AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap

Horneck, G.; Walter, Nicolas; Westall, Francès; Grenfell, John Lee; Martin, William; Gómez, Felipe; Leuko, Stefan; Lee, Natuschka; Onofri, Silvano; Tsiganis, K.; Saladino, Raffaele; Pilat-Lohinger, Elke; Palomba, E.; Harrison, Jesse Patrick; Rull, Fernando; Müller, C.; Strazzulla, G.; Brucato, J. R.; Rettberg, Petra; Capria, M. T.

doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1441

Cited by 105 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 224 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This is in agreement with recent recommendations by the AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap, which was supported by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (Horneck et al 2016) • Data obtained on astrobiological research should be shared with the scientific community through an open access database. Coordinated funding must insure the ability to establish this database.…”

Section: Analogue Studies Field Work and Laboratory Simulationssupporting

confidence: 86%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Earth as a Tool for Astrobiology—A European Perspective

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Scientists use the Earth as a tool for astrobiology by analyzing planetary field analogues (i.e. terrestrial samples and field sites that resemble planetary bodies in our Solar System). In addition, they expose the selected planetary field analogues in simulation chambers to conditions that mimic the ones of planets, moons and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space conditions, as well as the chemistry occurring in interstellar and cometary ices. This paper reviews the ways the Earth is used by astrobiologists: (i) by conducting planetary field analogue studies to investigate extant life from extreme environments, its metabolisms, adaptation strategies and modern biosignatures; (ii) by conducting planetary field analogue studies to investigate extinct life from the oldest rocks on our planet and its biosignatures; (iii) by exposing terrestrial samples to simulated space or planetary environments and producing a sample analogue to investigate changes in minerals, biosignatures and microorganisms. The European Space Agency (ESA) created a topical team in 2011 to investigate recent activities using the Earth as a tool for astrobiology and to formulate recommendations and scientific needs to improve ground-based astrobiological research. Space is an important tool for astrobiology (see Horneck et al. in Astrobiology, 16:201-243, 2016;Cottin et al., 2017), but access to space is limited. Complementing research on Earth provides fast access, more replications and higher sample throughput. The major conclusions of the topical team and suggestions for the future include more scientifically qualified calls for field campaigns with planetary analogy, and a centralized point of contact at ESA or the EU for the organization of a survey of such expeditions. An improvement of the coordinated logistics, infrastructures and funding system supporting the combination of field work with planetary simulation investigations, as well as an optimization of the scientific return and data processing, data storage and data distribution is also needed. Finally, a coordinated EU or ESA education and outreach program would improve the participation of the public in the astrobiological activities.

show abstract

Section: Analogue Studies Field Work and Laboratory Simulationssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…5). This study thus perfectly complements the EU-funded Astrobiology Roadmap, a very broad overview of the state of the art of, and challenges for, astrobiology in general (Horneck et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Earth as a Tool for Astrobiology—A European Perspective

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These include (i) the availability of nutrients, for example in the form of the elements CHNOPS (see e.g. Horneck et al 2016); (ii) the formation and maintenance of an atmosphere that enables the presence of liquid water (Grenfell et al 2010); (iii) the existence of a magnetic field that could protect the surface from high-energy particles (Lundin et al 2007); (iv) climate stabilization, possibly via the presence of a large moon (Laskar et al 1993); (v) environmental diversity and climate-stabilizing feedbacks, for example due to the presence of plate tectonics which favours the carbonate-silicate cycle (e.g. Korenaga 2011;Höning & Spohn 2016); (vi) planetary protection from impacts due to the presence of gas giants (Horner & Jones 2008); and (vii) the properties of the central star (Beech 2011).…”

Section: Habitabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The habitability of a stagnant-lid Earth

Tosi

Godolt

Stracke

et al. 2017

A&A

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context. Plate tectonics is considered a fundamental component for the habitability of the Earth. Yet whether it is a recurrent feature of terrestrial bodies orbiting other stars or unique to the Earth is unknown. The stagnant lid may rather be the most common tectonic expression on such bodies. Aims. To understand whether a stagnant-lid planet can be habitable, i.e. host liquid water at its surface, we model the thermal evolution of the mantle, volcanic outgassing of H 2 O and CO 2 , and resulting climate of an Earth-like planet lacking plate tectonics. Methods. We used a 1D model of parameterized convection to simulate the evolution of melt generation and the build-up of an atmosphere of H 2 O and CO 2 over 4.5 Gyr. We then employed a 1D radiative-convective atmosphere model to calculate the global mean atmospheric temperature and the boundaries of the habitable zone (HZ).Results. The evolution of the interior is characterized by the initial production of a large amount of partial melt accompanied by a rapid outgassing of H 2 O and CO 2 . The maximal partial pressure of H 2 O is limited to a few tens of bars by the high solubility of water in basaltic melts. The low solubility of CO 2 instead causes most of the carbon to be outgassed, with partial pressures that vary from 1 bar or less if reducing conditions are assumed for the mantle to 100-200 bar for oxidizing conditions. At 1 au, the obtained temperatures generally allow for liquid water on the surface nearly over the entire evolution. While the outer edge of the HZ is mostly influenced by the amount of outgassed CO 2 , the inner edge presents a more complex behaviour that is dependent on the partial pressures of both gases. Conclusions. At 1 au, the stagnant-lid planet considered would be regarded as habitable. The width of the HZ at the end of the evolution, albeit influenced by the amount of outgassed CO 2 , can vary in a non-monotonic way depending on the extent of the outgassed H 2 O reservoir. Our results suggest that stagnant-lid planets can be habitable over geological timescales and that joint modelling of interior evolution, volcanic outgassing, and accompanying climate is necessary to robustly characterize planetary habitability.

show abstract

“…Despite an abundance of data on the effects of antimicrobial compounds on different organisms, we still lack a good understanding of how multiple environmental factors interact to influence microbial susceptibility to antibiotics within natural ecosystems. Astrobiologists are interested in understanding the habitability of extreme environments on Earth and other planetary bodies, and thus their research motivates them to study the limits of life under single and multiple extremes [1][2][3][4][5][6]. This approach might be applied to investigate the efficacy of antibiotic compounds within natural extreme environments and in a medical context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrobiology as a framework for investigating antibiotic susceptibility: a study ofHalomonas hydrothermalis

Harrison

Angel

Cockell

2017

J. R. Soc. Interface.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Physical and chemical boundaries for microbial multiplication on Earth are strongly influenced by interactions between environmental extremes. However, little is known about how interactions between multiple stress parameters affect the sensitivity of microorganisms to antibiotics. Here, we assessed how 12 distinct permutations of salinity, availability of an essential nutrient (iron) and atmospheric composition (aerobic or microaerobic) affect the susceptibility of a polyextremotolerant bacterium, Halomonas hydrothermalis, to ampicillin, kanamycin and ofloxacin. While salinity had a significant impact on sensitivity to all three antibiotics (as shown by turbidimetric analyses), the nature of this impact was modified by iron availability and the ambient gas composition, with differing effects observed for each compound. These two parameters were found to be of particular importance when considered in combination and, in the case of ampicillin, had a stronger combined influence on antibiotic tolerance than salinity. Our data show how investigating microbial responses to multiple extremes, which are more representative of natural habitats than single extremes, can improve our understanding of the effects of antimicrobial compounds and suggest how studies of habitability, motivated by the desire to map the limits of life, can be used to systematically assess the effectiveness of antibiotics.

show abstract

AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap

Cited by 105 publications

References 224 publications

Earth as a Tool for Astrobiology—A European Perspective

Earth as a Tool for Astrobiology—A European Perspective

The habitability of a stagnant-lid Earth

Astrobiology as a framework for investigating antibiotic susceptibility: a study ofHalomonas hydrothermalis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About