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Life on Mars
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Life on Mars

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Astrobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2020) | Viewed by 31794

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Daniela Billi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Roma, Italy
Interests: astrobiology; extreme environments; cyanobacteria; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Potentially habitable worlds are usually defined in terms of three basic requirements: the presence of liquid water, the availability of biogenic elements, and a free energy source. Because of its numerous Earth-like features, Mars is the most intriguing planet of our solar system. Habitability conditions occurred in the past due to the presence of riverbeds, lakes, and even of an ocean on the northern hemisphere. Today, Mars is cold and dry; nevertheless, water activity might still occur in some near-surface environments, and subsurface liquid water was detected at the south pole. Extant/extinct life could potentially occur in niches shielded against the harmful effects of solar and cosmic radiation and protected from perchlorates, reactive chemical oxidants, occurring on the Martian soil.

For this update of the Life Special Issue, submissions are encouraged that describe the survival limits and adaptation potential of extremophiles exposed to simulated conditions in space or on the ground. Biosignature-detection technologies enabling future life-detection missions are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Daniela Billi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • astrobiology
  • life on Mars
  • Biosignatures
  • habitability
  • extremophiles
  • space missions
  • space technologies
  • ground-based simulations
  • analog environments
  • radiation, perchlorates

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1660 KiB  
Article
The Responses of the Black Fungus Cryomyces Antarcticus to High Doses of Accelerated Helium Ions Radiation within Martian Regolith Simulants and Their Relevance for Mars
by Claudia Pacelli, Alessia Cassaro, Lorenzo Aureli, Ralf Moeller, Akira Fujimori and Silvano Onofri
Life 2020, 10(8), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10080130 - 31 Jul 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3276
Abstract
One of the primary current astrobiological goals is to understand the limits of microbial resistance to extraterrestrial conditions. Much attention is paid to ionizing radiation, since it can prevent the preservation and spread of life outside the Earth. The aim of this research [...] Read more.
One of the primary current astrobiological goals is to understand the limits of microbial resistance to extraterrestrial conditions. Much attention is paid to ionizing radiation, since it can prevent the preservation and spread of life outside the Earth. The aim of this research was to study the impact of accelerated He ions (150 MeV/n, up to 1 kGy) as a component of the galactic cosmic rays on the black fungus C. antarcticus when mixed with Antarctic sandstones—the substratum of its natural habitat—and two Martian regolith simulants, which mimics two different evolutionary stages of Mars. The high dose of 1 kGy was used to assess the effect of dose accumulation in dormant cells within minerals, under long-term irradiation estimated on a geological time scale. The data obtained suggests that viable Earth-like microorganisms can be preserved in the dormant state in the near-surface scenario for approximately 322.000 and 110.000 Earth years within Martian regolith that mimic early and present Mars environmental conditions, respectively. In addition, the results of the study indicate the possibility of maintaining traces within regolith, as demonstrated by the identification of melanin pigments through UltraViolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometric approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life on Mars)
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13 pages, 1598 KiB  
Article
Carotenoid Raman Signatures Are Better Preserved in Dried Cells of the Desert Cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis than in Hydrated Counterparts after High-Dose Gamma Irradiation
by Mickael Baqué, Alessandro Napoli, Claudia Fagliarone, Ralf Moeller, Jean-Pierre de Vera and Daniela Billi
Life 2020, 10(6), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10060083 - 8 Jun 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2889
Abstract
Carotenoids are promising targets in our quest to search for life on Mars due to their biogenic origin and easy detection by Raman spectroscopy, especially with a 532 nm excitation thanks to resonance effects. Ionizing radiations reaching the surface and subsurface of Mars [...] Read more.
Carotenoids are promising targets in our quest to search for life on Mars due to their biogenic origin and easy detection by Raman spectroscopy, especially with a 532 nm excitation thanks to resonance effects. Ionizing radiations reaching the surface and subsurface of Mars are however detrimental for the long-term preservation of biomolecules. We show here that desiccation can protect carotenoid Raman signatures in the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 029 even after high-dose gamma irradiation. Indeed, while the height of the carotenoids Raman peaks was considerably reduced in hydrated cells exposed to gamma irradiation, it remained stable in dried cells irradiated with the highest tested dose of 113 kGy of gamma rays, losing only 15-20% of its non-irradiated intensity. Interestingly, even though the carotenoid Raman signal of hydrated cells lost 90% of its non-irradiated intensity, it was still detectable after exposure to 113 kGy of gamma rays. These results add insights into the preservation potential and detectability limit of carotenoid-like molecules on Mars over a prolonged period of time and are crucial in supporting future missions carrying Raman spectrometers to Mars’ surface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life on Mars)
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17 pages, 2183 KiB  
Article
The Hypopiezotolerant Bacterium, Serratia liquefaciens, Failed to Grow in Mars Analog Soils under Simulated Martian Conditions at 7 hPa
by Andrew C. Schuerger, Rebecca L. Mickol and Petra Schwendner
Life 2020, 10(6), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10060077 - 26 May 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4078
Abstract
The search for life on Mars is predicated on the idea that Earth and Mars life (if present) should be both carbon- and water-based with similar forms of evolution. However, the astrobiology community can currently only investigate plausible Martian microbial ecosystems by using [...] Read more.
The search for life on Mars is predicated on the idea that Earth and Mars life (if present) should be both carbon- and water-based with similar forms of evolution. However, the astrobiology community can currently only investigate plausible Martian microbial ecosystems by using Terran life-forms as proxies. In order to examine how life might persist on Mars, we used a hypopiezotolerant bacterium (def., able to grow at 7–10 hPa)—Serratia liquefaciens—in growth assays with four Mars analog soils conducted under a subset of simulated Martian conditions including 7 hPa, 0 °C, and a CO2-enriched anoxic atmosphere (called low-PTA conditions). The four Mars analog soils included an Aeolian dust analog, the Mars JSC-1 analog, a Phoenix lander-site simulant, and a high-Salts analog. Serratia liquefaciens cells were able to grow at 30 °C in a liquid minimal basal medium (MBM) supplemented with 10- or 20-mM sucrose, Spizizen salts, and micronutrients. When the four analog soils were doped with both MBM and cells of S. liquefaciens, and subsequently incubated at 30 °C for 72 h, cell densities increased between 2-logs (Phoenix analog) and 4-logs (Aeolian and JSC-1 analogs); the Salts analog led to complete inactivation of S. liquefaciens within 24 h. In contrast, when the experiment was repeated, but incubated under low-PTA conditions, S. liquefaciens cells were either killed immediately by the Salts analog, or decreased by >5 logs over 28 d by the Aeolian, JSC-1, and Phoenix analogs. The failure of S. liquefaciens to grow in the analog soils under low-PTA conditions was attributed to the synergistic interactions among six factors (i.e., low pressure, low temperature, anoxic atmosphere (i.e., the low-PTA conditions), low-pH in the Salts soil, dissolved salts in all analogs, and oligotrophic conditions) that increased the biocidal or inhibitory conditions within the analog soils. Results suggest that even if a hypopiezotolerant Terran microbe is displaced from a spacecraft surface on Mars, and lands in a hydrated and nutrient-rich niche, growth in the Martian regolith is not automatically assured. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life on Mars)
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8 pages, 604 KiB  
Communication
A New Record for Microbial Perchlorate Tolerance: Fungal Growth in NaClO4 Brines and its Implications for Putative Life on Mars
by Jacob Heinz, Tim Krahn and Dirk Schulze-Makuch
Life 2020, 10(5), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10050053 - 28 Apr 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 9683
Abstract
The habitability of Mars is strongly dependent on the availability of liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it. One of the few places where liquid water might be found on Mars is in liquid perchlorate brines that could form [...] Read more.
The habitability of Mars is strongly dependent on the availability of liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it. One of the few places where liquid water might be found on Mars is in liquid perchlorate brines that could form via deliquescence. As these concentrated perchlorate salt solutions do not occur on Earth as natural environments, it is necessary to investigate in lab experiments the potential of these brines to serve as a microbial habitat. Here, we report on the sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) tolerances for the halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii and the filamentous fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum. Microbial growth was determined visually, microscopically and via counting colony forming units (CFU). With the observed growth of D. hansenii in liquid growth medium containing 2.4 M NaClO4, we found by far the highest microbial perchlorate tolerance reported to date, more than twice as high as the record reported prior (for the bacterium Planococcus halocryophilus). It is plausible to assume that putative Martian microbes could adapt to even higher perchlorate concentrations due to their long exposure to these environments occurring naturally on Mars, which also increases the likelihood of microbial life thriving in the Martian brines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life on Mars)
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Review

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15 pages, 1948 KiB  
Review
The Global Search for Liquid Water on Mars from Orbit: Current and Future Perspectives
by Roberto Orosei, Chunyu Ding, Wenzhe Fa, Antonios Giannopoulos, Alain Hérique, Wlodek Kofman, Sebastian E. Lauro, Chunlai Li, Elena Pettinelli, Yan Su, Shuguo Xing and Yi Xu
Life 2020, 10(8), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10080120 - 24 Jul 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6170
Abstract
Due to its significance in astrobiology, assessing the amount and state of liquid water present on Mars today has become one of the drivers of its exploration. Subglacial water was identified by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) aboard [...] Read more.
Due to its significance in astrobiology, assessing the amount and state of liquid water present on Mars today has become one of the drivers of its exploration. Subglacial water was identified by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) aboard the European Space Agency spacecraft Mars Express through the analysis of echoes, coming from a depth of about 1.5 km, which were stronger than surface echoes. The cause of this anomalous characteristic is the high relative permittivity of water-bearing materials, resulting in a high reflection coefficient. A determining factor in the occurrence of such strong echoes is the low attenuation of the MARSIS radar pulse in cold water ice, the main constituent of the Martian polar caps. The present analysis clarifies that the conditions causing exceptionally strong subsurface echoes occur solely in the Martian polar caps, and that the detection of subsurface water under a predominantly rocky surface layer using radar sounding will require thorough electromagnetic modeling, complicated by the lack of knowledge of many subsurface physical parameters. Higher-frequency radar sounders such as SHARAD cannot penetrate deep enough to detect basal echoes over the thickest part of the polar caps. Alternative methods such as rover-borne Ground Penetrating Radar and time-domain electromagnetic sounding are not capable of providing global coverage. MARSIS observations over the Martian polar caps have been limited by the need to downlink data before on-board processing, but their number will increase in coming years. The Chinese mission to Mars that is to be launched in 2020, Tianwen-1, will carry a subsurface sounding radar operating at frequencies that are close to those of MARSIS, and the expected signal-to-noise ratio of subsurface detection will likely be sufficient for identifying anomalously bright subsurface reflectors. The search for subsurface water through radar sounding is thus far from being concluded. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life on Mars)
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15 pages, 1111 KiB  
Review
Biogenic Metal Nanoparticles: A New Approach to Detect Life on Mars?
by Marta Filipa Simões, Cristiane Angélica Ottoni and André Antunes
Life 2020, 10(3), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10030028 - 20 Mar 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4556
Abstract
Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have been extensively studied. They can be produced via different methods (physical, chemical, or biogenic), but biogenic synthesis has become more relevant, mainly for being referred by many as eco-friendly and more advantageous than others. Biogenic MNPs have been largely [...] Read more.
Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have been extensively studied. They can be produced via different methods (physical, chemical, or biogenic), but biogenic synthesis has become more relevant, mainly for being referred by many as eco-friendly and more advantageous than others. Biogenic MNPs have been largely used in a wide variety of applications, from industry, to agriculture, to health sectors, among others. Even though they are increasingly researched and used, there is still space for exploring further applications and increasing their functionality and our understanding of their synthesis process. Here, we provide an overview of MNPs and biogenic MNPs, and we analyze the potential application of their formation process to astrobiology and the detection of life on Mars and other worlds. According to current knowledge, we suggest that they can be used as potential biosignatures in extra-terrestrial samples. We present the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, suggest further research, and propose its potential use for the search for life in future space exploration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life on Mars)
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