Microbial Habitability and Pleistocene Aridification of the Asian Interior.

Abstract:

UNLABELLED:Fluid inclusions trapped in ancient halite can contain a community of halophilic prokaryotes and eukaryotes that inhabited the surface brines from which the halite formed. Long-term survival of bacteria and archaea and preservation of DNA have been reported from halite, but little is known about the distribution of microbes in buried evaporites. Here we report the discovery of prokaryotes and single-celled algae in fluid inclusions in Pleistocene halite, up to 2.26 Ma in age, from the Qaidam Basin, China. We show that water activity (aw), a measure of water availability and an environmental control on biological habitability in surface brines, is also related to microbe entrapment in fluid inclusions. The aw of Qaidam Basin brines progressively decreased over the last ∼1 million years, driven by aridification of the Asian interior, which led to decreased precipitation and water inflow and heightened evaporation rates. These changes in water balance produced highly concentrated brines, which reduced the habitability of surface lakes and decreased the number of microbes trapped in halite. By 0.13 Ma, the aw of surface brines approached the limits tolerated by halophilic prokaryotes and algae. These results show the response of microbial ecosystems to climate change in an extreme environment, which will guide future studies exploring deep life on Earth and elsewhere in the Solar System. KEY WORDS:Halite fluid inclusions-Ancient microbes-Water activity-Qaidam Basin-Pleistocene aridification. Astrobiology 16, 379-388.

journal_name

Astrobiology

journal_title

Astrobiology

authors

Wang J,Lowenstein TK,Fang X

doi

10.1089/ast.2015.1397

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2016-06-01 00:00:00

pages

379-88

issue

6

eissn

1531-1074

issn

1557-8070

journal_volume

16

pub_type

杂志文章
  • Fungi and Mycotoxins in Space-A Review.

    abstract::Fungi are not only present on Earth but colonize spacecraft and space stations as well. This review provides an extensive overview of the large and diverse group of fungal species that have been found in space, as well as those corresponding detection methods used and the existing and potential future prevention and c...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章,评审

    doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1854

    authors: De Middeleer G,Leys N,Sas B,De Saeger S

    更新日期:2019-07-01 00:00:00

  • An online astrobiology course for teachers.

    abstract::A continuing challenge for scientists is to keep K-12 teachers informed about new scientific developments. Over the past few years, this challenge has increased as new research findings have come from the field of astrobiology. In addition to trying to keep abreast of these new discoveries, K-12 teachers must also fac...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/15311070260192282

    authors: Prather EE,Slater TF

    更新日期:2002-07-01 00:00:00

  • Short-wave infrared reflectance investigation of sites of paleobiological interest: applications for Mars exploration.

    abstract::Rover missions to the rocky bodies of the Solar System and especially to Mars require lightweight, portable instruments that use minimal power, require no sample preparation, and provide suitably diagnostic mineralogical information to an Earth-based exploration team. Short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopic instrumen...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2004.4.359

    authors: Brown A,Walter M,Cudahy T

    更新日期:2004-10-01 00:00:00

  • Capillary electrophoresis analysis of organic amines and amino acids in saline and acidic samples using the Mars organic analyzer.

    abstract::The Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA) has enabled the sensitive detection of amino acid and amine biomarkers in laboratory standards and in a variety of field sample tests. However, the MOA is challenged when samples are extremely acidic and saline or contain polyvalent cations. Here, we have optimized the MOA analysis, sam...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2009.0357

    authors: Stockton AM,Chiesl TN,Lowenstein TK,Amashukeli X,Grunthaner F,Mathies RA

    更新日期:2009-11-01 00:00:00

  • Geochemical and Stable Fe Isotopic Analysis of Dissimilatory Microbial Iron Reduction in Chocolate Pots Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park.

    abstract::Chocolate Pots hot spring (CP) is an Fe-rich, circumneutral-pH geothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park. Relic hydrothermal systems have been identified on Mars, and modern hydrothermal environments such as CP are useful for gaining insight into potential pathways for generation of biosignatures of ancient micro...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2019.2058

    authors: Fortney NW,Beard BL,Hutchings JA,Shields MR,Bianchi TS,Boyd ES,Johnson CM,Roden EE

    更新日期:2021-01-01 00:00:00

  • A concept for NASA's Mars 2016 astrobiology field laboratory.

    abstract::The Mars Program Plan includes an integrated and coordinated set of future candidate missions and investigations that meet fundamental science objectives of NASA and the Mars Exploration Program (MEP). At the time this paper was written, these possible future missions are planned in a manner consistent with a projecte...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2007.0153

    authors: Beegle LW,Wilson MG,Abilleira F,Jordan JF,Wilson GR

    更新日期:2007-08-01 00:00:00

  • The BASALT Research Program: Designing and Developing Mission Elements in Support of Human Scientific Exploration of Mars.

    abstract::The articles associated with this Special Collection focus on the NASA BASALT (Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains) Research Program, which aims at answering the question, "How do we support and enable scientific exploration during human Mars missions?" To answer this the BASALT team conducted scient...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type:

    doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1869

    authors: Lim DSS,Abercromby AFJ,Kobs Nawotniak SE,Lees DS,Miller MJ,Brady AL,Miller MJ,Mirmalek Z,Sehlke A,Payler SJ,Stevens AH,Haberle CW,Beaton KH,Chappell SP,Hughes SS,Cockell CS,Elphic RC,Downs MT,Heldmann JL

    更新日期:2019-03-01 00:00:00

  • Organic Haze as a Biosignature in Anoxic Earth-like Atmospheres.

    abstract::Early Earth may have hosted a biologically mediated global organic haze during the Archean eon (3.8-2.5 billion years ago). This haze would have significantly impacted multiple aspects of our planet, including its potential for habitability and its spectral appearance. Here, we model worlds with Archean-like levels of...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1666

    authors: Arney G,Domagal-Goldman SD,Meadows VS

    更新日期:2018-03-01 00:00:00

  • Enhanced Radiation Resistance of Methanosarcina soligelidi SMA-21, a New Methanogenic Archaeon Isolated from a Siberian Permafrost-Affected Soil in Direct Comparison to Methanosarcina barkeri.

    abstract:UNLABELLED:Permafrost-affected soils are characterized by a high abundance and diversity of methanogenic communities, which are considered suitable model organisms for potential life on Mars. Methanogens from Siberian permafrost have been proven to be highly resistant against divers stress conditions such as subzero te...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1319

    authors: Morozova D,Moeller R,Rettberg P,Wagner D

    更新日期:2015-11-01 00:00:00

  • Analysis of competition between transformation pathways in the functioning of biotic abstract dual automata.

    abstract::Properties of avenues of transformation and their mutualism with forms of organization in dynamic systems are essential for understanding the evolution of prebiotic order. We have analyzed competition between two avenues of transformation in an A↔B system, using the simulation approach called BiADA (Biotic Abstract Du...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2012.0933

    authors: Popa R,Cimpoiasu VM

    更新日期:2013-05-01 00:00:00

  • Origin and formation of planetary systems.

    abstract::To estimate the occurrence of terrestrial exoplanets and maximize the chance of finding them, it is crucial to understand the formation of planetary systems in general and that of terrestrial planets in particular. We show that a reliable formation theory should not only explain the formation of the Solar System, with...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2009.0372

    authors: Alibert Y,Broeg C,Benz W,Wuchterl G,Grasset O,Sotin C,Eiroa C,Henning T,Herbst T,Kaltenegger L,Léger A,Liseau R,Lammer H,Beichman C,Danchi W,Fridlund M,Lunine J,Paresce F,Penny A,Quirrenbach A,Röttgering H,Selsi

    更新日期:2010-01-01 00:00:00

  • Calibration of carbonate composition using micro-Raman analysis: application to planetary surface exploration.

    abstract::Stromatolite structures in Early Archean carbonate deposits form an important clue for the existence of life in the earliest part of Earth's history. Since Mars is thought to have had similar environmental conditions early in its history, the question arises as to whether such stromatolite structures also evolved ther...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2009.0388

    authors: Rividi N,van Zuilen M,Philippot P,Ménez B,Godard G,Poidatz E

    更新日期:2010-04-01 00:00:00

  • "Standoff Biofinder" for Fast, Noncontact, Nondestructive, Large-Area Detection of Biological Materials for Planetary Exploration.

    abstract:UNLABELLED:We developed a prototype instrument called the Standoff Biofinder, which can quickly locate biological material in a 500 cm(2) area from a 2 m standoff distance with a detection time of 0.1 s. All biogenic materials give strong fluorescence signals when excited with UV and visible lasers. In addition, the lu...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1400

    authors: Misra AK,Acosta-Maeda TE,Sharma SK,McKay CP,Gasda PJ,Taylor GJ,Lucey PG,Flynn L,Abedin MN,Clegg SM,Wiens R

    更新日期:2016-09-01 00:00:00

  • The production of methane, hydrogen, and organic compounds in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

    abstract::Both hydrogen and methane are consistently discharged in large quantities in hydrothermal fluids issued from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields discovered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Considering the vast number of these fields discovered or inferred, hydrothermal fluxes represent a significant input of H2 and CH4...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章,评审

    doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1198

    authors: Konn C,Charlou JL,Holm NG,Mousis O

    更新日期:2015-05-01 00:00:00

  • Brines in seepage channels as eluants for subsurface relict biomolecules on Mars?

    abstract::Water, vital for life, not only maintains the integrity of structural and metabolic biomolecules, it also transports them in solution or colloidal suspension. Any flow of water through a dormant or fossilized microbial community elutes molecules that are potentially recognizable as biomarkers. We hypothesize that the ...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/153110701753198936

    authors: Wynn-Williams DD,Cabrol NA,Grin EA,Haberle RM,Stoker CR

    更新日期:2001-07-01 00:00:00

  • UV photochemistry of DNA in vitro and in Bacillus subtilis spores at earth-ambient and low atmospheric pressure: implications for spore survival on other planets or moons in the solar system.

    abstract::Two major parameters influencing the survival of Bacillus subtilis spores in space and on bodies within the Solar System are UV radiation and vacuum, both of which induce inactivating damage to DNA. To date, however, spore survival and DNA photochemistry have been explored only at the extremes of Earth-normal atmosphe...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/153110702762470518

    authors: Nicholson WL,Setlow B,Setlow P

    更新日期:2002-01-01 00:00:00

  • Understanding microbialite morphology using a comprehensive suite of three-dimensional analysis tools.

    abstract::Microbialites can have complex morphologies that preserve clues to ancient microbial ecology. However, extracting and interpreting these clues is challenging due to both the complexity of microbial structures and the difficulties of connecting morphology to microbial processes. Fenestrate microbialites from the 2521±3...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0560

    authors: Stevens EW,Sumner DY,Harwood CL,Crutchfield JP,Hamann B,Kreylos O,Puckett E,Senge P

    更新日期:2011-07-01 00:00:00

  • On the survivability and detectability of terrestrial meteorites on the moon.

    abstract::Materials blasted into space from the surface of early Earth may preserve a unique record of our planet's early surface environment. Armstrong et al. (2002) pointed out that such materials, in the form of terrestrial meteorites, may exist on the Moon and be of considerable astrobiological interest if biomarkers from e...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2007.0215

    authors: Crawford IA,Baldwin EC,Taylor EA,Bailey JA,Tsembelis K

    更新日期:2008-04-01 00:00:00

  • An exit cavity was crucial to the polymerase activity of the early ribosome.

    abstract::The emergence of an RNA entity capable of synthesizing peptides was a key prebiotic development. It is hypothesized that a precursor of the modern ribosomal exit tunnel was associated with this RNA entity (e.g., "protoribosome" or "bonding entity") from the earliest time and played an essential role. Various compounds...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2011.0692

    authors: Fox GE,Tran Q,Yonath A

    更新日期:2012-01-01 00:00:00

  • Enceladus Plume Structure and Time Variability: Comparison of Cassini Observations.

    abstract::During three low-altitude (99, 66, 66 km) flybys through the Enceladus plume in 2010 and 2011, Cassini's ion neutral mass spectrometer (INMS) made its first high spatial resolution measurements of the plume's gas density and distribution, detecting in situ the individual gas jets within the broad plume. Since those fl...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1647

    authors: Teolis BD,Perry ME,Hansen CJ,Waite JH,Porco CC,Spencer JR,Howett CJA

    更新日期:2017-09-01 00:00:00

  • Detection and Degradation of Adenosine Monophosphate in Perchlorate-Spiked Martian Regolith Analogue, by Deep-Ultraviolet Spectroscopy.

    abstract::The search for organic biosignatures on Mars will depend on finding material protected from the destructive ambient radiation. Solar ultraviolet can induce photochemical degradation of organic compounds, but certain clays have been shown to preserve organic material. We examine how the SHERLOC instrument on the upcomi...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2020.2362

    authors: Razzell Hollis J,Fornaro T,Rapin W,Wade J,Vicente-Retortillo Á,Steele A,Bhartia R,Beegle LW

    更新日期:2021-01-25 00:00:00

  • Prebiotic glycosylation of uracil with electron-donating substituents.

    abstract::Following the suggestion that nucleoside analogues having their nucleobases joined to ribose via a carbon-carbon bond might easily arise prebiotically, the glycosylation of uracil carrying electron-donating substituents (Me, OH, OCH3, NH2) at its 5 or 6 positions was investigated. Of these, only 6-aminouracil gave gly...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1264

    authors: Kim HJ,Benner SA

    更新日期:2015-04-01 00:00:00

  • Phosphine as a Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres.

    abstract::A long-term goal of exoplanet studies is the identification and detection of biosignature gases. Beyond the most discussed biosignature gas O2, only a handful of gases have been considered in detail. In this study, we evaluate phosphine (PH3). On Earth, PH3 is associated with anaerobic ecosystems, and as such, it is a...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1954

    authors: Sousa-Silva C,Seager S,Ranjan S,Petkowski JJ,Zhan Z,Hu R,Bains W

    更新日期:2020-02-01 00:00:00

  • Sulfur-oxidizing chemolithotrophic proteobacteria dominate the microbiota in high arctic thermal springs on Svalbard.

    abstract::The thermal springs Trollosen and Fisosen, located on the High Arctic archipelago Svalbard, discharge saline groundwaters rich in hydrogen sulfide and ammonium through a thick layer of permafrost. Large amounts of biomass that consist of filamentous microorganisms containing sulfur granules, as analyzed with energy di...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2010.0551

    authors: Reigstad LJ,Jorgensen SL,Lauritzen SE,Schleper C,Urich T

    更新日期:2011-09-01 00:00:00

  • Team Processes and Outcomes During the AMADEE-18 Mars Analog Mission.

    abstract::The aim of this study was to examine team functioning within the context of the AMADEE 18 Mars analog project, which took place in Oman in the winter of 2018. Five "Analog Astronauts" participated in this study. Each completed measures of individual-level variables, including demographics and personality, before the s...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2019.2035

    authors: McMenamin J,Allen NJ,Battler M

    更新日期:2020-11-01 00:00:00

  • Experimental simulation of evaporation-driven silica sinter formation and microbial silicification in hot spring systems.

    abstract::Evaporation of silica-rich geothermal waters is one of the main abiotic drivers of the formation of silica sinters around hot springs. An important role in sinter structural development is also played by the indigenous microbial communities, which are fossilized and eventually encased in the silica matrix. The combina...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2012.0887

    authors: Orange F,Lalonde SV,Konhauser KO

    更新日期:2013-02-01 00:00:00

  • Subglacial hydrothermal alteration minerals in Jökulhlaup deposits of Southern Iceland, with implications for detecting past or present habitable environments on Mars.

    abstract::Jökulhlaups are terrestrial catastrophic outfloods, often triggered by subglacial volcanic eruptions. Similar volcano-ice interactions were likely important on Mars where magma/lava may have interacted with the planet's cryosphere to produce catastrophic floods. As a potential analogue to sediments deposited during ma...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2009.0425

    authors: Warner NH,Farmer JD

    更新日期:2010-06-01 00:00:00

  • Structural and Energetic Compatibility: The Driving Principles of Molecular Evolution.

    abstract::In this work, we provide an answer to the question formulated by Albert Eschenmoser: "How would you envisage the bridge between potentially primordial geochemistry that had been disordered and one that gradually became self-organizing?" Analysis of the free-energy profiles of some of the key reactions leading to forma...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章,评审

    doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1978

    authors: Šponer JE,Šponer J,Di Mauro E

    更新日期:2019-09-01 00:00:00

  • Oxidant enhancement in martian dust devils and storms: implications for life and habitability.

    abstract::We investigate a new mechanism for producing oxidants, especially hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), on Mars. Large-scale electrostatic fields generated by charged sand and dust in the martian dust devils and storms, as well as during normal saltation, can induce chemical changes near and above the surface of Mars. The most dr...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2006.6.439

    authors: Atreya SK,Wong AS,Renno NO,Farrell WM,Delory GT,Sentman DD,Cummer SA,Marshall JR,Rafkin SC,Catling DC

    更新日期:2006-06-01 00:00:00

  • Lichens survive in space: results from the 2005 LICHENS experiment.

    abstract::This experiment was aimed at establishing, for the first time, the survival capability of lichens exposed to space conditions. In particular, the damaging effect of various wavelengths of extraterrestrial solar UV radiation was studied. The lichens used were the bipolar species Rhizocarpon geographicum and Xanthoria e...

    journal_title:Astrobiology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1089/ast.2006.0046

    authors: Sancho LG,de la Torre R,Horneck G,Ascaso C,de Los Rios A,Pintado A,Wierzchos J,Schuster M

    更新日期:2007-06-01 00:00:00