in both salinity and temperature. Here, we introduce a distinct cluster of Marinobacter genomes, composed of novel isolates and in silico assembled genomes obtain...
The regolith environment and associated organic material on Ceres is analogous to environments that existed on Earth 3–4 billion years ago. This has implications not only for abiogenesis and the theory of transpermia, but it provides context for developing a framework to contrast the limits of Earth’s biosphere with extraterrestrial environments of...
Published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
The detection of biomolecules on Solar System bodies can help us to understand how life emerged on Earth and how life may be distributed in our Solar System. However, the detection of chemical signatures of life on planets or their moons is challenging. A variety of parameters must be considered, such as a suited landing site location, geological a...
We are embarking on a new age of astrobiology, one in which numerous interplanetary missions and telescopes will be designed, built, and launched with the explicit goal of finding evidence for life beyond Earth. Such a profound aim warrants caution and responsibility when interpreting and disseminating results. Scientists must take care not to over...
Published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Past environments on Mars contained abundant water, suggesting certain regions may have been conducive to life as we know it and implying the potential for microbial inhabitants. Gale and Jezero craters, home of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, hosted ancient lakes that experienced periods of active hydrologic cycling and prolonged drying int...
The search for life in the universe is often informed by the study of “extreme” environments on Earth, which provide analogs for habitable locations in the Solar System, and whose microbial inhabitants may therefore also serve as analogs for potential life forms in extraterrestrial milieus. Recent work has highlighted the ubiquity and importance of...
