9 -- Certified Organic: Astrobiology and the Latest Developments in Organic Geochemistry, Biochemistry and Organic Assays

THURSDAY, April 17, 2008: AFTERNOON

Mountain View, CA, USA

Linda Jahnke
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA, USA

Description

Organic molecules are relevant to Astrobiology as markers for evolution, tags for modern microbial ecosystems, pre-biotic building blocks and signatures of life in extraterrestrial environments. A number of NAI groups are actively developing the next generation of remote organic analytical instruments to collect data on organic composition of solar system objects such as Mars, Europa and Titan. For example, sophisticated GC/MS systems are slated for deployment on the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory and 2013 ExoMars missions. Meanwhile, back on Earth, organic biomarkers continue to play an important role in understanding microbial metabolic processes and diversity in modern and ancient analogue environments. New applications of biomarker analysis in Astrobiology continue to emerge as demonstrated by recent studies of the thermal and ecological effects of Houghton impact (Parnell et al., 2007; McKirdy et al., 2006) and the Paleoproterozoic Oklo natural fission reactor (Dutkiewicz et al., in press).

This session focuses on research that uses biomarker techniques to address critical questions about detection, composition, function and preservation of life. We seek contributions on organic analysis that address questions across the breadth of Astrobiology, and especially welcome presentations on following topics:

Lipid biomarkers in modern analogue environments - organic analysis of deep surface, hypersaline, hydrothermal, psychrophilic, acidic or ultra-basic environments, novel sampling techniques and integration with other microbiological assays.
Biomarkers in deep time - tracers for life on early Earth, biological response at critical geologic boundaries, and novel compounds as proxies for specific biological input or environmental conditions.
Preservation - transformation of functionalized microbial lipids and volatile microbial organics (i.e. organosulfur, organometallic compounds) as quantitative proxies for living biomass or geochemical pathways relevant to evolution and diversification of life.

ORAL SESSIONS

3:15 9-10-O. Lipid Biomarkers from Sub-aqueous and Sub-sedimentary Gypsum
Deposits of Guerrero Negro, Mexico: Examining Discretization and Layering of

Pigmented Endoevaporitic Microbial Communities

M. Vogel, L.L. Jahnke, D.J. DesMarais, K.A. Turk, M.D.Y. Kubo

3:30 9-06-O. Lipid Biomarker Preservation in Phototrophic Streamer Mats from a

Silica Depositing Hot Spring, Queens Laundry, Yellowstone National Park

H. Oakes-Miller, L.L. Jahnke, M.N. Parenteau, M.D. Kubo, S.L. Cady

3:45           9-01-O. Ecological, Environmental, and Physiological Controls on Hopane
                  Distributions in Acidithiobacillus sp. and Biofilms in the Frasassi Cave System,
                  Italy   H. Albrecht, K.H. Freeman, J. Macalady

4:00 9-02-O. Anaerobic Biodegradation of Isoprenoid Biomarkers by Nitrate

Reducing Bacteria K. Dawson, J.L. Macalady, K.H. Freeman

4:15 BREAK

4:30 9-05-O. Organic Geochemistry of the Haughton Impact Structure

P. Lindgren, J. Parnell, S. Bowden, G. Osinski, P. Lee

4:45 9-09-O. Detection and Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

with the Mars Organic Analyzer A. Stockton, T.N. Chiesl, J.R. Scherer, R.A. Mathies

5:00 9-07-O. Fieldable Method for Quantification of Labile Soil Organic Carbon in

Hyper-arid Mars-like Soils H.S. Perez Montaño, R.C. Apaza, L. Fletcher,

J. Valdivia Silva, C. Conley, C. McKay

5:15 9-08-O. ToF-SIMS Possibilities in Geobiology S. Siljeström, T. Hode, J. Lausmaa,

V. Thiel, C. Heim, P. Sjövall

POSTERS

9-03-P. Nature of Organics Associated with the Nano-sized Dust in the Diffuse

Interstellar Medium F. Freund, M.M. Freund, J.J. Mellon, R. Malhotra

9-04-P. The Effects of Lower Salinity on the Lipid Composition of a Hypersaline

Microbial Mat L. Jahnke

9-11-P. Microspectroscopic Study of Kerogen in Neogene Sediments of the Shinjo

Basin, Japan H. Yabuta, T. Araki, H. Busemann, G.D. Cody, M. Fries, A.L.D. Kilcoyne,

H. Mita, A. Steele

<< back to index