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Volume 38
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10.21775/cimb.038.123
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Current Issues in Molecular Biology is published by MDPI from Volume 43 Issue 1 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Caister Press.
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Review

Exploring Deep-Sea Brines as Potential Terrestrial Analogues of Oceans in the Icy Moons of the Outer Solar System

by
André Antunes
1,*,
Karen Olsson-Francis
2 and
Terry J. McGenity
3
1
State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), Taipa, Macau SAR, China
2
School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
3
School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2020, 38(1), 123-162; https://doi.org/10.21775/cimb.038.123
Submission received: 10 October 2019 / Revised: 6 November 2019 / Accepted: 12 December 2019 / Published: 22 January 2020
Versions Notes

Abstract

Several icy moons of the outer solar system have been receiving considerable attention and are currently seen as major targets for astrobiological research and the search for life beyond our planet. Despite the limited amount of data on the oceans of these moon, we expect them to be composed of brines with variable chemistry, some degree of hydrothermal input, and be under high pressure conditions. The combination of these different conditions significantly limits the number of extreme locations, which can be used as terrestrial analogues. Here we propose the use of deep-sea brines as potential terrestrial analogues to the oceans in the outer solar system. We provide an overview of what is currently known about the conditions on the icy moons of the outer solar system and their oceans as well as on deep-sea brines of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean and their microbiology. We also identify several threads of future research, which would be particularly useful in the context of future exploration of these extra-terrestrial oceans.

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MDPI and ACS Style

Antunes, A.; Olsson-Francis, K.; McGenity, T.J. Exploring Deep-Sea Brines as Potential Terrestrial Analogues of Oceans in the Icy Moons of the Outer Solar System. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2020, 38, 123-162. https://doi.org/10.21775/cimb.038.123

AMA Style

Antunes A, Olsson-Francis K, McGenity TJ. Exploring Deep-Sea Brines as Potential Terrestrial Analogues of Oceans in the Icy Moons of the Outer Solar System. Current Issues in Molecular Biology. 2020; 38(1):123-162. https://doi.org/10.21775/cimb.038.123

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antunes, André, Karen Olsson-Francis, and Terry J. McGenity. 2020. "Exploring Deep-Sea Brines as Potential Terrestrial Analogues of Oceans in the Icy Moons of the Outer Solar System" Current Issues in Molecular Biology 38, no. 1: 123-162. https://doi.org/10.21775/cimb.038.123

APA Style

Antunes, A., Olsson-Francis, K., & McGenity, T. J. (2020). Exploring Deep-Sea Brines as Potential Terrestrial Analogues of Oceans in the Icy Moons of the Outer Solar System. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 38(1), 123-162. https://doi.org/10.21775/cimb.038.123

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