Special Issue "Astrobiology and Sustainability"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Jesus Martinez-Frias
Centro de Astrobiologia, CSIC-INTA, Ctra de Ajalvir, km. 4, 28850, Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
Website: http://tierra.rediris.es/jmfrias.html
E-Mail:
Interests: planetary geology; astrobiology; natural resources of near earth space and sustainability; geo and biomarkers; extreme environments and planetary habitability; geodiversity and biodiversity; natural hazards and planetary ecosystems; geoethics in earth and space sciences; science and technology for development; emerging sciences, cultural implications and new paradigms

Dear Colleagues,

Astrobiology is a transdisciplinary field regarding the study of the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe; it encompasses exobiology; formation of elements, stars, planets, and organic molecules; initiation of replicating organisms; biogeological links on different terrestial settings (analogs), biological evolution; gravitational biology; and human exploration. Astrobiology was a new word for a new paradigm. Basically, it tries to address three basic questions: How does life begin and evolve? Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? And What is the future of life on Earth and beyond? Likewise, achieving sustainable development generally involves a multidisciplinary approach, including scientific, technological, environmental, societal and cultural issues. In the near future, we will face an enormous activity spread across the solar system, involving a vast expansion of human knowledge and potential changes of the humankind’s view of the world and nature. We invite you to contribute to this special issue by submitting comprehensive review or research articles linking Astrobiology and Sustanability at different scales and from different perspectives.

Jesus Martinez-Frias
Guest Editor

• astrobiology; exobiology; exopaleontology or bioastronomy
• habitable planet, life on the planet
• prebiotic chemistry
• life on Mars
• life in outer space
• planetary habitability
• extremophiles and extreme environments
• terrestrial analogs
• geo/biomarkers
• life, water and minerals

Title: Astrobiology and Green Chemistry: A New Pathway to Sustainability
Author: Vera M. Kolb
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, 53141-2000, USA; E-Mail: kolb@uwp.edu
Abstract: The connection between astrobiology and green chemistry represents a new approach to sustainability. We demonstrate how green chemistry can benefit from astrobiology. Green chemistry is chemistry which is environmentally friendly. One obvious way for chemistry to be environmentally friendly is to use water as a solvent, instead of more toxic organic solvents. The astrobiological reactions typically occur in water (e.g. prebiotic soup). Much is known about such reactions, but they need to be optimized for the industrial use. Another green chemistry approach to avoid use of toxic solvents is to run the reactions without a solvent (so-called solventless reactions). For example, as the solid materials are mixed together, the melting point of the mixture is lower than the melting points of its individual components (the principle of the mixed-melting point). In some cases the entire mixture may melt upon mixing. The reactions would then occur in a viscous semi-solid state. Not much is known about the types of the reactions which are amenable to such an approach. Astrobiology can help here, since the reactions on asteroids and meteorites may have been done in the solid mixtures. A myriad of organic compounds have been isolated from the meteorites. These compounds can inspire a search for the solventless reactions of the industrial importance. More examples of the use of astrobiology to green chemistry will be shown.

Title: Resistance of microorganisms under extreme environmental conditions and its contributions to Astrobiology
Author: Pabulo Henrique Rampelotto
Affiliation: Exobiology and Biosphere Laboratory - National Institute for Space Research, P.O.Box 5021, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil & Department of Biology, Federal University of Santa Maria, P.O.Box 5096, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; E-Mail: pabulo@lacesm.ufsm.br
Abstract: Spores are the most resistance microorganisms forms related in the literature. A variety of studies has demonstrating that microorganisms can survive under harsh conditions as extreme acceleration variations, shocks, high temperature variations, different ultraviolet and ionizing radiation intensities, pressure and vacuum. Microbes can return to life even after hundreds of millions of years. With these studies, panspermia – the extraterrestrial origin of life hypothesis - emerges as a promising field of research. In this work, are compiled recent discoveries and the principal advances in terms of microorganism’s resistance and its contributions to the study of Astrobiology.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Impact Ejecta and the Search for Sustainable Subsurface Habitats on Mars
Authors: Magnus Ivarsson ¹ and Paula Lindgren ²
Affiliations: ¹ Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Palaeozoology, Svante Arrheniusvär 9, Box 50007, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden; E-Mail: magnus.ivarsson@geo.su.se
² University of Glasgow, Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, Gregory Building, Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
Abstract: On Earth, the deep subsurface biosphere of the marine and terrestrial basement is well known to survive harsh conditions and adapt to environments characterized by high temperatures, high pressures, extreme pHs and the absence of sun. The microorganisms of the deep biosphere have an excellent capability to adapt to changing geochemical conditions as alteration of the crust proceeds and the conditions of their habitats slowly change. Despite an almost complete isolation from surface conditions and the surface biosphere, the deep biosphere of the basement have sustained over geologic time. This indicates that the deep biosphere is a self-sufficient system, independent in respect to global events that occur at the surface, such as small scale impacts, glaciations and climate changes.
On Mars, the subsurface has been targeted as the most plausible place to search for fossil life or even present life. Since the Martian surface is more or less sterile, subsurface settings are the only place on Mars where life could have sustained over geologic time. To detect a deep biosphere in the Martian basement drilling is a requirement. However, near future Mars sample return missions are limited by the missions payload which excludes heavy drilling equipment and restrict the missions to only dig the topmost meter of the Martian soil. Impact cratering, on the other hand, is a natural geological process capable of excavating large amounts of rock material from great depths up to the surface. Impact cratering is a high energy event, but fossilized microorganisms and biomarkers from great depths could survive the impact and be ejected to the surface where they are available for analyses. Several studies of terrestrial impact ejecta show both preservation of pre-impact biosignatures, and introduction of post-impact biosignatures. Therefore, by studying impact ejecta on the Martian surface in future missions, one would be able to search for a sustainable Martian deep biosphere without using heavy drilling equipment.

Title: The Case of the Lacking Carbonates and the Emergence of Early Life on Mars
Authors: David C. Fernández-Remolar, Mónica Sánchez-Román and Ricardo Amils
Affiliation: Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Ctra Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Spain; E-Mails: fernandezrd@inta.es (D.C.F.-R.); msanz78@gmail.com (M.S.-R.); ramils@cbm.uam.es (R.A.)
Abstract: The mineralogical characterization of Mars, by the different exploration missions provides a new image of the earliest conditions that prevailed on the planet surface. The detection of extensive deposits of phyllosillicates has been considered as a result of the production of hydrated silicates through the alteration and precipitation under neutral to sub-alkaline conditions. Although extensive deposits of carbonates should precipitate beneath a CO₂ -bearing atmosphere, only few outcrops of Mg-rich carbonates have been detected on Mars. Paradoxically those carbonates occur in association with geological units exposed to acidic paleoenvironments. Giving those geochemical conditions on Earth, the carbon cycle is intimately associated with life, then, we can assume that the presence or absence of microbial communities should have impacted the distribution of those carbonate compounds on Mars. In this paper, we suggest three potential scenarios to explain how the emergence of life on Mars should have impacted the carbon cycle and, hence, the formation of carbonates on a planetary scale.
Keywords: carbonates; carbon cycle; microbial life; subsurface; primitive environments; mars

Title: Phenotype Plasticity Allows Cyanobacteria to Thrive in Extreme and Changing Environments
Author: H. Fort
Affiliation: Instituto de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, Uruguay; E-Mail: hugo@fisica.edu.uy
Abstract: Cyanobacteria had a paramount role in the development of life on Earth. Much of their ecological success can be understood due to a high phenotypic plasticity. Analyzing data from more than 200 lakes (tropic-subpolar) we observe that: 1) cyanobacteria dominate over other phytoplankton groups in a wider range of environmental conditions, 2) they are also functionally more diverse in terms of their morphology and distribution among functional groups. We show that a simple mathematical model, based on organisms' traits, captures the known invasive capacity of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. Finally, we discuss the relevance of our findings to astrobiology and sustainability questions.
Keywords: ecological functions; functional groups; morphology; invasive capacity; life on Earth; exobiology