Astrovirology: Expanding the Search for Life

Trubl, Gareth; Stedman, Kenneth M.; Bywaters, Kathryn; Boston, Penelope J.; Kaelber, Jason T.; Roux, Simon; Emerson, Joanne B.; Breitbart, Mya; Yin, John; Janjic, Aleksandar; Sommers, Pacifica; Rodríguez‐Román, Eduardo

doi:10.3847/25c2cfeb.b072d157

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

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“…Despite the prevalence of viruses on Earth, viruses have seldom been considered in astrobiology [ 7 ]. Recent studies have pointed out the critical role of viruses in the evolution of life on Earth and have pushed for further studies of viruses in other biospheres [ 8 ]. It has been hypothesized that in any biosphere, virus-like “genetic parasites” will naturally emerge [ 9 ], while others have speculated that viruses were instrumental in the origin and early evolution of cellular life itself [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean

Gomez-Buckley

Showalter

Wong

2022

Life

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The search for life in the universe is often informed by the study of “extreme” environments on Earth, which provide analogs for habitable locations in the Solar System, and whose microbial inhabitants may therefore also serve as analogs for potential life forms in extraterrestrial milieus. Recent work has highlighted the ubiquity and importance of viral entities in terrestrial ecosystems, which calls for a greater understanding of the roles that viruses might play in hypothetical extraterrestrial biomes. While some studies have modeled the dynamics of viral and bacterial populations in icy ocean environments on Earth, previous work has yet to apply these findings to icy ocean worlds such as Jupiter’s moon Europa. It is commonly theorized that hydrothermal vents on Europa could produce the necessary reductants for chemosynthesis to take place on the ocean bottom. In the case that Europa’s ocean is a reductant-limited environment, how might reductants and organic matter reach the sub-ice region to power a more easily accessible ecosystem? Here, we propose a ‘viral elevator,’ a mechanism that functions similarly to the ‘viral shunt’ in Earth’s oceans, which could create and shuttle dissolved organic matter (DOM) to a hypothetical sub-ice biosphere through viral carriers. Current models of Europa’s ocean currents and stratification support the movement of DOM to the sub-ice biosphere. We adapt an existing model for bacterial and viral population dynamics in Earth’s Arctic sea ice to Europa and use parameters from various Arctic-based studies as proxies for Europa’s environment. We find that viral burst size has the most significant effect on the virus-to-bacteria ratio (VBR) and system longevity in closed systems (such as brine pockets within Europa’s icy crust), with higher burst sizes clearly increasing both. When applying our model to an open system with an influx of DOM from the viral elevator, we found that a steady-state system is attainable, with resulting sub-ice biofilms on the order of 0.1 mm thick (global equivalent layer). This has implications for future searches for life on Europa, given that life directly under the ice will be easier to detect and observe than life near the ocean bottom.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean

Gomez-Buckley

Showalter

Wong

2022

Life

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Life on the Edge: Bioprospecting Extremophiles for Astrobiology

et al. 2023

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Discovering exoplanets and satellites in habitable zones within and beyond our solar system has sparked intrigue in planetary setting varieties that could support life. Based on our understanding of life on Earth, we can shed light on the origin, evolution, and future of Earth-like organisms in the galaxy and predict extinct or extant extraterrestrial life. Hence, extremophiles thriving in mimic outer space environments are particularly interesting as they exhibit traits that preponderate our comprehension regarding the possibility of life elsewhere and in situ life detection. Additionally, many extremophiles have been used for astrobiological research model organisms to unveil native alien life or possible life-produced metabolites outside Earth. Laboratory-based simulation chambers mimic this outer space condition, helping researchers study life beyond Earth in near identical conditions and understand molecular mechanisms for survival. This review summarizes relevant studies with isolated microorganisms from extreme analog Earth environments, harnessing them as promising astrobiological model candidates for pursuing life potentialities in other planetary bodies. We also highlight the necessity of environmental simulation chamber approaches for mimicking extraterrestrial habitats.

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Astrovirology: Expanding the Search for Life

Abstract: Co-signatories:There are 68 signatures of support (email trubl1@llnl.gov for copy if needed).

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean

Modeling Virus and Bacteria Populations in Europa’s Subsurface Ocean

Life on the Edge: Bioprospecting Extremophiles for Astrobiology

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