Traces of Ancient Life in Oceanic Basalt Preserved as Iron-Mineralized Ultrastructures: Implications for Detecting Extraterrestrial Biosignatures

doi:10.1089/ast.2022.0075

	Traces of Ancient Life in Oceanic Basalt Preserved as Iron-Mineralized Ultrastructures: Implications for Detecting Extraterrestrial Biosignatures
	Qu, Yuangao 1; Yin, Zongjun 2; Kustatscher, Evelyn 3,4,5; Nuetzel, Alexander 4,5,6; Peckmann, Joern 7; Vajda, Vivi 8; Ivarsson, Magnus 8
刊名	ASTROBIOLOGY
	2023-05-24
页码	17
关键词	Ultrastructures Iron minerals Oceanic basalt Subsurface biosignatures
ISSN号	1531-1074
DOI	10.1089/ast.2022.0075
通讯作者	Qu, Yuangao(qu_yuangao@hotmail.com) ; Ivarsson, Magnus(magnus.ivarsson@nrm.se)
英文摘要	Benefiting from their adaptability to extreme environments, subsurface microorganisms have been discovered in sedimentary and igneous rock environments on Earth and have been advocated as candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. In this article, we study iron-mineralized microstructures in calcite-filled veins within basaltic pillows of the late Ladinian Fernazza group (Middle Triassic, 239 Ma) in Italy. These microstructures represent diverse morphologies, including filaments, globules, nodules, and micro-digitate stromatolites, which are similar to extant iron-oxidizing bacterial communities. In situ analyses including Raman spectroscopy have been used to investigate the morphological, elemental, mineralogical, and bond-vibrational modes of the microstructures. According to the Raman spectral parameters, iron minerals preserve heterogeneous ultrastructures and crystallinities, coinciding with the morphologies and precursor microbial activities. The degree of crystallinity usually represents a microscale gradient decreasing toward previously existing microbial cells, revealing a decline of mineralization due to microbial activities. This study provides an analog of possible rock-dwelling subsurface life on Mars or icy moons and advocates Raman spectroscopy as an efficient tool for in situ analyses. We put forward the concept that ultrastructural characteristics of minerals described by Raman spectral parameters corresponding to microscale morphologies could be employed as carbon-lean biosignatures in future space missions.
资助项目	Swedish Research Council[2017-04129] ; Swedish Research Council[2019-04061] ; Hundred Talents Program of China[E01X070201] ; National Key R&D Program of China[2018YFC0309800] ; Interdisciplinary Innovation Team of Chinese Academy of Sciences[JCTD-2020-18]
WOS关键词	CARBONACEOUS-MATERIAL GEOTHERMOMETER ; RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY ; MICROBIAL LIFE ; GOETHITE ; BIOMASS ; DIVERSITY ; DOLOMITES ; ENERGY ; CRUST ; IDENTIFICATION
WOS研究方向	Astronomy & Astrophysics ; Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics ; Geology
语种	英语
出版者	MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC
WOS记录号	WOS:000993932100001
资助机构	Swedish Research Council ; Hundred Talents Program of China ; National Key R&D Program of China ; Interdisciplinary Innovation Team of Chinese Academy of Sciences
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.nigpas.ac.cn/handle/332004/42196]
专题	中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所
通讯作者	Qu, Yuangao; Ivarsson, Magnus
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Deep Sea Sci & Engn, Sanya, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Nanjing Inst Geol & Palaeontol, State Key Lab Palaeobiol & Stratig, Nanjing, Peoples R China 3.Museum Nat South Tyrol, Bozen Bolzano, Italy 4.Ludwig Maximilians Univ Munchen, Dept Geound Umweltwissensch Palaontol & Geobiol, Munich, Germany 5.SNSB Bayer Staatssammlung Palaontol & Geobiol, Munich, Germany 6.Ludwig Maximilians Univ Munchen, GeoBioctr, Munich, Germany 7.Univ Hamburg, Ctr Erdsyst Forsch & Nachhaltigkeit, Inst Geol, Hamburg, Germany 8.Swedish Museum Nat Hist, Dept Paleobiol, Stockholm, Sweden
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Qu, Yuangao,Yin, Zongjun,Kustatscher, Evelyn,et al. Traces of Ancient Life in Oceanic Basalt Preserved as Iron-Mineralized Ultrastructures: Implications for Detecting Extraterrestrial Biosignatures[J]. ASTROBIOLOGY,2023:17.
APA	Qu, Yuangao.,Yin, Zongjun.,Kustatscher, Evelyn.,Nuetzel, Alexander.,Peckmann, Joern.,...&Ivarsson, Magnus.(2023).Traces of Ancient Life in Oceanic Basalt Preserved as Iron-Mineralized Ultrastructures: Implications for Detecting Extraterrestrial Biosignatures.ASTROBIOLOGY,17.
MLA	Qu, Yuangao,et al."Traces of Ancient Life in Oceanic Basalt Preserved as Iron-Mineralized Ultrastructures: Implications for Detecting Extraterrestrial Biosignatures".ASTROBIOLOGY (2023):17.